Belgium’s Brilliant Diamond Royal Wreath Tiara

Today’s royal flashback takes us to Amsterdam, where Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands hosted a dinner on the eve of her abdication in April 2013. The Duke and Duchess of Brabant, who became King and Queen of the Belgians when his father also abdicated a few months later, represented the Belgian royal family at the dinner and the inauguration the following day.

For the dinner, which was held at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, Mathilde was luminous in a Grecian-inspired gown made of champagne-colored satin. The dress had a short train, and Mathilde wore metallic shoes and carried a metallic clutch bag to up the glamour even more.

And then: lots of diamonds! Mathilde wore the Brabant Laurel Wreath Tiara, a spectacular diamond jewel that was given to her in 1999 as a wedding present by a group of Belgian aristocrats. The tiara, which can also be removed from its frame and worn as a necklace, is an antique piece made by an English firm, Hennel & Sons, in 1912.

With the tiara, Mathilde also wore a pair of diamond fringe earrings from her personal collection. And she added an antique jewel from the Belgian royal family as well: Queen Fabiola’s Diamond Fringe Brooch. Fabiola was still alive in 2013, so the brooch was ostensibly a loan from her, but Mathilde has continued to wear it regularly in the years after her death.

Mathilde finished off the look with a gold bracelet featuring pavé-set diamond links. She wore the bracelet on her right wrist, and you’ll also spot her slim gold wedding ring on her right hand.