Queen Silvia’s Terrific Steel Tiara Surprise in Stockholm

This coming weekend, a special television moment will air in Sweden, featuring Queen Silvia, a royal tiara, a vintage gown—and a famous drag artist.

Before we jump into the story of the television episode that was taped recently in Stockholm, we have to set our time machines back to the autumn of 1976. Just a few months after their royal wedding, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden traveled to the Netherlands for a state visit. At the royal palace in Amsterdam, the Dutch royal family hosted a glittering state banquet for the couple, complete with tiaras and decorations.

(You’ll spot three notable Dutch tiaras here: the Mellerio Ruby Tiara on Queen Juliana, Queen Emma’s Diamond Tiara on Princess Beatrix, and the Dutch Laurel Wreath Tiara on Princess Margriet.)

The black and white photographs from this event don’t come close to doing justice to the colorful scene. Queen Silvia chose a canary yellow evening gown with metallic gold accent dots, made by Christian Dior, for the banquet, paired with the electric blue and orange sash of the Order of the Netherlands Lion and the dazzling diamond and sapphire tiara, necklace, earrings, and brooch from the Leuchtenberg Sapphire Parure.

How do you know that the state banquet appearance was truly iconic? Because the following year, one of Sweden’s most famous drag artists, Christer Lindarw, wore a version of the ensemble, complete with a replica of the Dior gown, as well as the sash and jewels, to portray Queen Silvia on stage.

And even more iconic? The King and the Queen were there to watch the drag performance at the Oscarsteatern in Stockholm, and an absolutely beaming and clearly amused Queen Silvia happily accepted a rose offered by Lindarw at the end of the act.

Now, a Swedish television show, Vilket Liv! (What a Life!) has dedicated an episode to Lindarw’s life and career. Along with his drag performances as part of the group After Dark, Lindarw is also an actor and a clothing designer. Crown Princess Victoria has worn several gowns made by Lindarw, including a ballgown for her father’s Golden Jubilee banquet in 2022 and her 2024 Nobel Prize ceremony dress.

During the taping of the show, which chronicled Lindarw’s career, he was shocked and clearly honored when Queen Silvia herself stepped on to the stage with a single rose, honoring the drag performance he had done half a century before. It was a full circle moment, as the show was taped on the same stage at the Oscarsteatern where Lindarw had famously performed as Silvia in 1977.

Remarkably, Silvia wore the very same canary yellow Christian Dior dress that she had worn for the Dutch state banquet in 1976, and which Lindarw incorporated into his performance the following year. How many people can effortlessly slip into an evening gown that they wore 49 years ago?

For the tribute to Lindarw, Silvia left the Leuchtenberg Sapphire in the vault, wearing instead the grand Napoleonic Cut-Steel Tiara, which glitters without a single diamond. She paired the 200-year-old tiara with more modern jewels: a pair of diamond and gold daisy earrings and a contemporary gold and diamond necklace.

You’ll also spot rings on both her hands and bracelets on both her wrists. On her left wrist, stacked with her famous double-face watch and her colorful beaded Childhood bracelets, she wears a gold bracelet that appears to be engraved with the names of her grandchildren.

If you’re in Sweden, the episode of Vilket Liv! dedicated to Christer Lindarw’s career will air on TV4 on Saturday, May 31.