While we were dazzled by diamonds in Britain and Denmark, the King and Queen of the Belgians held a glittering gala of their own this week, just as they celebrated a major milestone in their marriage.
On Tuesday, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde welcomed the Sultan of Oman, Haitham bin Tariq, to Belgium for a two-day state visit. The first day of the visit culminated with a traditional state banquet, held at the Palace of Laeken.
Ahead of the dinner, King Philippe bestowed the Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold, Belgium’s highest order of chivalry, on the Sultan. He wore the star and purple sash of the order for the banquet, as well as the star of his highest Omani order (the Order of Al-Said, I believe). King Philippe wore the star of the Order of Leopold and the collar, sash, and star of the Order of Al-Said.
Queen Mathilde wore the sash and collar of the Order of Oman with her navy blue evening gown, which featured a medieval-inspired cape covered in sequins. (Per UFO No More, the dress comes from Natan.) She also wore coordinating shoes and a clutch bag, all covered in sparkles.
She added even more dazzle with some impressive diamond jewels, including an heirloom tiara that has been in the family for two generations. The Wolfers Tiara, as it is known, is a convertible piece that can be removed from its frame and worn as a necklace. The tiara was given to King Philippe’s aunt, the late Queen Fabiola, as a wedding present by the diamond industry of Antwerp. The jewel has a small profile, but it’s packed with more than 200 diamonds. The tiara is now primarily worn by Mathilde, though she has lent it on occasion to her elder daughter, the Duchess of Brabant.
Mathilde also wore a major pair of diamond earrings from her jewelry box. The earrings have a ribbon design that cascades into a diamond fringe, from which a trio of pear-shaped diamond drops are suspended. She has had the earrings in her collection since at least 2017.
There was also a hint of another bit of diamond glamour on Mathilde’s left wrist. You’ll just be able to spot her diamond floral bracelet peeking out from beneath the sleeve of her cape in this photograph.
The second and final day of the state visit on Wednesday also coincided with an important milestone. King Philippe and Queen Mathilde celebrated their silver wedding anniversary as they hosted the Sultan for a luncheon at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel. Mathilde sentimentally wore her original ruby engagement ring and her diamond and pearl wedding earrings for the lunch.
To mark the special wedding anniversary, the royal court also released a new set of photographs of Philippe and Mathilde, taken on the grounds of the Palace of Laeken.
For the anniversary portrait session, Mathilde wore a white jumpsuit from Natan that we’ve seen her wear on several recent occasions, including a dinner before the opening ceremony of the Olympics in Paris this summer. She also added another bejeweled nod to one of her important mentors, Queen Fabiola, wearing her diamond and pearl drop earrings.
On her wedding day, Mathilde wore Queen Elisabeth’s Art Deco Bandeau, a loan from Queen Paola, with a pair of diamond and pearl drop earrings. I’ve written previously about her wedding tiara and her wedding earrings here at The Court Jeweller, and this weekend, I’ll be featuring a deep-dive on the royal wedding day over at Hidden Gems.
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