Queen Maxima’s Middle Eastern Ruby Tiara

In January 2012, Queen Beatrix, Prince Willem-Alexander, and Princess Máxima traveled to the Middle East for a three-day state visit to the Sultanate of Oman. On the evening of the first day of the visit, the Dutch royals were guests at a state banquet at the Al Alam Palace in Muscat.

Their host for the dinner was the late Sultan Qaboos. Here, he’s pictured with Beatrix and Máxima during an official gift exchange. He’s presenting Máxima with the insignia of the Order of Sultan Qaboos.

(The state banquet was a ruby-filled event; you’ll note that Queen Beatrix, in the background here, is wearing the Mellerio Ruby Parure Tiara. I told you it was one of her favorites!)

Princess Máxima wore the other major ruby tiara from the Dutch royal vaults for the banquet. The Ruby Peacock Tiara, made in 1897 by Schürmann, was originally worn by Queen Wilhelmina. It’s part of a parure that includes several other pieces that also feature peacock-tail design motifs, including a large necklace and a brooch. This state banquet was one of Máxima’s first major appearances in jewels from the suite.

Instead of pairing the tiara with other parts of the parure, or other rubies from the royal vault, Máxima added more diamonds to the look. She wore diamond drop earrings and a diamond rivière necklace, which hugged the neckline of her gown.

You’ll also spot Máxima’s Diamond Wedding Bracelet on her right wrist.

Here’s a good close-up of the bracelet from the dinner. You’ll also spot one more ruby on Máxima here as well, set in the diamond and ruby ring she wore on her right hand. That ring was a gift from Willem-Alexander to celebrate the birth of Princess Amalia in 2003. (You can see a close-up of the ruby ring in this article!)