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JACQUES COLLET/AFP/Getty Images |
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I believe that Maria Teresa's first public appearance in the tiara came in April 2006, during a state visit to the Netherlands. (The two royal families are actually two branches of the same royal house; the Orange-Nassaus reign in the Netherlands, and the Nassau-Weilburgs now reign in Luxembourg. From 1815 until 1890, the Dutch sovereign also reigned over Luxembourg, but the two countries had differing succession rules, and Queen Wilhelmina was not allowed to ascend to the Luxembourgish throne. Instead, the job fell to Adolphe, Duke of Nassau, the current grand duke's great-great-grandfather.)
Maria Teresa wore the tiara for a state banquet at the Noordeinde Palace in The Hague. On this occasion, she paired the towering diadem with two diamond rivieres, pearl drop earrings, a pearl and diamond bracelet, and one of the Nassau Rose Brooches.
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Mark Renders/Getty Images |
Appropriately, Maria Teresa also wore a jewel that once belonged to Josephine-Charlotte's mother, Queen Astrid of Belgium: the diamond and emerald choker necklace, which can also be worn as a bracelet or a bandeau. She also wore diamond and emerald earrings and the grand diamond epaulette brooch, which was once a shoulder decoration for an elaborate dress military uniform. For me, this outing of the tiara might be her best, simply because of her more elaborate hairstyle choice.
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Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images |
For this appearance, Maria stuck with a theme: diamonds and pearls. Along with the tiara, she wore pearl drop earrings, a single (but substantial) diamond riviere, and Princess Ingeborg's Pearl Fleur-de-Lis Brooch. The choice of that brooch for a Swedish royal wedding was surely a deliberate one: after all, Princess Ingeborg, great-grandmother of Grand Duke Henri, was a Danish princess who married into the royal family of Sweden.
Three major appearances, three different styles. But what about the future? We haven't seen Maria Teresa wear the Empire Tiara in years. Many see this tiara as more of an art object, suitable for display in a museum, than as a piece of jewelry suited for modern wear. What do you think: do you want to see Maria Teresa wear this one again soon? (The recently announced Dutch-Luxembourgish state visit, scheduled for May 23-25, would certainly be an appropriate opportunity!)