Get excited, everybody: we’ve finally reached a point where we can once again enjoy a roundup of the best royal jewels worn during the past week! (Can you believe we haven’t done a proper one of this since March 12, 2020?)
For those who are newer to The Court Jeweller: on Fridays during pre-pandemic times, I put together a roster of some of the best royal jewels worn during the week, with a poll at the end to allow you to vote for your favorites. The poll will be returning, but this time around I’ve decided not to rank my choices. Just go ahead and vote for your favorite from the bunch!
Let’s kick things off in Belgium. Queen Mathilde wore a pair of modern statement earrings on Friday in Kortrijk, where she visited the campus of Hogeschool VIVES. During the visit she spoke with nursing students who were involved in the intensive care of various hospitals during the pandemic.
On Tuesday, Queen Mathilde wore a pair of her signature gold statement earrings for a stop at the Lange Munte sports campus in Kortrijk. There, she met with the Belgian Cats, the Belgian national women’s basketball team, who have qualified for the Tokyo Olympic Games, scheduled to be held later this summer.
The senior Belgian royals—King Philippe, Queen Mathilde, King Albert II, and Queen Paola—were on hand at the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels on Wednesday for the closing concert of the 2021 Queen Elisabeth Piano Competition. (We chatted about some of Mathilde’s jewels from the competition here!) For the concert, Mathilde wore a gorgeous dragonfly brooch, while Paola donned an eye-catching necklace. The concert featured performances from the top three pianists from this year’s competition, and was conducted by Stéphane Denève, the chief conductor of the Brussels Philharmonic (and the music director of my local orchestra, the St. Louis Symphony!).
In Copenhagen, Crown Princess Mary of Denmark spoke on Thursday to a Danish industry conference on the topic of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. For the speech, she wore a pair of necklaces with charms (including one featuring a diamond-encrusted heart), as well as chic baguette gemstone earrings and a Cartier Love Bracelet.
Queen Maxima of the Netherlands wore a pair of modern floral earrings, plus several bracelets and her padparadscha sapphire ring, for a visit to Beerze Bulten, a holiday park and campground in Zwolle on Tuesday. (That’s the park’s mascot resting his furry paw on her shoulder!)
On Wednesday, Queen Maxima received a special honor: the Financial Health Visionary Award 2021. The award was given to her in recognition of her work as the UN Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development. For her virtual acceptance of the award, she wore a pair of dark earrings with long pendants. She’s worn these on previous occasions, notably during the state visit to the United Kingdom in October 2018.
In Spain on Thursday, Queen Letizia brought out her ruby and emerald earrings from Tous for the second time in recent weeks. (We discussed their most recent appearance here.) This time, she wore the earrings with a brightly-printed floral dress for the inauguration of a new art exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts inside the Palace of Carlos V at the Alhambra in Grenada.
On Wednesday, the Duchess of Cornwall wore a really lovely pair of earrings, featuring a delicate gold chain and a pale gemstone drop, for a tour of “On Point: Royal Academy of Dance at 100,” a new exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. Camilla is now the Vice-Patron of the Royal Academy of Dance, having recently taken over the role from the Queen.
Camilla wore the earrings again, pairing them with her favorite layered necklaces and bracelets, for a visit to the Garden Museum in London on Thursday. She was there for the opening of the annual British Flowers Week Festival. During her visit, she carried a bouquet that included rosemary, a symbol of remembrance, in honor of the late Duke of Edinburgh’s 100th birthday.
Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom received new ambassadors via video link from Buckingham Palace to Windsor Castle on Tuesday. For the audiences, she wore pearls with the Onslow Butterfly Brooch. (We discussed the brooch’s history in detail earlier this week!)
And on Wednesday, the Queen appeared outside Windsor Castle to receive a special gift: the new Duke of Edinburgh rose, presented to her by Keith Weed, President of the Royal Horticultural Society. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of each rose will go to The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Living Legacy Fund, which will give more young people the opportunity to take part in the Duke of Edinburgh Award. To receive the rose, the Queen wore simple pearls: pearl stud earrings and a single-stranded necklace. The simple jewels may be more meaningful than meets the eye, however. The last time we saw her wear this necklace was for a photograph, also taken at Windsor, commemorating the Duke’s 99th birthday last year.
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