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Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World

The Royal Jewels of July

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Benjamin Wheeler/Press Association
Time for another roundup of the royal jewels worn during the last month! Here’s a look at the royal jewels of July.

Olivier Matthys/Getty Images
Let’s start things off in Belgium, where the royal family gathered to celebrate the country’s National Day in July. For a gala concert, Queen Mathilde wore sparkling beaded earrings and a matching necklace.
Olivier Matthys/Getty Images
Her sister-in-law, Princess Astrid, chose sparkling drop earrings for the same concert.
Olivier Matthys/Getty Images
On National Day, Queen Mathilde wore gold button-style earrings for the annual Te Deum ceremony at the cathedral in Brussels.
Olivier Matthys/Getty Images
The Duchess of Brabant chose gold rosette-style earrings for the service.
Olivier Matthys/Getty Images
For a visit to a residential care center in Morlanwelz later the same day, Princess Elisabeth wore a pair of gold earrings with a sunny floral design.
Olivier Matthys/Getty Images
For the care center visit and the traditional miltary parade, Queen Mathilde reached for a pair of earrings with pale pink gemstone drops.
Olivier Matthys/Getty Images
Princess Elisabeth also changed her earrings for the parade, wearing another pair of gold button earrings with a sunburst design.
LAURIE DIEFFEMBACQ/BELGA/AFP via Getty Images
Queen Paola of Belgium also made an outing this month. She wore pearl and diamond earrings and musical diamond brooches for a concert at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Waterloo.
CLAUS FISKER/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images
At Graasten Castle in Denmark, Queen Margrethe II opened a new royal kitchen garden while wearing brightly-colored daisy earrings and a matching brooch.
CLAUS FISKER/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images
Princess Benedikte accompanied Queen Margrethe for the official opening. She wore a summery necklace and polka-dotted earrings for the occasion.
Arabian Royal Agency
In England, Queen Noor of Jordan wore a favorite geometric necklace as she hosted the wedding of her daughter, Princess Raiyah. The bride wore a headpiece with a diamond and sapphire center. (Much more over here!)
WESLEY DE WIT/ANP/AFP via Getty Images
Queen Maxima of the Netherlands wore her dazzling beaded hoop earrings for a visit to the Veteran Institute in Doorn this month.
SEM VAN DER WAL/ANP/AFP via Getty Images
Soon after, the royal family departed for their annual summer holiday. For the photo call before their departure, Queen Maxima wore her gorgeous shell earrings.
Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images
All three of the Dutch princesses are testing out the jewelry waters, too. The Princess of Orange wore layered necklaces and a simple ring for the photoshoot.
Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images
Princess Alexia, so far the boldest with her accessories, wore major statement earrings with several layered necklaces.
Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images
And the youngest of the family, Princess Ariane, kept things simple, wearing a necklace of small gold wings and pearl and gold bracelets.
LISE ASERUD/NTB Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images
Norway’s crown princely family spent a holiday on the island of Dvergsoya this month, and predictably, not much jewelry was worn while they were in vacation mode.
LISE ASERUD/NTB Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images
But Princess Ingrid Alexandra did demonstrate that she understands teenage jewelry trends, wearing a gold necklace and delicate hoop earrings, some with golden star pendants.
Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images
Queen Letizia of Spain has been out on engagements more than perhaps any other royal woman this month, and for most of her appearances, she reached for her favorite bamboo-style gold hoops. She wore them above for a visit to a monastery in Jaca.
Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images
Queen Letizia also had a few more formal appearances in July, including the Innovation and Design National Awards in Valencia, for which she wore a larger pair of shiny gold hoops.
Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images
For a dinner in honor of the Mariano de Cavia, Mingote and Luca de Tena Awards, Queen Letizia wore her ruby and diamond drop earrings. You can just see the round cabochon rubies peeking out from behind her hair.
Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images
For a visit to the Parador of Merida, Queen Letizia wore her small diamond star studs from Chanel, which matched her starry outfit perfectly.
Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images
Queen Letizia recently wore the gold bamboo hoops for a visit to the Torrelavega Market in Cantabria.
JONAS EKSTROMER/TT News Agency/AFP via Getty Images
In Sweden, Crown Princess Victoria celebrated her birthday in July with a concert held in the ruins of Borgholm Castle. She wore bright beaded earrings and a delicate necklace in the shape of a crescent moon for the occasion.
CHRIS JACKSON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
The British royals have been increasingly busy in July as well. You all remember the Queen wearing one of her rose brooches as she knighted Captain Tom Moore in Windsor this month.
Buckingham Palace
She’s also been busy on video calls. Earlier in the month, she wore Queen Victoria’s Pearl and Diamond Brooch for a call with service personnel to hear about the work of the British Armed Forces at home and overseas.
Buckingham Palace
You’ll also perhaps be able to spot the Women of Hampshire Brooch in this still image from another video call, this time with the Foreign Office.
Ben Birchall – WPA Pool/Getty Images
The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall have been the most senior royals doing public engagements off palace grounds this month. Camilla gave us a good look at her favorite pair of pearl drop earrings during her visit to the Youth Action Wiltshire Oxenwood Outdoor Activity Center near Marlborough.
Steve Reigate – WPA Pool/Getty Images
Camilla wore the badge of the Lancers (her father’s WWII regiment) to meet with Chelsea Pensioners during a visit to the Royal Hospital Chelsea.
Chris Jackson – WPA Pool/Getty Images
A few days after her birthday, Camilla began wearing a new necklace set with blue topaz layered with her golden Kiwi necklace. The topaz necklace comes from Kiki McDonough — perhaps a birthday present? She wore the necklaces with delicate drop earrings for a visit to one of her patronages, the Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust.
GEOFF PUGH/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Camilla appropriately wore the cap badge of the Rifles this month at Highgrove as she officially became their Colonel-in-Chief, taking over a role held by the Duke of Edinburgh for 67 years.
Chris Jackson/Getty Images
In London later in the month, Camilla wore a bright tortoise brooch — and a gorgeous peacock-print mask! — for a visit to the National Gallery.
Joe Giddens – WPA Pool/Getty Images
The Duchess of Cambridge has also made public appearances in July. Early on in the month she wore gold earrings with quartz drops for a visit to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn as part of the NHS birthday celebrations.
Kensington Palace via Getty Images
Kate also wore gold hoop earrings and a new cuff bracelet from Sezane to talk with four representatives from organizations which will benefit from the Royal Foundation’s £1.8 million fund to support frontline workers and the nation’s mental health at the Sandringham.
Benjamin Wheeler/Press Association
But of course, the biggest royal jewelry story of July was the wedding tiara worn by Princess Beatrice of York. For our in-depth look at the history of Queen Mary’s Fringe Tiara (and the history of Beatrice’s Hartnell dress!), you can visit our post on the wedding here!

The Scandinavian Sparkler Spectacular!

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KELD NAVNTOFT/AFP via Getty Images
I’m absolutely delighted to introduce you to…

The Scandinavian Sparkler Spectacular!
Sixty-four tiaras from Scandinavian royal collections will be showcased in this new competition! We’ve got tiaras from Denmark, Sweden, and Norway — many of which share significant historical connections — as well as sparklers from other branches of the family and those now in museums or private collections. It’s going to be a grand way to spend the summer!
Chris Jackson/Getty Images, JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP via Getty Images, MIGUEL RIOPA/AFP via Getty Images, Chris Jackson/Getty Images
Just like the previous tournaments, I’ve put together a bracket with rankings and match-ups for us to vote on over the next few weeks. Our top seeds are showcased above: we’ve got (clockwise from the top left) the Danish Ruby Parure Tiara (from the Denmark region), the Leuchtenberg Sapphire Parure Tiara (from the Sweden region), Queen Josefina’s Diamond Tiara (from the Norway region), and the Khedive of Egypt Tiara (from our Wild Card region — tiaras from minor branches of the family). We’ll be kicking off the contests with tiaras from the Danish royal vaults this week!
click to enlarge!
Here’s our bracket for the Scandinavian Sparkler Spectacular! (You can click to enlarge the graphic above, or you can download a PDF version at this link.) Which tiaras are you excited to vote for in this brand-new tournament? And which one do you think will win???