State visit season is still in full swing in Europe, and today, we’ve got a look at the dazzling jewels worn by the ladies of the Norwegian royal family as they welcomed the President of Italy to Oslo this week.
On Thursday, Crown Prince Haakon of Norway officially welcomed President Sergio Mattarella of Italy to Oslo for the start of a state visit. Haakon is currently serving as regent in Norway for his father, King Harald V, who is recovering after being diagnosed with an infection.
Crown Prince Haakon was dapper in uniform as he and the president reviewed an honor guard outside the Royal Palace in Oslo. The distinctive green and red sash that he wears here is part of the insignia of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic.
Queen Sonja and Crown Princess Mette-Marit were also on hand for the welcome ceremony outside the palace. Both of the royal ladies also wore the miniature ribbon of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic. They were joined by President Mattarella’s daughter, Laura, who takes on the role of first lady for ceremonial occasions.
Queen Sonja wore one of her many sets of modern metallic jewels for the welcome ceremony. This particular suite is silver-toned and features square earrings and a matching necklace.
Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s most notable accessory was the modern gold and pink floral brooch that she used as a coat clasp.
The brooch has been in Mette-Marit’s collection for more than a decade. Here, she wears it during last May’s official visit to Sweden.
Inside the palace, the royals were also joined by Princess Astrid, the King’s older sister, who wore gold jewels for the start of the visit.
On Thursday evening, Crown Prince Haakon and Queen Sonja hosted a banquet in honor of President Mattarella at the palace. Queen Sonja wore a yellow evening gown from her archive, accessorized with major diamonds. For the banquet, she chose Queen Josefina’s Diamond Tiara, a nineteenth-century jewel that belonged to Joséphine of Leuchtenberg. Sonja also wore the diamond pendant earrings that belonged to Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom, who was the mother of Queen Maud of Norway.
Crown Princess Mette-Marit and Princess Astrid also wore sparkling tiaras for the banquet. Mette-Marit opted for the tiara, earrings, and brooch from the Norwegian Amethyst Parure, worn with a pair of bracelets that gleamed with multicolored gemstones.
Princess Astrid shone in a golden gown for the banquet, worn with equally golden jewels. Her bandeau tiara, earrings, and brooch are part of a parure of jewels made of yellow gold set with semiprecious gemstones. The nineteenth-century set originally comes from the family of Queen Sofia of Sweden (1836-1913), who was the daughter of the Duke of Nassau. From her, the set was passed down through Prince Carl and Princess Ingeborg to Princess Astrid. For the banquet, Astrid also added a double strand of pearls to finish off her gala look.
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