Tiara Surprise: State Banquet in Brussels

Tiara events are rare in Belgium, but on Tuesday there was a State Banquet taking place at the Palace of Laeken in honor of the State Visit made by German President Joachim Gauck.

Queen Mathilde reverted to her first own tiara, the laurel wreath tiara which she received as a wedding present from the Belgian nobility. This early 20th century jewel was the only tiara that the present Queen wore after her wedding during her years as Princess. And yesterday was the first time that she wore it as a tiara since her husband ascended to the throne two years ago.

But the surprise of the day came from another lady. It was Princess Astrid, only sister of King Philippe, who unexpectedly wore her mother’s art deco diamond bandeau for the very first time.

Prinses Astrid tijdens het Staatsbanket. Foto ©Belga Image pic.twitter.com/oxaH7xrwyQ

— The World of Royals (@TheRoyalsWorld) March 8, 2016

Whether it was a gift or a loan from Queen Paola is not known. Yet it was a nice surprise to see the Princess for the first time ever to wear another tiara than her mother-in-law’s Savoy-Aosta tiara.

The art deco tiara originates from Queen Elisabeth, who passed it on to Queen Astrid for the birth of her son Albert. It was also worn by Princess Lilian de Rethy, before it became Queen Paola’s when she gave birth to her first child, Prince Philippe.

The tiara was last seen when Queen Paola had loaned it to the latest bride in the family, Elisabetta Rosboch von Wolkenstein. She wore the beautiful jewel in May 2014 when she wed Prince Amedeo of Belgium in Rome.

Princess Elisabetta was not the first bride to wear this historic jewel on her wedding day, though. That was the current Queen Mathilde of the Belgians, then Countess Mathild d’Udekem d’Acoz, who first borrowed this tiara from her mother-in-law to wear it at her wedding to Prince Philippe in 1999.

 

 

Filed under Belgium
Tagged Princess Astrid of Belgium, Queen Mathilde of the Belgians, Tiaras.