Queen Elizabeth II’s Astonishing Aquamarines during the Spanish State Visit

Our journey through decades of fashion and jewels worn by Queen Elizabeth II winds up today in 2017, when she hosted one of the last glittering state banquets of her reign, welcoming the King and Queen of Spain to Buckingham Palace.

King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain were the guests of honor at a grand state banquet held at Buckingham Palace in July 2017. This state visit was also a reunion of cousins. Through his great-grandmother, Queen Ena, King Felipe is a direct descendant of Queen Victoria.

Felipe is also related to the late Prince Philip in multiple ways. Felipe’s grandfather, King Paul of the Hellenes, was Philip’s first cousin. Felipe and Philip are also both descendants of Prince Alexander of Battenberg. Philip was a grandson of Alexander’s eldest son, Louis, while Felipe is a great-great-grandson of Alexander’s third son, Henry.

Elizabeth and Felipe both wore the badges of one of the world’s most exclusive chivalric orders, the Order of the Golden Fleece, for the banquet. He also wore the insignia of the Order of the Garter, which Elizabeth had given him earlier that day. During the banquet, she spoke about the family ties they shared: “This State Visit is an expression of the deep respect and friendship that describes relations between Spain and the United Kingdom. Just occasionally, a State Visit can provide an opportunity for great personal happiness also. So it was, more than a century ago, when your great-grandfather, King Alfonso the Thirteenth, met his future wife, Princess Victoria Eugenie, the grand-daughter of our Queen Victoria, in this very ballroom.”

For the dinner, both Queen Elizabeth II and Queen Letizia wore evening gowns featuring intricate embroidery. Letizia wore an off-the-shoulder gown in a bold shade of red, made by Felipe Varela. She tucked the blue and white sash of Spain’s Order of Carlos III into the neckline of her dress for the occasion. Appropriately, she wore Queen Ena’s diamond wedding tiara, paired with diamond earrings and a diamond bracelet that also come from Ena’s collection.

Elizabeth opted for a dress that echoed the colors of that Spanish order, wearing a white gown with blue floral embroidery and a scalloped hem and cuffs. Her jewels for the evening, pieces from the Brazilian Aquamarine Parure, matched the color scheme perfectly.

The set of aquamarine jewels, which consists of various gifts from the government of Brazil, evolved over time. The tiara was originally smaller, but it was enlarged to its present form in the 1970s. The set also includes a necklace, a pair of earrings, and a bracelet, all of which were worn for the banquet, as well as a diamond and aquamarine brooch.