A Glamorous Gray Pearl for Queen Letizia in Madrid

There was a major heirloom brooch sighting in Madrid yesterday, with Queen Letizia bringing out a fabulous jewel from Queen Ena’s collection for a diplomatic lunch.

On Wednesday, King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain hosted a lunch at the Royal Palace in Madrid for President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt. Here, the three pose together for an official photograph before the meal.

The luncheon was held in the eighteenth-century gala dining room at the palace, which features glittering crystal chandeliers and frescoes painted by the Italian artist Corrado Giaquinto.

For the lunch, Queen Letizia wore a classic skirt suit in dark blue tweed with coordinating shoes and classic jewelry pieces.

With her bezel-set diamond stud earrings, Letizia wore one of the grandest heirloom brooches in her jewelry box: the diamond and gray pearl brooch that belonged to the King’s great-grandmother, Queen Victoria Eugenie of Spain.

For the luncheon, Letizia opted to wear just the top cluster portion of the brooch, without its diamond and gray pearl pendant. Here’s an excellent view of the side of the brooch that shows off the elaborate diamond setting that hugs the enormous gray pearl. Originally, the cluster featured just one row of diamonds, but during Queen Ena’s lifetime, a second row was added.

Here’s a view of Queen Ena wearing the original version of the brooch with its pendant (plus more pearls and the Mellerio Shell Tiara) in the 1930s. In her will, this was one of two brooches that she designated as part of the joyas de pasar collection, a group of jewels that she wished to be passed from monarch to monarch for the use of the Queen of Spain. The will describes the brooch as a “broche con perla grande gris pálido rodeada de brillantes y del cual cuelga una perla en forma de pera,” or a brooch with a large, pale gray pearl surrounded by diamonds, from which hangs a pear-shaped pearl.

During the reign of King Juan Carlos, Queen Sofia was the wearer of the brooch, both with and without its pendant. Here, during a visit from King Olav V of Norway in 1984, she wears the full brooch on the sash of the Order of St. Olav. She’s also wearing the Mellerio Shell Tiara, the joyas de pasar 37 pearl necklace, and diamond and pearl earrings most recently seen on Queen Letizia.

Since King Felipe’s accession in 2014, Queen Letizia has been the custodian of the pearl brooch. She wore it in public for the first time in January 2019 during the Pascua Militar celebrations in Madrid. Three years later, in January 2022, she wore it again for the same occasion—and nearly lost it when it fell off during the military parade!

Queen Letizia has also used the brooch for gala occasions. Here, in November 2021, she wears it on her order sash during a gala dinner in honor of the President of Italy. She also wore other diamond and pearl jewels, including Queen Maria Cristina’s Diamond Loop Tiara and Queen Ena’s diamond necklace.

In recent years, Letizia has also worn the brooch during a pair of high-profile royal farewells. She was spotted in the brooch as she left the Spanish Embassy in London ahead of Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral in September 2022, and a few months later, in January 2023, she wore the brooch in Athens for the funeral of King Felipe’s uncle, King Constantine II.

Here’s one more look at Letizia wearing the top portion of the gray pearl brooch during the Egyptian president’s visit to Spain this week.