A British Floral Tiara for Queen Letizia at the Royal Palace in Madrid

President Gustavo Petro of Colombia and his wife, Verónica Alcocer, arrived in Spain for a state visit last week. King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain hosted a gala dinner in the presidential couple’s honor at the Royal Palace in Madrid on May 3.

Gowns and tiaras were part of the dress code for the dinner, and both the Queen and Ms. Alcocer were elegant in bright colors for the occasion.

Queen Letizia wore a Carolina Herrera evening gown in her power color, red, for the gala dinner. She also wore the sash and star of her Colombian order of chivalry, the Order of Boyacá.

Jewelry-wise, Letizia kept things simple—at least from a color perspective—wearing jewelry set solely with diamonds.

Three days before the coronation of King Charles III, Letizia reached for one of the British-made tiaras in her jewelry box. The Spanish Floral Tiara was commissioned in 1879 by King Alfonso XII of Spain from the British jeweler J.P. Collins. The naturalistic floral tiara can also be taken apart and worn as a series of brooches or as a necklace.

Letizia let the tiara shine by wearing a simple pair of bezel-set diamond stud earrings with the sparkler.

But she also debuted a piece of jewelry with a lengthy royal legacy at the dinner: a lovely diamond bow brooch that has been worn by several generations of Spanish royal ladies. The jewel has been pictured on Queen Ena of Spain (who was, of course, born a British princess), as well as the Countess of Barcelona and Queen Sofia. I’ve posited that this brooch is the diamond bow that was designated as part of the joyas de pasar by Queen Ena in her will.

Here’s Queen Sofia wearing the brooch with the floral tiara (plus diamond earrings and Queen Maria Cristina’s Mellerio Pearl and Diamond Necklace) during the Argentine state visit in February 2009.

And, just because I thought it was extremely elegant, here’s a closer look at the royal blue evening gown worn by Verónica Alcocer for the dinner. Gorgeous!