Even More Glittering Royal Tiaras for the King’s Nobel Dinner in Sweden

King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden again led the royal party at Monday evening’s dinner. For the white-tie dinner, the royals wore jewels and decorations. You’ll see the royal ladies wearing the sash and star of the Order of the Seraphim and the King’s Royal Family Order on their gowns.

Queen Silvia opted for a favorite suite of jewelry for the dinner: the luscious Leuchtenberg Sapphires. The tiara and its coordinating parure of sapphire and diamond jewels came to Sweden from Germany with Princess Josephine of Leuchtenberg when she married Crown Prince Oscar of Sweden. But the suite originally has an even more impressive provenance: the sapphires were given to Princess Josephine’s mother, Princess Augusta, by her mother-in-law, Empress Josephine, the first wife of Napoleon Bonaparte. They were a gift to celebrate the birth of Princess Augusta’s son, Prince Auguste, in the winter of 1810-11.

Here’s a better look at the sapphires from tonight’s dinner. Queen Silvia also used a brooch from the set to secure her order sash. She finished off the look with sapphire and diamond bracelets.

Crown Princess Victoria wore an eye-catching black and white ensemble for the King’s Dinner, but it was her jewelry that really caught my eye.

Victoria wore the Connaught Diamond Tiara, which was a wedding gift to Crown Princess Margareta of Sweden from her parents, the Duke and Duchess of Connaught, in 1905. The tiara later became a beloved favorite of the King’s mother, Princess Sibylla, and the family often simply calls it “Princess Sibylla’s Tiara” in her honor.

Crown Princess Victoria paired the tiara with pearl drop earrings from the family vaults, plus a very intriguing diamond cluster brooch.

Here’s a fairly good close-up shot of the brooch, which has a bright white gemstone set in its center. This close-up makes me feel quite confident that the stone is an opal, though I’m hoping we’ll hear more official provenance information about the jewel from the Swedish court.

UPDATE: Big shout-out to the numerous readers who have emailed me about the history of the brooch. Princess Sibylla of Sweden appears to have worn the same cluster brooch in May 1935 for a pre-wedding gala ahead of the nuptials of Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark and her sister-in-law, Princess Ingrid of Sweden. She paired the brooch with the tiara and jewels from the Cameo Parure for the gala.

Here’s a closer look at Sibylla from the same group portrait where you can see the brooch more clearly.

Princess Sofia was gorgeous in a deep red evening gown on Monday, perfect for the holiday season.

She accessorized with diamonds and rubies, including the all-diamond setting of her palmette wedding tiara. She echoed the rich color of her gown by securing her order sash with the family’s ruby and diamond cluster brooch.

You’ll also spot the royal family’s gorgeous diamond floral earrings peeking out from beneath Sofia’s hair. (I like her hairstyle this evening—very Disney princess!)

She also wore another heirloom jewel on her right wrist. The diamond and ruby bracelet dates to 1905. It was part of the wedding gift presented to Crown Princess Margareta by her uncle and aunt, King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom. The jewel can be worn separately as a bracelet, but it can also be used as an extender piece to allow the King Edward VII Ruby Tiara to be worn as a necklace.

Princess Christina looked lovely again on Monday in a favorite purple evening gown, accessorized with diamond and amethyst jewels.

Like Princess Sofia, Princess Christina pulled off a tiara repeat moment, wearing the same tiara she’d worn the evening before for the Nobel ceremony and banquet. But it’s an important tiara, after all! The Diamond Six-Button Tiara, or the Karl Johan Tiara, is set with diamond rosettes that once adorned the Swedish royal coronation crown. Christina paired the tiara with diamond earrings, a diamond and amethyst necklace, and a diamond brooch.

She also wore a fantastic cocktail ring on her right hand. I think that’s a huge cabochon amethyst set in the ring? (I hope so, anyway!)

Countess Bettina Bernadotte of Wisborg and her husband at the dinner for the Nobel Prize laureates.

Bettina’s father was Count Lennart Bernadotte of Wisborg (1909-2004), born Prince of Sweden, son of Prince Wilhelm of Sweden and Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia. pic.twitter.com/zQpbQOxEpo

— RoyalArjan (@RoyalArjan) December 11, 2023

And finally, there was one more member of the extended Bernadotte family present at the King’s Dinner. Countess Bettina Bernadotte attended the event with her husband, Philipp Haug. Bettina is a daughter of Count Lennart Bernadotte, who was the son of Prince Wilhelm of Sweden and Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia. Bettina is president of the Council for the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings, a forum that allows for an exchange of ideas between the Nobel laureates and young scientists. For tonight’s dinner, Bettina wore a modern festoon tiara set with diamonds and multi-colored gemstones. She’s worn the tiara frequently for Nobel gala events over the years.

I’ll be back here later tomorrow with jewels from the first day of the South Korean state visit to the Netherlands. Get excited for even more tiaras, everybody!