Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World
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| Image licensed to The Court Jeweller; do not reproduce! |
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| VICTORIA JONES/AFP/Getty Images |
The last day of the Dutch state visit to Britain didn’t include a glittering gala, but we did get to spot a few significant pieces of jewelry — including an outing from an heirloom British brooch!
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King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima’s schedule for the day was packed, including a meeting with the Lord Mayor of London at Mansion House (in lieu of, I suppose, the traditional Guildhall dinner), a visit to Brixton, a meeting with the Prime Minister, and a viewing of a joint water capability demonstration by the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps and the Royal Marines.
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The Earl and Countess of Wessex, plus the Duke of Kent, were the Dutch royal couple’s hosts for the day. Edward and Sophie may be a surprising choice for the role, but remember that the Wessexes have been the Queen’s go-to representatives at royal events for the past two decades, so they’ve developed genuine personal relationships with many foreign royals.
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Both Maxima and Sophie chose earrings for their highlight accessories for the day.
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| FRANK AUGSTEIN/AFP/Getty Images |
Maxima paired her dangerous-looking dark pendant earrings with her vivid Oscar de la Renta dress.
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| Daniel Leal -Olivas – WPA Pool/Getty Images |
She also popped on a few diamonds, wearing her diamond wedding bracelet and the ring that King Willem-Alexander gave her to celebrate the birth of Princess Alexia. For years the stone in this ring was described as a citrine, but apparently it may actually be a padparadscha sapphire.
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The Countess of Wessex reached into her jewelry box for her modern gold and drusy earrings.
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Before they departed, the King and Queen popped back over to Buckingham Palace to bid farewell to Queen Elizabeth II. She chose one of her grandmother’s wedding gifts for the occasion, wearing the Women of Hampshire Brooch. Made by Garrard in 1893, the floral diamond and pearl brooch was given to Queen Mary as a wedding present by a committee of women chaired by the Duchess of Wellington.
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| Christopher Furlong/Getty Images |
It’s been a completely delightful state visit, full of exciting jewels and enthusiastic royals. One of my favorite parts of any Dutch royal visit is how much King Willem-Alexander obviously enjoys his wife’s popularity.
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| Christopher Furlong/Getty Images |
Just look at him! He knows he married a star, and he absolutely loves it. So endearing.
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| CHRISTOPHER FURLONG/AFP/Getty Images |
Stop by anytime, Wax ‘n Max!
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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s royal tour has moved from Australia to Fiji, where a formal program on the first day of their visit meant some exciting jewel moments for royal watchers.
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As the couple stepped off the plane, Meghan wore two familiar pieces of jewelry, both gifts from members of the royal family.
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Her diamond and pearl earrings, a gift from the Queen, were first worn during her visit to Chester earlier this year.
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The diamond bracelet on her left wrist is also one we’ve seen before. The press reported on this occasion that the bracelet was a gift from the Prince of Wales.
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And indeed, it’s the same bracelet that Meghan wore for a garden party in honor of Charles’s 70th birthday at Buckingham Palace in May.
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| DOMINIC LIPINSKI/AFP/Getty Images |
Here’s another view of the bracelet from its earlier appearance at the garden party.
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As a part of the official welcome, the First Lady of Fiji, Sarote Faga Konrote, presented Meghan with a lovely multi-colored pearl necklace. It was an appropriate gift, as Fiji is known for its pearls.
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For the evening’s state dinner in Suva, Meghan changed into a dramatic Fiji blue gown and a different suite of jewels.
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| Ian Vogler – Pool/Getty Images |
The showstopper accessories for the evening were definitely these dramatic diamond earrings.
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| Ian Vogler – Pool/Getty Images |
Here’s another angle. The earrings definitely made a statement, but the palace wouldn’t tell us their provenance. All the press materials revealed was that the earrings were “borrowed.” Some journalists naturally speculated that the Queen was the source of the loan, but I’m skeptical of that. She’s got a lot of jewels to pass around, but there are definitely other possible sources.
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In fact, as I was examining the earrings, the only royal jewel that came to mind as a similar piece was this grand ruby and diamond necklace from the collection of the Duchess of Cornwall. You’ll note similarities in the shape of the diamonds and the way the jewels are set. Camilla wore the necklace in February 2015 for the Royal Film Performance of The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.
I should be clear: I’m not suggesting that the necklace was broken up to make these earrings, and I’m not saying that the earrings were definitely a loan from Camilla. But Camilla’s jewelry box is certainly large, and it wouldn’t surprise me if a necklace like this had more than one pair of coordinating earrings.
Ultimately — we just don’t know.
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| Ian Vogler – Pool/Getty Images |
We also don’t know the source of this diamond bracelet. This isn’t the same bracelet she wore earlier in the day, and it’s not her Cartier wedding bracelet. Another mystery piece!