The royal tiaras were sparkling tonight in Stockholm, because the President and First Lady of France have begun their state visit to Sweden! Here’s a look at the jewels we saw for the formal ceremonies on the first day of the program.
President Emmanuel Macron arrived for a state visit with King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden on Tuesday morning. The president and the monarch reviewed troops in the courtyard of the Royal Palace during the traditional welcome ceremony.
The official welcome ceremony continued inside the palace, where the royals guided the presidential couple along receiving lines in the Rikssalen.
The King wore the bright scarlet red sash of the French Order of the Legion of Honour during the welcome ceremony. Both King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia are both Knights Grand Cross of the order.
The royal and presidential couples were joined by Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Daniel, Prince Carl Philip, and Princess Sofia in Queen Lovisa Ulrika’s Dining Room for official photographs. There was also an exchange of chivalric orders. The Swedes bestowed the Order of the Seraphim on President Macron and the Order of the Polar Star on Madame Macron, while the French president made Victoria, Daniel, Carl Philip, and Sofia Grand Officers of the Legion of Honour. (“Grand Officer” is the second-highest tier of the order, after “Grand Cross.”)
Queen Silvia wore a jaunty, French-inspired beret to welcome the presidential couple to Stockholm. Her jewelry was set with gold, black enamel, and diamonds.
Here’s a better look at the earrings, necklace, and brooch, taken as Queen Silvia arrived for a school visit in the afternoon with Mrs. Macron. You’ll also spot the small red and gold miniature of the Legion of Honour on her lapel.
Crown Princess Victoria was lovely in red for the welcome ceremony, accessorized with a gold necklace and earrings. (UFO No More notes that the earrings are from Chaumet.) She wore the miniature blue and gold ribbon of her previously bestowed French decoration, the National Order of Merit, on her jacket lapel.
Princess Sofia’s Bardot-inspired hairstyle hid her earrings, but I see a hint of a gleam of something there!
On Tuesday evening, the royals hosted a grand state banquet for the Macrons at the Royal Palace. Mr. Macron wore his new Seraphim sash and star for the occasion.
Brigitte Macron opted not to wear the Polar Star insignia with her elegant evening gown. (I’m guessing this is Louis Vuitton, her usual go-to for evening wear.) Queen Silvia wore the a purple satin and lace evening gown that we’ve previously seen her wear for the Nobel Prize ceremony in December 2022. She wore the sash and star of the Legion of Honour, plus her husband’s royal family order, pinned to the dress.
And, of course, this was the perfect occasion for Silvia to wear the tiara and jewels from the Cameo Parure. Fresh off their recent exhibition celebrating the King’s Golden Jubilee, the suite of jewelry was made for Empress Josephine of France around 1809. Silvia wore the complete parure for the banquet: tiara, earrings, necklace, bracelet, and brooch. We discussed the fascinating history of these pieces in a recent article.
Crown Princess Victoria also repeated a memorable Nobel Prize ceremony gown for the banquet. She wore this gold and gray H&M gown for the Nobels back in December 2016. She also wore a whole bunch of decorations: the sash of the National Order of Merit; the ribbon, badge, and star of the Legion of Honour; the star of the Order of the Seraphim; and King Carl XVI Gustaf’s Royal Family Order.
She chose the same tiara-gown combination that she wore back in 2016, wearing the Napoleonic Cut-Steel Tiara with the dress. Like the Cameos, the gorgeous gold and steel tiara hearkens back to the Bernadotte family’s French imperial origins. There are no diamonds in the piece—it manages to sparkle so mightily solely because of the skillful cutting and polishing of the steel.
But Victoria, of course, wore plenty of diamonds, too. She wore the family’s gorgeous diamond floral earrings and a diamond tennis bracelet. She also made a second appearance in Princess Sibylla’s incredible opal and diamond cluster brooch. Sibylla wore the brooch with the cameos, and given its appearance I wouldn’t surprise it if also has French royal roots as well.
Princess Sofia was as elegant as a sparkling flute of champagne in a golden gown at the banquet. She also wore several pieces of chivalric insignia: the sash and star of the Order of the Seraphim, the ribbon, badge, and star of the Legion of Honour, and the King’s Royal Family Order.
She also accessorized with diamonds and pearls. She wore the pearl setting of her diamond palmette tiara, plus classic diamond and pearl drop earrings from the family vaults.
Sofia secured her sash with one of the diamond and pearl brooches from the Bernadotte collection. She finished off the look with a modern pavé-set diamond ring, worn on her right hand.
And finally, here’s a glimpse of one more Swedish tiara sparkling during the banquet. Princess Christina, the King’s sister, wore the Swedish Aquamarine Kokoshnik with diamonds for the evening.
Enjoy the state banquet sparkle, everyone! I’ll be back here on Thursday morning with more bejeweled goodies.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.