This week, the King and Queen of the Belgians headed to Paris to begin a state visit to France, and there was plenty of classic royal jewelry–and French couture!–on display.
King Philippe and Queen Mathilde took the train from Brussels to Paris on Monday to begin a three-day state visit to France. The first day of any European state visit is typically the most formal and glittering, with the participants attending structured welcome ceremonies and state dinners.
Queen Mathilde dressed diplomatically right from the start of this visit. She left Belgium wearing a classic coat dress made by one of her personal favorite designers, the Belgian couturier Edouard Vermeulen of Natan.
When the Belgian royals stepped off the train in Paris, however, Mathilde had changed into a dark red skirt suit made by one of her favorite French design houses, Christian Dior. She also carried one of the brand’s iconic Lady Dior bags.
After a welcome ceremony and military review at the Arc de Triomph, the royals and their presidential hosts, Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron, headed to the Élysée Palace in Paris. Later, the royals also met with French Prime Minister Michel Barnier and his wife, Isabelle Altmayer, their official residence, the Hôtel Matignon.
Throughout the daytime events of the first day of the visit, Queen Mathilde wore a cherished pair of diamond and pearl drop earrings. These previously belonged to her husband’s aunt, Queen Fabiola, who wore them for countless diplomatic moments during the reign of her husband, King Baudouin of Belgium.
On Monday evening, the Macrons hosted a state dinner for the Belgian royals at the Élysée Palace. (He’s not pictured here, but King Philippe and Queen Mathilde were joined for the event by their son, Prince Gabriel, who is currently studying in France.) The men wore suits with dark ties, while the ladies wore glamorous evening gowns. At least one royal reporter suggested that Mathilde’s dress was also by Natan, as Edouard Vermeulen was one of the guests at the dinner, but it has been confirmed that it’s actually another Dior creation. Madame Macron, as usual, wore Louis Vuitton.
State dinners in France are no longer white-tie and tiara occasions, but Queen Mathilde managed to bring along a considerable amount of sparkle anyway, including a new pair of gala earrings.
The earrings have a distinctive Art Deco flair about them, with diamonds and sapphires set in a design that fans out into a crescent shape at the end of each pendant.
Here’s a slightly better view of the earrings. Mathilde is known for acquiring antique jewelry at auction, and though I don’t have any confirmation on the provenance at the earrings at this point, it wouldn’t surprise me if these are were also auction finds.
The blue velvet evening gown that Mathilde wore for the dinner featured an elegant train, and photographs showing off that design detail also gave us a glimpse of a little more glittering jewelry.
When she attends state dinners with dress codes that don’t call for tiaras, Mathilde often likes to place one of the larger brooches from her collection in her hair. For the French state dinner on Monday, she chose to wear her antique diamond scroll brooch, which looks a bit like an abstract butterfly, in her updo.
The antique diamond brooch, which is made of white gold and platinum, dates to the turn of the twentieth century. Queen Mathilde has been wearing it regularly since 2017.
There were a few more jewelry highlights from the second and third days of the state visit as well. On Tuesday, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde met with the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, at the Hôtel de Ville.
For the occasion, Queen Mathilde wore an intricate pair of statement earrings with a green ensemble from Natan.
On Tuesday evening, the Belgian royal couple hosted a return event at the Centre Pompidou. Queen Mathilde wore an evening ensemble from Natan with a shimmering cape, paired with diamond ribbon fringe earrings from her collection and her gold and diamond Sterlé cuff bracelet.
And on Wednesday, the royals headed north of Paris with the Macrons for a tour of the Château de Chantilly. The castle was owned at one point by the Duke of Aumale, who was a brother of Philippe’s great-great-great-grandmother, Queen Louise of Belgium. The two couples toured an exhibition dedicated to Louise during their visit.
For the castle tour, Queen Mathilde wore her classic diamond drop earrings with her usual bracelets and watch, plus her diamond and tanzanite ring.
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