Last week, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of the Belgians made an official visit to the Middle East, making stops in Oman and the United Arab Emirates. Today, I’ve got a rundown of the lovely jewels that Mathilde wore for the multi-day visit.
The royal couple’s plane touched down at at Muscat International Airport in Oman on Wednesday, February 2.
Mathilde wore a boldly printed gown in earth tones for the arrival, with a coordinating hand bag, shoes, and mask.
With the ensemble, Mathilde wore jewels from one of her favorite genres: bold statement pieces made of gold. She wore gold earrings and a large gold cuff bracelet.
On the morning of Thursday, February 3, the couple were officially welcomed to the Al Alam Palace in Muscat by the Sultan of Oman, 66-year-old Haitham bin Tariq. He became sultan after the death of his cousin, the long-serving Qaboos bin Said, in January 2020.
Inside the palace, the ceremony continued with the usual greetings and gift exchanges.
Queen Mathilde wore another printed dress for the occasion, with dark red accessories. Her earrings, made of gold with pink gemstones, referenced one of the colors in her dress.
Also present for the ceremony was the Sultan’s wife, 51-year-old Ahad bint Abdullah. She doesn’t use the title of sultana or queen, but rather is styled “HH The Hon. Lady Sayyida Ahad bint Abdullah bin Hamad Al Busaidiyah.” The previous sultan never married, so hearing the title of a sultan’s wife in Oman is a rather new thing. There’s only one other reigning sultan in the world, the Sultan of Brunei. His senior wife uses the title of Raja Isteri, which is translated into English as Queen Consort.
Lady Ahad wore lovely gold jewelry, including intricate earrings, with her purple and pink ensemble for the official welcome ceremony.
Later in the day, she changed for another meeting with Queen Mathilde, wearing lovely velvet robes in shades of green and blue. Mathilde wore the same clothes for both occasions.
Honestly, the jewels worn here by Lady Ahad were perhaps the highlight of the entire visit for me. She wore a fantastic gold necklace set with diamonds, emeralds, and rubies, including an enormous central emerald stone. (Look how amazing that emerald is!) She also wore an emerald-set ring on her left hand. Just glorious.
Next, the Belgian royals headed to the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque in Muscat. Queen Mathilde changed for this event, wearing a gorgeous embroidered dress in shades of red and blue with a coordinating headscarf and mask.
Here’s a closer look at the detail of her dress. Her accessories, including a clutch bag and a belt with a leaf design, were in shades of gold.
And here’s an excellent look at the gorgeous statement earrings that Mathilde wore for the mosque visit.
The visit also gave us a look at a gorgeous ring that Mathilde wore for several events during this trip. It’s different than the usual sapphire and diamond ring that she wears on her left hand. (That one was a 10th wedding anniversary gift from Philippe; you can see a good close-up in this article.) This new ring features a bold blue gemstone (perhaps another sapphire, or maybe a tanzanite?) surrounded by a slim border of diamonds. It really echoed the blue accent color in her gown perfectly for this event.
On Friday, February 4, the couple’s royal engagements in Oman continued with a visit to the Port of Duqm. The visit included the official opening of the new port. This portion of the trip, according to the royal website, was focused on “the transition to green energy and cooperation between the two countries in this area.”
Queen Mathilde chose another bold print in earth tones for Friday’s engagements. This time, rather than a dress, the outfit consisted of a blouse and matching trousers. She paired some of her most classic earrings, her pearl and diamond earrings, with the ensemble.
On Friday afternoon, the royal couple departed from Oman and traveled to the United Arab Emirates. There, they were officially welcomed at Abu Dhabi International Airport.
On Saturday, February 5, the royals spent the last day of their visit at the Dubai Expo 2020. It was “Belgian Day” at the expo, and the couple made a special visit to the Belgian pavilion. The royal website notes that the pavilion is an extremely popular attraction and “a model of inclusive, sustainable and circular architecture.”
The day’s program included with Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum of Dubai, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates.
On this final day of the visit, Mathilde wore a light day dress for the expo visit, pairing it with a green picture hat and a lovely pair of diamond and pearl drop earrings. These are similar to (but not the same as) the pearl drop earrings Mathilde inherited from Queen Fabiola.
The last day of the visit also included a tour of the spectacular United Arab Emirates pavilion at the expo. And then, the King and Queen headed back to Belgium. So nice to see royal jewels on tour once again!
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