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State Visit Jewels: The Queen Visits Ireland (2011)

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Irish Government – Pool/Getty Images

The spring of 2011 was a momentous time for the Windsors. Not only did the family celebrate the wedding of a future king, the Queen embarked on one of the most important state visits of her entire reign: the first visit of a reigning British monarch to the Republic of Ireland.

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The visit came a century after the last visit of a reigning monarch to Dublin. King George V and Queen Mary, the Queen’s grandparents, made a tour of Ireland in July 1911 to mark their accession to the throne. At that time, George V was Ireland’s ruler — but anyone familiar with Irish history knows that changed in the twentieth century. When the Queen touched down in Dublin on May 17, 2011, she was there as a foreign head of state on a diplomatic visit.

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On her arrival, the Queen wore an important royal jewel: one of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Bow Brooches.

Irish Government – Pool/Getty Images

After their arrival, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh headed straight for Aras An Uachtarain, where they had tea with President Mary McAleese and her husband, Martin.

Irish Government – Pool/Getty Images

Then she visited Dublin’s Garden of Remembrance, where both she and President McAleese laid ceremonial wreaths.

Chris Jackson/Getty Images

For the memorial visit, as well as the rest of her afternoon engagements, the Queen wore the Grima Ruby Brooch, which features a central carved ruby and a scarab motif.

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Next, the Queen and the Duke made a visit to Trinity College, where they viewed several of the university’s treasures, including the Book of Kells.

Tim Rooke-Pool/Getty Images

On May 18, the Queen and the Duke began the day at another important Irish institution: the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin. Here, they’re pictured at the Gravity Bar atop the building.

Tim Rooke-Pool/Getty Images

For the Guinness visit, the Queen wore her Aquamarine Clips. These were a birthday gift from her father, King George VI, in 1944.

Oli Scarff/Getty Images

She wore the clips for the rest of her morning engagements on the 18th, including a visit to the Irish National War Memorial Gardens, where she placed another wreath.

Chris Jackson/Getty Images

In the afternoon, she changed her clothes and jewelry before her arrival at Croke Park, where she was hosted by Gaelic Athletic Association President Christy Cooney.

Chris Jackson/Getty Images

For this portion of the visit, she wore the Australian Wattle Brooch, which she’s had in her jewelry box since 1954.

Irish Government – Pool/Getty Images

That evening, the Queen and the Duke joined President McAleese and other important Irish officials for a state banquet at Dublin Castle.

Oli Scarff/Getty Images

The Queen wore diamonds for the dinner, including the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara. Young women from Ireland were among the subscribers who donated money toward the purchase of this tiara, which was a wedding gift to Queen Mary in 1893. The Queen’s gown also featured a crystal embellishment designed in the shape of a Celtic harp, one of Ireland’s national symbols. Additionally, the top of her gown was decorated with silk shamrocks. (The dress is discussed in detail in Angela Kelly’s Dressing the Queen.)

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The Queen also accessorized with her modern diamond fringe necklace and Queen Mary’s Diamond Floret Earrings. On her right wrist she wore her modern three-row diamond bracelet, with its two distinctive knot-like design elements.

PETER MUHLY/AFP via Getty Images

On her left wrist, she wore her diamond evening watch. This photo also clearly shows one of the most delightful bejeweled parts of this banquet: the rings! Along with her wedding and engagement rings, the Queen wore another diamond ring on the middle finger of her left hand. I think this one is Queen Mary’s Town of Windsor Ring, which was a wedding gift from, of course, the town of Windsor.

PETER MUHLY/AFP via Getty Images

A closer look at her right hand reveals two more diamond rings as well. I don’t know the provenance of these rings, which both look to be more like diamond eternity bands in design.

Irish Government – Pool/Getty Images

On the morning of May 19, the Queen and the Duke traveled to Kildare for an engagement that was right up the Queen’s alley: a visit to the Irish National Stud.

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The delighted monarch wore another classic and important brooch from the royal vault for the visit: Prince Albert’s Brooch.

Irish Government – Pool/Getty Images

Later in the day, the royal couple returned to Dublin, where they joined President McAleese for a special reception highlighting the best of Irish culture at the city’s Convention Center.

Oli Scarff – Pool/Getty Images

For the occasion, she wore a brand-new brooch, which had been presented to her earlier in the visit by President McAleese. This silver brooch features spiral designs inspired by the prehistoric Newgrange Monument in County Meath. The gift also included a pair of matching cufflinks for the Duke.

Oli Scarff/Getty Images

On the morning of the last day of the visit, May 20, the Queen and the Duke traveled by helicopter to the Rock of Cashel in County Tipperary.

Irish Government – Pool/Getty Images

They toured the site, including the cathedral, with officials and cabinet members.

Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Next, the couple traveled to Cork, where the Queen unveiled a plaque — and chatted with a fishmonger — at the English market. She also took part in a walkabout.

Chris Jackson – Pool/Getty Images

Day four of the visit finally saw the Queen bring out an emerald in the Emerald Isle. She wore the round diamond and cluster portion of the Cambridge Emerald Cluster Brooch, leaving off its pear-shaped emerald drop.

Irish Government – Pool/Getty Images

And then, it was time to head back to the United Kingdom. The Queen was escorted to her aircraft at Cork Airport by Taoiseach Enda Kenny. It was the end of a truly historic moment from the Queen’s long reign.

State Visit Jewels: The Queen Visits the UAE and Oman (2010)

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Chris Jackson/Getty Images
One of the things I’ve been missing most of all lately is state visits — the pomp, the glamour, the banquets! Since this autumn won’t be bringing us our usual round of visits, let’s have a look back at some of the Queen’s most recent visits abroad. Today, we’re beginning with a look at the jewels she wore in the United Arab Emirates and Oman in November 2010.

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The visit began in Abu Dhabi on November 24, 2010. The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh touched down at the Abu Dhabi International Airport and were greeted by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as well as the British ambassador to the United Arab Emirates.
WPA Pool – Arthur Edwards/Getty Images
For her arrival in Abu Dhabi, the Queen wore a rarely-seen brooch, which features a pair of flowers set in bright yellow gold. The brooch has been seen so infrequently, and photographs so unusually, that it’s been difficult to nail down the piece’s provenance and design. However, it seems that she’s had the brooch since at least the 1960s.
MARWAN NAAMANI/AFP via Getty Images
Immediately after their arrival, the Queen and the Duke headed to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, where they paid their respects at Sheikh Zayed’s tomb before touring the mosque. For this event, the Queen followed the expected dress code, changing into a long coat and wrapping a scarf around her hat.
MARWAN NAAMANI/AFP via Getty Images
The coat from this ensemble features dazzling appliques, but this angle shows that the Queen also wore at least one piece of jewelry: her everyday pearls.
Chris Jackson/Getty Images
On November 25, the Queen and the Duke participated in various engagements and audiences throughout Abu Dhabi. The Queen had a meeting with Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Emir of Dubai. 
MARWAN NAAMANI/AFP via Getty Images
Later, he accompanied her to unveil the design of the Zayed National Museum, which has a partnership agreement with the British Museum. (Ten years later, the museum is still under construction, presently slated to open in 2021.)
Chris Jackson/Getty Images
For these daytime meetings and engagements, the Queen chose a brooch that she’s been wearing since 1947: the Flame Lily Brooch.
John Stillwell – Pool/Getty Images
The Queen and the Duke changed into formal attire for a meeting with Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, at the Mushrif Palace.
John Stillwell – Pool/Getty Images
The Queen wore diamonds for the occasion, including diamond girandole earrings and a diamond riviere. She secured the sash of the Order of the Garter with Queen Mary’s Diamond Bar Brooch. The collar of the Order of Zayed, which she received during this visit, is placed over the Garter sash.
John Stillwell – Pool/Getty Images
She also wore her diamond evening watch and the Diamond Baguette and Brilliant Bracelet. The bracelet, which features a distinctive twist in its design, was a gift to the then-Princess Elizabeth from her father, King George VI, in 1949.
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After wrapping up engagements in Abu Dhabi, the Queen and the Duke flew on to Oman, arriving at the airport in Muscat on the evening of November 25. There they were greeted by the late Sultan of Oman, Qaboos bin Said, who died earlier this year after a reign of nearly fifty years.
AFP via Getty Images
For her arrival in Muscat, the Queen wore the sapphire and diamond cluster portion of Empress Marie Feodorovna’s Sapphire Brooch without its pearl pendant.
Chris Jackson/Getty Images
On November 26, the royal couple began a busy schedule of engagements in Oman, meeting with local dignitaries and taking an official salute at Al-Alam Palace.
Chris Jackson/Getty Images
The Queen chose pink for her outfit and accessories for this part of the visit. Her brooch is the diamond and pink gemstone cluster that belonged to her grandmother, Queen Mary.
John Stillwell – Pool/Getty Images
That evening, the Queen and the Duke were feted by the Sultan with a state banquet at Al Alam Palace. They exchanged official gifts beforehand; in the image above, the Sultan shows them the Faberge-style egg he offered them as a gift.
John Stillwell – Pool/Getty Images
The Queen wore diamonds and rubies for the state banquet — but no tiara. She wore the necklace and earrings from the Crown Ruby Suite, as well as one of her newer brooches, which features six diamond flowers with bright yellow centers. The Queen began wearing the brooch in 2009.
John Stillwell – Pool/Getty Images
She also wore her lovely and distinctive Art Deco-style ruby and diamond bracelet, which has been in her collection since at least the 1960s. (The golden vase in the photo was another official gift from the Sultan.)
Chris Jackson/Getty Images
On November 27, the Queen and the Duke attended a garden party reception at the home of the British ambassador to Oman.
Chris Jackson/Getty Images
For the garden party, the Queen chose heirloom jewels with a natural theme: Queen Victoria’s Diamond Wheat Ear Brooches. The Queen also sometimes wears these as hair ornaments; Princess Eugenie also borrowed them to wear in her hair for her wedding reception in 2018.
MOHAMMED MAHJOUB/AFP via Getty Images
In the afternoon, the Queen and the Duke joined the Sultan for an equestrian show at Madinat al-Hidayat, which included demonstrations by the Omani Royal Cavalry. After the show, she offered the Sultan an important gift: she invested him with the Royal Victorian Chain.
MOHAMMED MAHJOUB/AFP via Getty Images
For the horse show, the Queen chose one of her longtime favorite jewels: the Golden Dahlia Brooch.
John Stillwell – WPA Pool/Getty Images
On November 28, the Queen and the Duke’s Middle Eastern visit came to an end. They said their farewells to the Sultan at the airport in Muscat before flying back to London.
John Stillwell – WPA Pool/Getty Images
For the official farewell, the Queen chose an important royal jewel: the Cullinan V Brooch. And then, it was back to London, where important royal things were happening — Prince William had announced his engagement to Kate Middleton on November 16, and there was a royal wedding to plan!

State Visit Jewels: Willem-Alexander and Maxima in Indonesia

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King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands are currently on a state visit to Indonesia. Here’s a look at some of the jewels worn by Maxima as the couple arrived for the start of the diplomatic visit.

ACHMAD IBRAHIM/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

The royals were welcomed to the presidential palace in Bogor by President Joko Widodo and his wife, Iriana. The state visit has historical significance, as Indonesia was once a Dutch colony. During a speech on the first day of the visit, King Willem-Alexander acknowledged and apologized for violence carried out by the Dutch during the colonial era. (You can read his remarks in full in English here.) The royal visit is the first made to Indonesia by Willem-Alexander and Maxima. Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard visited the country in 1971, and then-Queen Beatrix and Prince Claus visited in 1995.

BAY ISMOYO/AFP via Getty Images

The royals also made a stop at the Heroes Cemetery in Jakarta, where they laid a ceremonial wreath.

ADEK BERRY/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Maxima wore a summery outfit for the first events of the visit. Her hairstyle echoed the Marcel Wave trend of the 1920s.

ADI WEDA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Her jewels were vintage, too: diamond and aquamarine pieces from the collection of the late Queen Juliana, her husband’s grandmother. She wore the diamond pendant earrings with the aquamarine briolette drops…

ACHMAD IBRAHIM/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

…as well as Juliana’s beloved aquamarine and diamond pendant. Maxima wore it the same way Juliana usually did: as a sautoir, with its original white gold chain. The chain and pendant were wedding gifts to Juliana from Prince Bernhard in 1937.

ACHMAD IBRAHIM/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

She wore even more aquamarines on her right wrist (Juliana’s bracelet with the distinctive rectangular aquamarine) and right hand (a large aquamarine cocktail ring). She also wore the diamond bracelet with her family’s initials on her right wrist, plus her diamond wedding bracelet stacked with her watch on her left wrist. Her wedding and engagement rings can be spotted on her left hand.

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Later on Tuesday, the couple attended a meeting of the Dutch Society and the opening of a new photo exhibition.

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Maxima wore another floral dress for these engagements, but this time with a dark background.

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She also accessorized with some intriguing jewels. These fringe earrings have been worn numerous times previously, including appearances at Prinsjesdag in 2018 and at Willem-Alexander’s 50th birthday party in 2017. (There’s a great close-up in the birthday post, BTW!) You’ll also spot a few bracelets, including her diamond wedding bracelet, plus a fabulous diamond and emerald cluster ring. It’s part of the family’s grand emerald parure, which dates to the turn of the twentieth century.