Queen Maxima’s Sparkling State Banquet Bandeau

Back in April 2011, when the Dutch royals made this state visit to Germany, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands was still on the throne, and Wax ‘n Max were still the Prince of Orange and Princess Maxima. They were hosted for a state dinner at Bellevue Palace in Berlin by German President Christian Wulff and his wife, Bettina.

Princess Maxima wore a dramatic strapless evening gown with crystal embellishments at the hem and on the bodice for the dinner.

And then, she piled on the diamonds. She wore the grand Dutch Diamond Bandeau, a nineteenth-century necklace that was transformed into a tiara during the reign of Queen Wilhelmina.

Maxima has become an enthusiastic fan of this tiara over the years. I like this photograph from the German banquet, because the angle really shows off the length of the sides of the tiara.

With the classic tiara, Maxima wore a pair of diamond drop earrings, which are also from the Dutch vaults. On the bodice of her gown, you’ll also spot the miniature ribbon and badge of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.

On her right hand, Maxima wore a diamond ring. She received the ring from Willem-Alexander as a gift to celebrate the birth of Princess Ariane in 2007. On her right wrist, she wore the smaller of the two the Dutch East Indies Bracelets. The bracelets were made by dismantling a larger diamond and platinum bracelet that had been given to Queen Juliana by the people of the East Indies as a wedding present in 1937.

Her engagement and wedding rings were on her left hand for the occasion. She also wore a rather fanciful jewel from the family collection: the elaborate diamond floral evening watch, which was one of Queen Juliana’s 50th birthday gifts. The top portion of the piece pops open to reveal the watch face. Fun!