The Queen of Spain Dons an Heirloom Diamond Floral Tiara in Madrid

State visit season is officially in full swing in Europe, with tiaras popping up at banquets all over the continent. Today, let’s take a closer look at the sparkling jewels worn by the Queen of Spain during Tuesday’s French gala dinner in Madrid.

King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain welcomed French President Emmanuel Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron to Madrid for a state visit on Tuesday. The first day of the program culminated in a grand white-tie banquet held at the Royal Palace, with the royal and presidential couples wearing gala ensembles and decorations.

King Felipe wore the neck badge and star of the Order of the Golden Fleece with the sash and star of France’s Order of the Legion of Honor. Letizia also wore the Legion of Honor insignia, which she received during this state visit. President Macron also wore a newly-bestowed decoration: the collar, sash, and star of the Order of Isabella the Catholic.

Letizia wore an elegant new gala gown for the occasion. The light blue dress, which features a sheer yoke with beaded floral embroidery and medieval-inspired sleeves, comes from one of her favorite brands, Carolina Herrera.

She chose a tiara for the gala that coordinated beautifully with the gown’s floral decorations: the naturalistic floral tiara that first arrived in the Spanish royal collection in the nineteenth century. The diamond garland of wild roses, which can also be taken off its frame and worn as a necklace or a corsage ornament, was made by the British firm J.P. Collins in 1879 for King Alfonso XII, who gave it to his second wife, Queen Maria Cristina, as a wedding present.

The tiara was sold when the family went into exile in the 1930s, but it was later bought back by Franco, who gave it to Queen Sofia as a wedding present in 1962. Sofia wore it regularly until her husband’s abdication in 2014, and she also often loaned it to her daughters and daughters-in-law. Now Queen Letizia is the primary wearer of the jewel.

For the French banquet, Letizia also wore another spectacular set of diamonds from the family vaults. Her impressive diamond earrings originally belonged to King Felipe’s great-grandmother, Queen Ena. In her will, she made them part of the joyas de pasar collection, a set of jewels reserved for the use of the Queen of Spain.

Letizia finished off the look with a special pair of rings, both worn on her left hand. On her index finger, she wore her Coreterno ring, which is inscribed with lines from Dante. Beside it, she added her oval Karen Hallam ring. The ring has become so associated with Letizia that the company now calls it the “Anillo La Reina.”