Today, Queen Máxima of the Netherlands celebrates her 51st birthday. To mark the occasion, I’ve got a roundup today of ten of my favorite tiara appearances made by Máxima over the years.
April 2013: The Dutch Sapphire Parure Tiara
On the day that her husband, King Willem-Alexander, was inaugurated as King of the Netherlands, the new Queen Máxima wore spectacular sapphires from the Dutch royal vaults with a gown by designer Jan Taminiau. The spotlight piece of the ensemble was Queen Emma’s magnificent sapphire and diamond tiara, which Máxima paired with an incredible diamond and sapphire brooch, as well as the Diamond Cluster and Sapphire Drop Earrings, made from a sapphire tiara that belonged to Queen Wilhelmina.
June 2010: The Dutch Diamond Bandeau
For the wedding of Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel of Sweden in Stockholm, Máxima dazzled in the grand Dutch Diamond Bandeau. She put together a “mirrored parure” look by also wearing a magnificent diamond rivière from the family collection. Even more diamond sparkle was added with diamond drop earrings, diamond bracelets, and a scattering of Queen Emma’s diamond stars across the sash of the Order of the Polar Star.
May 2002: The Dutch Star Tiara
Speaking of Queen Emma’s diamond stars: five of Queen Emma’s ten-pointed stars were placed on the base of the Pearl Button Tiara to create a new sparkler, the Dutch Star Tiara, for Máxima to wear on her wedding day in February 2002. She wore the tiara often during the early years of her marriage, and my favorite of her appearances in the piece came at the wedding of Prince Märtha Louise of Norway in May 2002. She also wore the fantastic Dutch Diamond Trellis Necklace and diamond drop earrings for the occasion.
March 2014: The Antique Pearl Tiara
Queen Máxima gleamed in pearls and pink for a state banquet in honor of the President of China in Amsterdam in 2014. She wore the Antique Pearl Tiara, a piece she’s favored over the years, with pearl earrings and an impressive royal brooch. The corsage ornament dates to the early nineteenth century and was originally worn by Queen Sophie of the Netherlands.
November 2016: Queen Emma’s Diamond Tiara
During an official visit to New Zealand, Queen Máxima sparkled at a state dinner at Government House in Wellington. With a dramatic red gown, she wore Queen Emma’s Diamond Tiara with Queen Wilhelmina’s Diamond Earrings and a gorgeous diamond scroll brooch from the royal vaults. Máxima’s tiara hair on this occasion is one of my favorite examples of how to effectively wear a tiara with one’s hair down.
June 2014: The Dutch Emerald Parure Tiara
This combination of a gown with a wonderful, architectural neckline with an antique emerald tiara was a winner for me! Queen Máxima wore the Dutch Emerald Parure Tiara in its original emerald setting in June 2014 for an official dinner during a visit from Prince Albert II of Monaco to the Netherlands. She also wore additional jewels from the parure, plus her own diamond and emerald earrings.
May 2015: The Ruby Peacock Tiara
During an official visit to Canada in 2015, Queen Máxima made a striking appearance at a state dinner at Rideau Hall in Ottawa. She wore a pink gown with a one-shoulder neckline and a fringed skirt, accessorized with diamonds and rubies. She wore the Ruby Peacock Tiara, made in 1897 for Queen Wilhelmina, and its coordinating brooch. She also added the ruby and diamond earrings from Queen Emma’s Mellerio Ruby Parure.
June 2015: The Württemberg Ornate Pearl Tiara
For a gala dinner for the Diplomatic Corps at the Royal Palace in Amsterdam in 2015, Queen Máxima wore one of the grandest tiaras in the Dutch royal vaults: the Württemberg Ornate Pearl Tiara. The tiara was made for Queen Wilhelmina in 1897, and it can be worn in a variety of settings. On this occasion, Máxima wore the tiara’s fourth setting, which omits a set of pear-shaped pearl toppers. She added other pearls to her ensemble, though, including pearl drop earrings and Queen Sophie’s Strawberry Leaf Brooch.
October 2018: The Stuart Tiara
One of Queen Máxima’s most highly anticipated tiara moments came in the autumn of 2018, when she made her first appearance in the full tiara from the Stuart Parure. The tiara includes the grand Stuart Diamond, which was once owned by a pair of British monarchs, King William III and Queen Mary II. Appropriately, Máxima wore the diamond for the first time at a Buckingham Palace banquet during a state visit to the United Kingdom. She paired the tiara with Queen Wilhelmina’s Diamond Earrings and the grand stomacher from the Stuart Parure.
June 2015: The Mellerio Ruby Parure Tiara
Perhaps my favorite of all of Máxima’s tiara appearances took place at the wedding of Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia of Sweden in 2015. With a gorgeous Jan Taminiau gown made of deep red lace and floral appliques, Queen Máxima wore the tiara, earrings, necklace, and bracelet from Queen Emma’s Mellerio Ruby Parure Tiara, as well as another diamond and ruby bracelet from the family collection.
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