This Week in Royal Jewels: December 12-18
8. King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of the Belgians led the procession of mourners at Fabiola’s funeral. Mathilde wore luminous pearls to remember her husband’s aunt; both she and Philippe were very close to Fabiola.
7. Queen Sofia of Spain attended two high-profile funerals this week. After returning from the Spanish-born Fabiola’s funeral in Belgium, she attended the second memorial service for the late Duchess of Alba. Above, she wears pearls and a gold brooch — a fitting tribute to a woman who loved jewelry — while comforting the duchess’s daughter, Eugenia.
6. The Duchess of Cambridge attended a happier occasion this week: the Queen’s annual Christmas lunch for the royal family at Buckingham Palace. The sparkling chandelier earrings Kate wore have been in her collection since before her engagement.
5. Our Magpie of the Month, Princess Alexandra, also attended Wednesday’s Christmas lunch wearing an intriguing pair of earrings.
4. The Duchess of Cornwall attended a Christmas carol concert at St. Paul’s Cathedral on Tuesday evening, wearing her diamond and sapphire butterfly brooch with her usual pearls.
3. Queen Maxima of the Netherlands also selected pearls to open the “Secret of Dresden” exhibition at the Groninger Museum on Friday.
2. The Belgian royals both mourned and celebrated this week. They attended the annual Christmas concert on Wednesday, and Queen Mathilde wore a gorgeous pair of diamond earrings.
1. While Queen Mathilde has favored large earrings this year, her sisters-in-law went with big necklaces for the annual Christmas concert. Princess Claire went with a gold breastplate, while Princess Astrid went with sparkling black beads with a large geometric pendant.
State Visit Jewels: Dutch Visit to Japan
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.
“@VorstenNL: Nieuwe knopen op ‘hofrok’ hofhouding koning http://t.co/b0e8Q60GpP #Vorsten pic.twitter.com/tFyfAGRDQl” Great view of the jewels!
— Ella Kay (@courtjeweller) October 29, 2014
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.
“@VorstenNL: Vliegende start staatsbezoek dankzij Masako pic.twitter.com/muxc6V1do3” Masako’s wearing the pearl & diamond sunburst tiara
— Ella Kay (@courtjeweller) October 29, 2014
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.