Royal Rubies for Queen Letizia on National Day in Spain

Let’s drop back in on the royal family of Spain today, with a closer look at the ruby and diamond jewels worn by Queen Letizia this weekend as the country celebrated its National Day.

Spain celebrates its national holiday on October 12. The celebrations have evolved over the years, sometimes with connections to Columbus Day, as well as to a pair of important Catholic feast days (Our Lady of the Pillar and Our Lady of Guadalupe). Today, the event is less about Spain’s colonies abroad and more about its national pride at home. The royal family participates in an annual military parade in Madrid as part of the festivities.

The royals also host a reception after the parade at the Royal Palace in Madrid. This year, King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia were joined by their elder daughter, the Princess of Asturias, for both events. Like her father, Princess Leonor was dressed in uniform for the occasion.

National Day was particularly rainy this year, and when Queen Letizia arrived for the military parade, she was appropriately dressed in a classic trench coat.

For the reception, she removed the coat to reveal a day dress in her power color, red, paired with matching shoes. Queen Letizia Style reminds us that the dress comes from the brand Poète.

With the red dress and shoes, Letizia wore one of her very favorite pairs of earrings, which are set with bright red cabochon rubies.

The modern earrings feature pavé-set diamonds throughout, including on a halo that encircles each ruby.

The earrings, which come from Aldao Joyeros, have been in Letizia’s jewelry box for at least a decade. They’ve also previously attended the National Day festivities. Above, the Queen wears the ruby and diamond earrings for the military parade in Madrid in October 2020.

The earrings were the main jewelry moment for Letizia on National Day, but she also wore her usual Coreterno gold ring on the index finger of her left hand. The ring, which is engraved with romantic lines from Dante, is thought to have been a gift from King Felipe.