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Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World

Crown Princess Mary and the Ruby Parure Tiara

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Danny Martindale/Getty Images
Crown Princess Mary has been a member of the Danish royal family for fifteen years, and in that time, the Ruby Parure Tiara has become her signature sparkler. Today, we’re looking back at some of her most glamorous appearances wearing the heirloom tiara and its coordinating jewels…

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May 11, 2004: Mary wore the tiara, as well as the girandole earrings, necklace, and bangle bracelet, in public for the first time at a dinner at Christiansborg Palace a few days before her wedding
Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
May 13, 2004: She also wore the parure (tiara, earrings, necklace, brooch, bangle, ring) on the night before her wedding, for a gala performance at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen
Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
May 24, 2008: For the wedding of her brother-in-law, Prince Joachim, to Marie Cavallier, Mary wore the tiara with the simple cluster stud portion of the earrings
Julien M. Hekimian/Getty Images
April 15, 2010: Following a renovation of the parure, including a slight reworking of the tiara (just as Queen Ingrid had done before her), Mary wore the set for a gala performance in honor of Queen Margrethe II’s 70th birthday; note that the stud portion of the earrings was altered so it could be worn with pearl drops
Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
June 19, 2010: For the wedding of Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel of Sweden in Stockholm, Mary wore the tiara, the earrings (with pearl drops), the brooch, the bangle, and the ring from the parure
Danny Martindale/Getty Images
January 1, 2012: Mary pairs the rubies (tiara, earrings with gray pearl drops, hair ornaments, brooch, ring) with a dark red velvet gown for the annual New Year’s levee in Copenhagen; note that the brooch was also worn on this occasion with a pearl drop
Chris Jackson/Getty Images
January 15, 2012: For a gala dinner in honor of Queen Margrethe II’s Ruby Jubilee, Mary wore the tiara, hair ornaments, necklace, earrings, bangle, and ring; note that the earrings on this occasion were worn with a single ruby pendant
Guy Wolff/Grand-Ducal Court of Luxembourg via Getty Images
October 19, 2012: Mary wore the tiara, earrings and necklace (without its pendants) for a pre-wedding gala in honor of Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stephanie of Luxembourg
Danny Martindale/Getty Images
January 1, 2013: Mary made a bold statement at the annual New Year’s Levee, wearing the tiara, earrings, bangle, necklace, and brooch with a bright orange gown; note that the necklace is worn with a single pendant, and the brooch worn vertically with no pendant
KELD NAVNTOFT/AFP/Getty Images
January 1, 2015: Mary wears the tiara, earrings (with pearls), and necklace for the New Year’s Levee in Copenhagen
NILS MEILVANG/AFP/Getty Images
April 15, 2015: Mary wears the tiara, earrings, bangle, and ring for Queen Margrethe II’s 75th birthday dinner at Christiansborg Palace
SOEREN BIDSTRUP/AFP/Getty Images
January 1, 2016: Mary pairs jewels from the parure (tiara, earrings) with a stunning blue velvet gown for the annual New Year’s Levee
KELD NAVNTOFT/AFP/Getty Images
March 28, 2017: The tiara, earrings (with no pendants), necklace, bangle, and ring coordinate perfectly with Mary’s order sash at a state banquet for the Belgian royals at Christiansborg Palace
LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP/Getty Images
August 28, 2018: Mary wears the tiara (which appears to have been adjusted again slightly) with the earrings, bangle, and ring from the parure for the French state banquet in Copenhagen

Queen Maxima and the Dutch Sapphire Tiara

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One of the grandest sapphire tiaras in Europe belongs to the Dutch royal family. Today, we’ve got a closer look at the two different ways Queen Maxima has worn the Dutch Sapphire Parure Tiara since becoming Queen of the Netherlands.

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Maxima debuted the tiara for the first time at her husband’s inauguration ceremony in April 2013. It was a stunning way for her to underscore the importance of her new royal role.

Peter Dejong – Pool/Getty Images

For the occasion, however, Maxima did not wear the full setting of this grand tiara, choosing instead to wear it with a shorter central element.

Robin Utrecht-Pool/Getty Images

She paired the tiara with additional sapphire pieces from the Dutch vaults. The earrings were made for Princess Margriet using gemstones from the sapphire and diamond tiara given to Queen Wilhelmina as a wedding present by the Dutch people in 1901. The large sapphire pendant is also part of the family’s sapphire parure; she wore it on this occasion suspended from one of the family’s bow brooches.

Niels Ahlmann Olesen/AFP/Getty Images

In March 2015, Maxima wore the tiara for a second time. The occasion: a grand state banquet held in Copenhagen during the royal couple’s state visit to Denmark.

Niels Ahlmann Olesen/AFP/Getty Images

She wore the full version of the tiara this time, including the taller diamond central element. She also suspended the large sapphire and diamond pendant from a setting that includes another large sapphire and a pair of diamond wings.

Which version of the sapphire tiara do you prefer on Queen Maxima?

Queen Anne-Marie’s Tiaras

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Greece’s last queen consort, Queen Anne-Marie, celebrated her 73rd birthday yesterday, and to mark the occasion, we’ve got a roundup of all of her royal tiaras!

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Anne-Marie was born a Danish princess, and she received this diamond and pearl tiara from her parents as an eighteenth-birthday gift. She wore it for the farewell dinner given at Fredensborg Castle before her wedding to King Constantine II of Greece in September 1964, and she’s worn it occasionally since then. It’s more familiar, though, as the wedding tiara worn by her two daughters-in-law, Marie-Chantal and Tatiana.
Chris Jackson/Getty Images
Like the other women in her family, Queen Anne-Marie borrowed the Khedive of Egypt Tiara from her mother, Queen Ingrid of Denmark, to wear on her wedding day. When Ingrid died in 2000, she bequeathed the tiara to Anne-Marie, who now wears it more generally. She’s also continued to loan it to the ladies of the extended Danish royal family for use as a bridal tiara.
Chris Jackson/Getty Images
The first Greek royal tiara worn by Queen Anne-Marie was the grand diadem from the family’s emerald parure. She wore the tiara prominently in official portraits during her husband’s reign, and she took it with her when they went into exile. She still often wears it at tiara occasions today.
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This delicate diamond and ruby tiara also comes from the former Greek royal collection, and it also accompanied Constantine and Anne-Marie into exile after the monarchy was abolished. Anne-Marie can still be spotted in the tiara and its accompanying jewels frequently at Scandinavian royal events.
Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
Years ago, Queen Anne-Marie also borrowed the grand Swedish star and pearl tiara from her mother, Queen Ingrid, to wear on at least one occasion. (Sadly, I don’t have a photograph that I can legally share here of Anne-Marie wearing the tiara.) The tiara was later inherited by Anne-Marie’s sister, Princess Benedikte.