The Duchess of Cambridge’s Glittering Nordic Diamonds

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge made an official visit to Sweden and Norway in January and February 2018, meeting with the royal families of both countries. On February 1, William and Kate were the guests of honor at a dinner given by the Norwegian royals at the Royal Palace in Oslo.

All of the senior members of the family were present for the dinner. From left to right: Princess Märtha Louise, King Harald V, Queen Sonja, the Duke and Duchess, Crown Prince Haakon, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, and Princess Astrid. William is a close cousin of the Norwegian royals. All are descendants of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom; William from King George V, and the Norwegian royals from George’s sister, Queen Maud. Appropriately, Queen Sonja wore a diamond and pearl brooch from Queen Maud’s collection for the dinner.

King Harald underscored the relationship between the two families in his speech during the dinner: “The Queen and I are delighted to welcome you on your first official visit to Norway. You are family. And that makes this visit very special—for the Queen and me, and for all of us.”

Kate also wore diamonds with royal provenance for the dinner. She used them to accessorize a glamorous ivory silk gown with beaded embellishments from Alexander McQueen. She was expecting Prince Louis, who was born that April.

The gown featured crystal and pearl flowers and leaves scattered across its shoulders. No need for a necklace—the gown took care of that, with its frosty tribute to snowy Norway. Kate added a pair of sparkling diamond frame earrings, which have been loaned to her by the Queen.

Here’s another look at the earrings, which have become favorites of the Duchess. You also get a good look at the pearls scattered through the crystal embellishments here.

Kate finished off the look with another jewel borrowed from the Queen. She wore the Edinburgh Wedding Bracelet, Prince Philip’s 1947 wedding gift to the Queen, on her left wrist.