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Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World

State Visit Jewels: Dutch Visit to Japan

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King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands are currently in Tokyo on a state visit to Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan. On Wednesday, the royal couple were welcomed to the Imperial Palace.

Everybody dressed just about the way you would expect them to: suits on the monarchs, tiny saucer hat and pearls on Michiko, and an orange dress with a turban-y headpiece for Max. She’s also wearing diamond pendant earrings with citrine drops, a golden bracelet, and a watch.


Also present at the welcome ceremony: Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako! So good to see her looking happy and healthy. She wore pearls, her usual daytime jewels, but she also wore an outfit in orange, the Dutch royal house’s signature color — a really lovely gesture of welcome to the king and queen, who have become good friends of the crown princely family.

At the state banquet on Wednesday night, Queen Maxima debuted a brand-new-to-her tiara: the Württemberg Ornate Pearl Tiara. It’s more than a century old, made of diamonds and pearls, and can be worn with or without a set of upright pearls on the top. (Max is wearing it without the extra pearls.) The tiara is one of Princess Beatrix’s signature pieces; it’s also the tiara she wore at her wedding. I wondered when we’d see Queen Maxima finally take this one out for a spin, and now we’ve got our answer. (I was excited to see the tiara — but disappointed to see that it looked a little bit askew.) She’s also wearing pearl drop earrings and part of the large diamond bow brooch from the Stuart parure.

Empress Michiko didn’t wear a tiara, but she is wearing an impressive diamond necklace. And, of course, everyone’s wearing their chivalric orders. There’s a basic rule for order-wearing at a state banquet: you wear the highest order you have from the other country present, and if you don’t have an order from that country, you wear the highest order you have from your own country. From left to right, we’ve got Michiko wearing the Order of the Netherlands Lion; Willem-Alexander wearing the collar of the Order of Chrysanthemum with the sash of the Military William Order; Akihito wearing the Order of the Netherlands Lion (unseen beneath his jacket); and Maxima wearing the Order of the Precious Crown.

And another extremely exciting tiara sighting: Crown Princess Masako at the state banquet, wearing full gala dress and jewels! She wore the tiara she’s been seen in most frequently in recent years: a pearl and diamond tiara featuring a modern starburst motif. The tiara is a part of a mirrored set, with a coordinating necklace in the same design. Masako’s also wearing the Dutch order she received during this state visit: the Order of the Crown.

The Dutch and the Japanese weren’t the only royals at a gala last night — stay tuned later today for more white-tie glitter!

The Order of the Chrysanthemum

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Margrethe II of Denmark wears the order, 2004

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands are in Japan this week, dropping in on their imperial counterparts, Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko. A glittering state banquet is planned, and when the Dutch king steps into the ballroom, he’ll be wearing the red and blue sash of Japan’s highest chivalric order: the Order of the Chrysanthemum.

Queen Elizabeth II wears the order, 1975

The Order of the Chrysanthemum is the highest order of chivalry in Japan. As far as chivalric orders go, this one’s pretty new: it was developed by Emperor Meiji over ten years in the 1870s and 1880s. The emperor is the order’s sovereign, and it is awarded “at his pleasure.” If you’re a Japanese citizen, this is the highest national order you can get, and it is very rarely awarded. And, in an interesting quirk, you can get it even if you’ve already died — appropriate for a culture that honors the spirits of its ancestors, the order can be awarded posthumously. The order only has one class, but sometimes recipients are given the collar of the order (the highest “rank”) while others are given the grand cordon.

Badge of the Order of the Chrysanthemum (source)

The chrysanthemum flower is an important symbol of Japan’s monarchy. The phrase “Chrysanthemum Throne” is used to refer to Japan’s emperor and imperial family. The flower is on the imperial seal; the empress wears a diamond tiara with chrysanthemum motifs; and the nation’s highest order of chivalry also features the flower prominently in its insignia. The order’s badge and star feature a four-pointed white enamel star with a cabochon garnet set in its center, surrounded by yellow chrysanthemum blossoms and green chrysanthemum leaves. The order’s sash is red with blue stripes at each border.

Mohammed VI of Morocco wears the order, 2005

Ordinarily, the order is only awarded to men. But when foreign royals — specifically sovereigns and heirs to the throne — are considered, the order is also given to women. Queen Elizabeth II has the order; so does Queen Margrethe II of Denmark. Other living monarchs to have the highest “rank” of the order (the collar) include Harald V of Norway, Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, Abdullah II of Jordan, and Mohammed VI of Morocco.

Albert II and Philippe of Belgium wear the order, 1996

The lower “rank” of the Chrysanthemum, the grand cordon, is often given to monarchs’ heirs. Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden has the grand cordon, and so do the Prince of Wales and Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark. But you don’t have to be the heir to get the grand cordon — the Duke of Edinburgh has it, and so does Prince Joachim, the second son of the Danish queen. King Philippe of Belgium also has the grand cordon, though I’d expect we can see him “upgraded” the next time the two nations meet for a state visit.

King Willem-Alexander just received one of those “upgrades.” He already had the grand cordon of the Chrysanthemum, but on Friday, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that he had been given the collar of the order. The Japanese also recognized his wife, awarding Queen Maxima the grand cordon of the Order of the Precious Crown, the Japanese chivalric order that is reserved for women. (And get excited: word on the street is that Crown Princess Masako is expected to attend this particular state banquet!)