Queen Mathilde Wears Diamonds and Pearls to Commemorate the Liberation of Liege

On Monday, the Queen of the Belgians headed to Liege for an important anniversary commemoration, wearing a beautiful, delicate brooch for the ceremony.

This weekend marked the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Liège from German occupation during World War II. The people of the Belgian city were liberated by Allied forces on September 8, 1944. In 1946, a memorial was established at the Citadel of Liège to honor those who had lost their lives during the occupation. The memorial, the Enclos des Fusillés, was dedicated a year later. There, 197 crosses commemorate the lives of those who were executed at the citadel during the war. More than 400 people who were killed during the occupation are buried on the fortress grounds.

Queen Mathilde attended Monday’s memorial ceremony at the citadel, subbing in for King Philippe, who was ill. Above, she signs a guestbook during the event.

For the somber moment of remembrance, Queen Mathilde wore black, accessorized with diamond and pearl jewels. These white gemstone pieces are often worn for moments of mourning.

Queen Mathilde wore a pair of diamond and pearl drop earrings from her own collection for the memorial ceremony. The modern earrings have been in her jewelry box for several years.

These earrings are similar to another pair that Mathilde often wears: the pearl drop earrings that belonged to the late Queen Fabiola. One way to tell them apart is to look at the diamond pendant section. Fabiola’s pair features a quartet of diamond baguettes set in a cross shape, while Mathilde’s pair features an open circle design placed just above each pearl drop.

Mathilde also brought along one of the loveliest brooches from her collection: a delicate diamond brooch with a fan design, plus two small pearls set on either end of the piece. Mathilde has been wearing the brooch for almost a decade, debuting it in January 2015. You can see a close-up of the piece in our previous article here.