The Queen’s Spanish State Banquet Tiara

King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain made a glittering state visit to the United Kingdom in July 2017. It was the first visit from Spanish monarchs since 1986. It was also a family reunion, as Felipe is related in multiple ways to both the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. He’s the son of a Greek princess, and he’s also the great-grandson of Queen Ena, one of Queen Victoria’s granddaughters.

Whether planned or coincidental, the coordinating of the ensembles of the two queens at this banquet was delightful. They dressed in the colors of each others’ orders: Queen Elizabeth II in the light blue and white of the sash of the Order of Carlos III, and Queen Letizia in the scarlet red of the ribbon of the Order of the Golden Fleece.

While Letizia wore the grand diamonds of the joyas de pasar collection—the tiara, the earrings, and one of the diamond bracelets—the Queen coordinated her jewels with the light blue color from her gown. She wore the tiara, earrings, necklace, and bracelet from the Brazilian Aquamarine Parure, a married and evolving set of jewels that began with a coronation gift from the people of Brazil.

Here’s another look at the Queen’s jewels from the banquet. Last week, we saw the tiara from the parure in its original setting. Here, we can see the much larger tiara after its renovations. Which version do you prefer?