The Danish-Swedish banquet wasn’t the only place where royal tiaras were sparkling on Monday evening. Their royal cousins in Norway also brought out a trio of lovely diadems for a state dinner in Oslo.
King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway welcomed President Maia Sandu of Moldova to Oslo for a state visit on Monday. In the evening, Sandu was the guest of honor at a state banquet at the Royal Palace. Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit were also on hand for the banquet, as was the King’s sister, Princess Astrid.
It’s wonderful to see that King Harald is well enough to attend the events of a state visit this week. The 87-year-old monarch has recently dealt with some very serious health issues. During a holiday in Malaysia in February, he suffered heart problems that required the implantation of a permanent pacemaker once he could be flown back to Norway. He was on sick leave until late April, and he has only recently returned to public engagements.
King Harald and President Sandu led the party as they arrived for the banquet on Monday evening.
Queen Sonja and Crown Princess Mette-Marit arrived for the dinner on the arms of Crown Prince Haakon. Queen Sonja wore a shimmering silver gown with a gray overlay on the bodice, while Crown Princess Mette-Marit opted for a floaty pink floral gown from Carolina Herrera.
Queen Sonja accessorized with diamonds and pearls, including the replica of Queen Maud’s Pearl Tiara. (The original, made for Maud as a wedding gift in the 1890s, was stolen in the 1990s and never recovered.) She also wore pearl drop earrings and a multi-stranded pearl choker necklace with a pendant pearl drop. Her decorations included King Harald’s Royal Family Order and the sash and star of the Order of St. Olav.
Sonja secured her order sash with another piece of jewelry linked to Queen Maud. The Drapers’ Company Brooch was also given to Maud as a wedding present in 1896. While the tiara is now a replica of the original, the brooch is the real deal.
Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s gown features floral embellishments on the shoulders, but she also added a little more sparkle with the tiara, earrings, brooch, and ring from the Norwegian Amethyst Parure. Like her mother-in-law, she added King Harald’s Royal Family Order and the insignia of the Order of St. Olav to her ensemble, too.
The King’s sister, Princess Astrid, also gleamed and glittered at the banquet in a golden gown with a leafy floral pattern and ruby and diamond jewels.
Princess Astrid, who turned 92 in February, wore the diamond and ruby aigrette that belonged to her British royal grandmother, Queen Maud. She completed her jewelry ensemble with pearl drop earrings, a diamond rivière necklace, a diamond bow brooch, and a golden bangle set with a large diamond, worn on her right wrist. She also wore rings on both fingers.
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