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Wednesday brought us yet another tiara debut in a year already jam-packed full of impressive tiara debuts: Queen Letizia of Spain wore the Cartier Diamond Loop Tiara!
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The occasion for the jewelry extravaganza was a state banquet for President Xi Jinping of China and his wife, Peng Liyuan, at the Royal Palace in Madrid.
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The tiara, made of diamond and pearls set in platinum, has been in the family for generations, going all the way back to King Felipe’s great-great-grandmother, Queen Maria Cristina. In the past, it’s also been worn by Felipe’s grandmother, the Countess of Barcelona, who loaned it as a bridal tiara to her daughter, Infanta Pilar, and granddaughter, Simoneta Gomez Acebo y Borbon. More recently, it’s been worn by Queen Sofia. (Read our full history of the tiara over here!)
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Letizia paired the tiara with the grand diamond earrings from the joyas de pasar, a legacy from Queen Ena. (More on the joyas here!)
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She secured her order sash with the center fleur-de-lis element from her own diamond and pearl tiara. (More on that tiara here!)
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And she stacked both bracelets from the joyas de pasar collection on her right wrist. (Also note Peng Liyuan’s lovely pearls!)
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With the fantastic jewels, Letizia reached for the same black gown she wore when she debuted the grandest of all Spanish royal tiaras, La Buena, in 2017. It’s a smart choice — let the diamonds and pearls do the talking!
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Remember when we all thought that tiny Letizia was too petite to wear the large tiaras from the Spanish royal vaults? What fools we were!