Today, Princess Astrid, sister of the King of Norway, celebrates her 94th birthday. Remarkably, the resilient Astrid continues to support her brother at royal events, and today we have a closer look at the tiaras worn by both Princess Astrid and Queen Sonja during a recent gala dinner in Oslo.
On January 29, King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway hosted a gala dinner for members of the diplomatic corps at the Royal Palace in Oslo. The white-tie dinner was also attended by Crown Prince Haakon and Princess Astrid. For the occasion, Queen Sonja wore a gorgeous purple tulle evening gown, embellished with sequins, from the designer Elie Saab. We previously saw her wear the dress for the French gala banquet in June 2025.
Last time, Sonja wore diamonds with the gown. For this outing, she reached for diamond and pearl jewelry from the family collection. She wore the full setting of (the replica of) Queen Maud’s Pearl Tiara, paired with diamond and pearl earrings, a five-row pearl necklace, a three row pearl bracelet, and a pearl ring. She secured the sash of the Order of St. Olav with a special heirloom piece: the Drapers’ Company Brooch, which was one of Queen Maud’s wedding presents in 1896.
With Crown Princess Mette-Marit retreating in the wake of continued health problems and two seriously terrible scandals, the only other royal lady at the dinner was the King’s sister, Princess Astrid. She wore a favorite evening gown with a starry design, paired with a diamond and turquoise tiara that belonged to Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom, the mother of Queen Maud of Norway. Astrid also wore the diamond and turquoise necklace and earrings that come from Queen Maud’s collection.
Intriguingly, Astrid chose to wear another piece of fabulous turquoise and diamond jewelry for the dinner: a devant de corsage, which she pinned as a brooch on her order sash. In his book on Norway’s royal jewels, Trond Norén Isaksen writes that that the stomacher also has roots in Britain. Citing a photograph from the Royal Archives, he writes that the ornament “comes from Queen Alexandra and as late as 1946 belonged to Queen Mary.”
The jewel bears significant design similarities to two antique royal brooches worn by the late Queen Elizabeth II: Queen Mary’s Richmond Brooch, which is set with diamonds and pearls, and a diamond and turquoise brooch that Queen Mary received as a wedding gift from King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra. Both brooches date to 1893, and I’d guess that Astrid’s stomacher was made during the same period.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.