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This Week in Royal Jewels: January 24-30

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January 24-30, 2020
Glittering gold and gleaming pearls were popular with the royals this week! Don’t forget to vote for your favorites in the poll below!
Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images
20. Queen Letizia of Spain wore her golden bamboo hoop earrings to welcome the National Handball Men’s team to Zarzuela Palace on Tuesday.

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19. In Monaco on Sunday evening, Princess Charlene wore back-to-front pearl earrings for the annual Sainte Devote procession. (More here!)
PHIL HARRIS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
18. The Duchess of Cambridge chose her gold filigree earrings from Accessorize for Wednesday’s breakfast visit to the London Early Years Foundation.
CHRIS JACKSON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
17. Kate wore her pearl cluster earrings on Monday for the UK Holocaust Memorial Day Commemorative Ceremony in London.
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16. On Tuesday, Kate chose her diamond earrings and necklace from Mappin and Webb’s Empress collection for a workshop run by the National Portrait Gallery’s Hospital Programme at Evelina Children’s Hospital in London.
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15. Margarita Vargas Santaella, wife of Luis Alfonso de Borbon (a Spanish royal cousin, great-grandson of Franco, and the French Legitimist pretender), wore sparkling diamond stud earrings for a memorial for the late Infanta Pilar of Spain at the Monasterio de El Escorial on Wednesday.
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14. For Monday’s commemorations of the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz in Poland, Queen Letizia wore her bezel-set diamond stud earrings.
JANEK SKARZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Images
13. Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden wore her diamond and pearl cluster stud earrings on Monday in Poland for the Auschwitz liberation commemorations.
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12. Princess Charlene chose classic pearl studs for the Sainte Devote mass at Monaco’s cathedral on Monday. (More here!)
JONAS DHOLLANDER/BELGA/AFP via Getty Images
11. On Thursday, Queen Mathilde of the Belgians wore gold statement earrings and a mixed-metal cuff bracelet for the opening of a special exhibition on Van Eyck in Ghent.
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10. For a sports gala in Stockholm on Monday, Princess Sofia of Sweden wore major feathery gold statement earrings with delicate bracelets and a cocktail ring. (See more here!)
EMILIO NARANJO/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
9. For Infanta Pilar’s memorial service on Wednesday, Infanta Cristina of Spain wore diamond and pearl drop earrings.
EMILIO NARANJO/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
8. Queen Sofia of Spain wore earrings with pale gemstone drops to celebrate the life of her late sister-in-law, Infanta Pilar, on Wednesday.
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7. For the second time this month, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom wore the Bird of Paradise Jubilee Brooch for a church service near Sandringham. (More on the brooch here!)
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6. The Duchess of Cornwall wore her black pearl necklace (nearly hidden beneath her neckline) on Wednesday for a visit to Second Time Around, a store providing support and opportunities for adults with learning disabilities in Banbury.
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5. Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands wore multicolored pearls for Infanta Pilar’s memorial service in Spain on Wednesday.
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4. To mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz on Monday, Queen Maxima of the Netherlands chose simple pearl jewelry.
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3. Sofia of Bourbon-Two Sicilies wore pearls, including a necklace with a dark floral pendant, to celebrate Infanta Pilar’s life in Spain on Wednesday. 
EMILIO NARANJO/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
2. Queen Letizia wore her gorgeous Australian pearl drop earrings for Infanta Pilar’s memorial on Wednesday; all of the pearls were a lovely tribute to a woman who loved them immensely!
Sean Gallup/Getty Images
1. On Monday, the Duchess of Cornwall wore the Queen Mother’s Rock Crystal Brooch in Poland to mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. (More on the brooch over here!)

This Week in Royal Jewels: January 17-23

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January 17-23, 2020
We got a little bit of everything this week in the world of royal jewelry! Don’t forget to vote for your favorites in the poll below!
ERIC GAILLARD/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
20. For the International Circus Festival gala in Monte Carlo on Tuesday, Camille Gottlieb wore modern earrings and a simple pendant necklace.

Eddie Keogh-WPA Pool/Getty Images
19. The Duchess of Cambridge wore green onyx earrings from Monica Vinader for Tuesday’s visit to the Birmingham Science Museum.
ERIC LALMAND/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images
18. In Davos on Tuesday, Queen Mathilde of the Belgians wore a pair of her signature gold statement earrings.
Chris Jackson/Getty Images
17. Kate chose gold earrings from Accessorize and a custom Daniella Draper necklace, engraved with the initials of her children, to visit the Ely and Careau Children’s Centre in Cardiff on Wednesday.
Yui Mok – WPA Pool/Getty Images
16. The Countess of Wessex wore her amber statement necklace and sparkling earrings for a reception at Buckingham Palace on Monday evening honoring African heads of state and government. (More here!)
Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images
15. For the inauguration of the FITUR International Tourism Fair in Madrid on Wednesday, Queen Letizia of Spain wore bezel-set diamond stud earrings.
ERIC LALMAND/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images
14. Queen Mathilde wore her glittering diamond drop earrings at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos on Tuesday.
DANIEL COLE/AP/AFP via Getty Images
13. Last Thursday, Princess Stephanie of Monaco sparkled in diamond earrings and beaded bracelets at the Monte-Carlo International Circus Festival.
ERIC GAILLARD/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
12. Princess Stephanie chose statement earrings and stacked bracelets for the International Circus Festival gala on Wednesday.
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11. Kate debuted new statement earrings from Soru Jewellery for Monday’s reception at Buckingham Palace. (Much more here!)
ERIC GAILLARD/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
10. Pauline Ducruet wore major statement earrings and an edgy pearl necklace for the International Circus Festival gala in Monaco on Wednesday.
SEM VAN DER WAL/ANP/AFP via Getty Images
9. Sparkling statement earrings and a modern silver cuff were the jewels of choice for Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands for the National Reading Breakfast on Wednesday.
Yui Mok – WPA Pool/Getty Images
8. The Princess Royal wore multicolored pearls and gem-set stud earrings on Monday evening at Buckingham Palace. (More over here!)
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7. Empress Masako of Japan chose pearl and gold button earrings and a simple pearl necklace for a visit to the National Rehabilitation Center for People with Disabilities on Wednesday.
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6. For a charity screening of the film Cats last Thursday, Empress Masako wore a double strand of pearls with lovely pearl drop earrings — and we got a bonus sighting of Princess Aiko, who wore a delicate necklace, too!
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5. On Thursday, Princess Marie of Denmark sparkled in diamond earrings from Christine Hvelplund for the Sidaction Gala Dinner in Paris.
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4. The Duchess of Cornwall wore her fantastic Turquoise Shamrock Brooch for the official opening of Lichfield Street Hub in Walsall on Wednesday. (More on the brooch here!)
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3. The Queen chose the Jewelers and Silversmiths Brooch, one of her wedding gifts, for church near Sandringham on Sunday.
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2. For a glittering new year gala late last Thursday, Princess Alexandra of Luxembourg sparkled in the Chaumet Choker Tiara and other diamond and pearl accessories. (More here!)
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1. Hereditary Grand Duchess Stephanie of Luxembourg gave us a delightful surprise by wearing the tiara setting of the Sapphire Necklace Tiara, plus diamond and sapphire earrings and a grand diamond riviere, for the new year reception last Thursday. (More over here!)

In Memoriam: Infanta Pilar of Spain

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Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images

Looking for our weekly royal jewel roundup? We’ll have a super-sized fortnightly version here next Friday. In the meantime, we’re devoting our time today to remembering the late Infanta Pilar of Spain, Duchess of Badajoz. Pilar was the granddaughter, sister, and aunt of Spanish kings, and she had a jewelry collection that was definitely suited for a princess.

María del Pilar Alfonsa Juana Victoria Luisa Ignacia y Todos los Santos de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias, Infanta of Spain, was born in Cannes in 1936 following the royal family’s exile after the Spanish Civil War. She was the first of four children born to Infante Juan, Count of Barcelona, and Princess María de las Mercedes of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. Her paternal grandparents were King Alfonso XIII of Spain and Princess Ena of Battenberg, who was a granddaughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.

Foto Fiel/Central Press/Getty Images

Infanta Pilar’s childhood was spent in exile in France, Italy, Switzerland, and Portugal. In January 1967, she posed with her parents in Estoril as she announced her engagement to a Spaniard, Don Luis Gómez-Acebo y Duque de Estrada. Luis was a first cousin of Margarita Gómez-Acebo, the wife of King Simeon II of Bulgaria. Luis and Pilar first met at the home of the former king.

For her wedding, which took place in May 1967 at the Jerónimos Monastery in Lisbon, Pilar borrowed a diamond and pearl tiara from her mother, the Countess of Barcelona. The Cartier Diamond Loop Tiara, which originally belonged to Pilar’s great-grandmother, Queen Maria Cristina of Spain, has since returned to the main line of the royal family, and is now worn by Queen Letizia. After their wedding, Luis and Pilar were given the titles of Duke and Duchess of Badajoz, by her father, the Count of Barcelona; the titles were subsequently reaffirmed by General Franco and later by her brother, King Juan Carlos.

Pilar’s jewelry box was filled with gorgeous pieces of jewelry, especially those set with pearls, diamonds, and sapphires. Note the magnificent pearl choker necklace she wears in this family portrait, taken in the early 1980s. She poses here with her husband, Luis, and their five children, Simoneta, Juan, Bruno, Beltrán, and Fernando. Pilar was widowed in 1991, when Luis died of cancer at the young age of 56.

ODD ANDERSEN/AFP via Getty Images

Decades later, Pilar wore another dramatic pearl choker necklace for a gala dinner held the night before the wedding of her nephew, the future King Felipe VI, to Letizia Ortiz in May 2004.

Pilar’s jewelry box also included a diamond and sapphire tiara inherited from her mother, the Countess of Barcelona. Pilar often paired it with other sapphire jewels from her collection for gala occasions, including a banquet during the Portuguese state visit to Spain in 2006.

Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images

Pilar has loaned the sapphire tiara to other members of her family, including two of her daughters-in-law. Barbara Cano, the wife of Pilar’s son Bruno, wore the tiara for their wedding in Madrid in October 2002.

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Another erstwhile daughter-in-law, Laura Ponte, famously wore the tiara upside-down for her wedding to Beltrán Gómez-Acebo in September 2004.

GERARD JULIEN/AFP via Getty Images

For the inauguration of King Felipe VI in June 2014, Pilar sparkled in pearl earrings and a pearl necklace with a gorgeous sapphire and diamond pendant.

Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images

She also wore this fantastic rectangular diamond and emerald brooch, with coordinating earrings, for the wedding of her youngest son, Fernando, in November 2004.

Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

This fantastically intricate diamond and sapphire brooch was Pilar’s jewel of choice for the wedding of the present Count and Countess of Paris in Senlis in May 2009. She paired the brooch with coordinating earrings and classic pearls.

Esteban Cobo /EFE – Pool Getty Images

Pilar’s pearl collection was impressive. She wore a double stranded pearl necklace and pearl earrings in June 2014 during the abdication and inauguration festivities in Madrid.

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Pilar, pictured with her brother, King Juan Carlos, chose a classic single strand of pearls and pearl earrings for King Felipe and Queen Letizia’s royal wedding in Madrid in May 2004.

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Pilar also loved gold jewelry and brooches. She wore both in May 2003 for an open-air papal mass in Madrid, which she attended alongside her sister, Infanta Margarita, and Queen Fabiola of Belgium.

VALERY HACHE/AFP via Getty Images

She wore this delicate feather brooch with golden hoop earrings for the 25th anniversary celebration of Alain Ducasse’s King Louis XV restaurant in Monaco in November 2012.

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She also wore this modern suite of gold and silver jewels, including a necklace with an intriguing pendant, for a tennis match in Madrid in May 2009.

Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images

Infanta Pilar passed away on Wednesday in Madrid after a colon cancer diagnosis in 2019. She was surrounded by members of her family, including King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia, in the days before her death. Pilar was 83 years old.