How about a little Tiara Thursday moment, everybody? This week, Queen Letizia brought out an antique tiara for a gala banquet in Madrid—but styled it in a strikingly modern way.
On Tuesday, the King and Queen of Spain welcomed the Sultan of Oman to Madrid for a state visit. The first day of the program culminated in a traditional gala dinner at the Royal Palace in Madrid, with each head of state in his own culture’s own version of white-tie formal dress.
The royals, as usual, wore decorations from each other’s countries as a sign of friendship. King Felipe and Queen Letizia both received new Omani decorations during this week’s visit, and the Sultan was given a new Spanish order, too. At the banquet, King Felipe wore the collar, sash, and star of the Order of Al Said (plus the neck badge of the Order of the Golden Fleece), while Queen Letizia wore the collar of the Order of Oman. The Sultan wore the collar, sash, and star of the Order of Isabella the Catholic, as well as the star of the Order of Al Said.
As she usually does when another titled head of state comes to town, Queen Letizia wore a full ballgown and gala jewels for the dinner. If this royal blue dress looks familiar, it’s for a good reason: Letizia has worn it for another state visit moment in the recent past.
Letizia made her public debut in the dress, which comes from the Spanish fashion brand The 2nd Skin Co, during the Spanish state visit to the Netherlands in April 2024. She wore the gown for a state banquet at the Royal Palace in Amsterdam on the first night of the visit.
Interestingly, Letizia wore the same tiara and earrings with the gown on both occasions. The diamond and pearl loop tiara comes from the collection of Queen Maria Cristina, wife of King Alfonso XII and mother of King Alfonso XIII. Her enormous diamond earrings, legacies from Queen Ena, are part of the joyas de pasar collection.
The tiara may have been the same, but Letizia wore it completely differently for the Omani dinner. In Amsterdam, she perched the tiara top a sleek updo, but on Tuesday, she wore it with a cascading hairstyle. The tiara was tipped far backward, almost like a headband, giving the whole thing a more casual look—if an enormous antique diamond and pearl tiara can be considered casual in any way.
Letizia’s only other jewel this time around was her Coreterno ring, worn on the index finger of her left hand. No need for a necklace or a brooch when the collar of the order is this big. Beyond the size of the badge, it’s impressive how long the chain of the Order of Oman collar is. If you look again at the photos above, you’ll see that the chain falls far down her back, and you’ll even be able to spot the small pins used to keep it in place.
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