Queen Silvia’s Antique Diamond Nobel Prize Tiara

It’s been three years since we last saw the Bernadottes attending a glamorous white-tie Nobel Prize celebration in Stockholm. The 2020 ceremony was cancelled because of the pandemic, and last year’s ceremony was a scaled-back affair without a banquet. Back in 2019, the full group of Swedish royals attended the ceremony and dinner, with King Carl XVI Gustaf joined by Queen Silvia, Crown Princess Victoria, and Prince Daniel on stage. (Prince Carl Philip, Princess Sofia, and Princess Madeleine were seated in the audience. This year, all but Madeleine are scheduled to attend.)

For the 2019 ceremony and banquet, Queen Silvia was resplendent in a modern gown by Elie Saab with metallic sequin embellishments. Her gold accessories coordinated with the colors of the dress. As always, she wore King Carl XVI Gustaf’s Royal Family Order, on its distinctive blue ribbon, and the sash and star of the Order of the Seraphim.

As she has done for several recent consecutive Nobel celebrations, Silvia wore Queen Sofia’s Tiara for the occasion. The distinctive diamond tiara was made around 1860 for Sofia of Nassau, the wife of King Oscar II of Sweden. The diamond cross elements have led some to dub this piece the “Nine-Prong Tiara,” but I prefer to see it as a bejeweled representation of sunrise over Stockholm’s seas. (More on that design interpretation over here!)

She also added several other diamond jewels to her ensemble, including the family’s spectacular floral earrings and a diamond rivière necklace. Another family heirloom jewel secured her order sash: the Leuchtenberg Pearl and Ruby Brooch. That jewel was a gift from King Oscar I to his wife, Joséphine of Leuchtenberg. The five pearls in the brooch are said to represent their five children (King Carl XV, Prince Gustaf, King Oscar II, Princess Eugénie, and Prince August).

She stacked a gold Cartier Love Bracelet with a bracelet with a double row of diamonds on her right wrist.

And she wore slim golden bangles with subtle pavé-set diamond embellishments on her left wrist. You’ll also spot her favorite trio of rings here on her left hand: a diamond ring, a ruby ring, and a diamond band.

And, just for fun, here’s a look at the back of Silvia’s intricate hairstyle. (The Bernadottes have some of the best tiara hair in the business.) You’ll also spot a glimpse of a small diamond floral brooch securing the back of Silvia’s Seraphim sash.