Queen Maxima’s Dramatic Diamond Tiara Moment in Wellington

It’s hard to believe it, but 2016 was a full decade ago, and our Tiara Time Machine has officially docked there for the day. Let’s chat about one of Queen Máxima’s glamorous 2016 tiara appearances, which took place during a state visit to New Zealand.

Three years after his accession to the throne, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands traveled to New Zealand for a state visit in November 2016. They were the guests of honor at a state banquet hosted by Governor General Patsy Reddy at Government House in Wellington. For the black-tie dinner, Máxima wore a Claes Iversen gown in a warm shade of tomato red. She pinned the miniature ribbon of the Order of the Netherlands Lion near the neckline of her dress.

With the gown, Máxima wore special diamonds that have been in the Dutch royal vaults for more than a century. Her tiara, a classic nineteenth-century piece with harp and rosette designs, originally belonged to Queen Emma of the Netherlands. It was commissioned for her by her husband, King Willem III, but wasn’t completed until after his death in 1890.

With the tiara, Máxima wore more diamonds that are also associated with Willem III. The impressive diamond earrings were Willem’s birthday gift to his only daughter, the future Queen Wilhelmina, in 1889. She was nine years old at the time. Can you imagine??

The diamond scroll brooch that Máxima pinned near the right shoulder of her gown belonged to Queen Wilhelmina, too. The size of the diamonds and the design of the piece makes it a natural companion to the tiara and earrings.

And there was more sparkle, too. On her left wrist, Máxima wore one of the diamond bracelets made from a much larger jewel given to Queen Juliana as a wedding present by the government of the Dutch East Indies in 1937. And on her right wrist, Máxima added two personal pieces: her own diamond wedding bracelet and a diamond bracelet featuring the initials of her husband and daughters.

Thanks for enjoying our Tiara Time Machine journey with me this week! The sparkle continues this weekend at Hidden Gems, where paid subscribers will be treated on Saturday to the story of the Habsburg peridot set that ended up on Joan Rivers (!) at the Golden Globes (!!) in 2004. And on Sunday, my free weekly digest newsletter will arrive in your inboxes as usual. See you there!