Queen Mathilde Jewellery 1: Ending 2021


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Stefan said:
Thanks for the clear pic. But you are disappointing us all who had hoped the Queen has a different diamond necklace in her cassette.
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The size and carats of the diamonds in the Wolfers necklace are impressive. We have not seen the Queen or Princess Beatrix, but I think Queen Mathilde was amongst the best bejewelled ladies.
 
Duc_et_Pair said:
The size and carats of the diamonds in the Wolfers necklace are impressive. We have not seen the Queen or Princess Beatrix, but I think Queen Mathilde was amongst the best bejewelled ladies.
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She also has one if the smallest jewel boxes among the Queens and Crown Princesses.
 
Now we have seen State Visits to the King of the Netherlands, from the German Bundespräsident and from the Président de la Republique, covering the three big Belgian neighbours.

In none of the three State Banquets (elements of) the Spanish Wedding Gift were seen. Also not as a collier, or one of the fleurons as a broche, nothing. Can we conclude it has left the Belgian royal collection?
 
Duc_et_Pair said:
Now we have seen State Visits to the King of the Netherlands, from the German Bundespräsident and from the Président de la Republique, covering the three big Belgian neighbours.

In none of the three State Banquets (elements of) the Spanish Wedding Gift were seen. Also not as a collier, or one of the fleurons as a broche, nothing. Can we conclude it has left the Belgian royal collection?
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I don't think we can conclude that yet, but it is looking increasingly likely. One question remains though: if the Belgian royal family no longer owns the Spanish tiara, who owns it now ? Theoretically, it should belong to the "Help Funds of the Queen" if news about Queen Fabiola's will are to be believed. But, as far as I know, Queen Mathilde is the chair of the Help Funds and I doubt that charity organization would sell any of Queen Fabiola's jewels.



Another possibility, of course, is that Fabiola's Spanish family now has it, but I think we would probably know by now if that was indeed the case.



I still hope that Queen Mathilde is saving the tiara for a state visit to or from Spain, but my hopes are fading.


EDIT: A separate question is the fate of the stones that were worn with the tiara, especially the aquamarines from King Baudouin's gift and the Tunisian demi-parure. Are they gone too ? That includes not only the fleuron stones properly, but earrings, necklaces, pendants, etc. that would be of great use to Queen Mathilde. I am not an expert, but I suppose the aquamarines for example could even be reused if the Queen wanted to commission a new small tiara.
 
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In 2014 it was announced that all possessions of Queen Fabiola would be left to the foundation Oeuvres de la Reine / Hulpfonds van de Koningin.

In October 2015 Queen Mathilde appeared with the Wolfers tiara in Poland.

In January 2016 we learned from disgruntled members of the Mora family that among her possessions were works of art that the Queen had inherited from Spain, including a Goya and a Tiepolo. A nephew claimed that they could not even get a small momento like a family photograph.

In February 2016 - a month after the nephew complained in the press - in was communicated that the entire inheritance had been transferred to the foundation succesfully.

After that we have had no further updates and we have not seen the Spanish wedding gift tiara either. Neither have we seen any initiatives around Vila Astrida in Motril. Neither have we heard about Goya and Tiepolo paintings being sold of / put on an exhibition. Why would a charity that donates money to Belgian people in need have any use for a tiara, a villa & land in Spain, an apartment on the Rue d'Artois in Paris, a Goya, a Tiepolo etc?

Since it was announced that the inheritance had been transferred we have not heard anything from the Spanish family either... Considering the family is rather large it would not be illogical if they decided to auction of valuable assets if they had received any.

But who knows? Considering the Spanish family remained quiet after the transfer was announced it is tempting to assume that the matter has been settled quietly. Some claim that there is some wiggle room in the statement that she left everything to the Oeuvres de la Reine: it would exclude things that were already transferred to other foundations and thus would legally not belong to the Queen any longer.

If Queen Mathilde will not wear the tiara during a state visit from or to Spain I think we can assume that the tiara will never be worn by her. But perhaps they want to reserve it for the Duchess of Brabant, who will need a tiara in a year. And although the tiara is larger than the Wolfers, the latter will be the more valuable piece due to the quality and size of the diamonds.

We have not seen any other historic Belgian jewelry being re-introduced by Queen Mathilde in recent years. There was always a story floating around that Fabiola owned historic Belgian jewels -such as the emerald brooch of the Empress Carlota- but preferred not to wear them as they were previously worn by the princesse de Rethy. I think we can conclude that these stories were incorrect.
 
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Marengo said:
In 2014 it was announced that all possessions of Queen Fabiola would be left to the foundation Oeuvres de la Reine / Hulpfonds van de Koningin.

In October 2015 Queen Mathilde appeared with the Wolfers tiara in Poland.

In January 2016 we learned from disgruntled members of the Mora family that among her possessions were works of art that the Queen had inherited from Spain, including a Goya and a Tiepolo. A nephew claimed that they could not even get a small momento like a family photograph.

In February 2016 - a month after the nephew complained in the press - in was communicated that the entire inheritance had been transferred to the foundation succesfully.

After that we have had no further updates and we have not seen the Spanish wedding gift tiara either. Neither have we seen any initiatives around Vila Astrida in Motril. Neither have we heard about Goya and Tiepolo paintings being sold of / put on an exhibition. Why would a charity that donates money to Belgian people in need have any use for a tiara, a villa & land in Spain, an apartment on the Rue d'Artois in Paris, a Goya, a Tiepolo etc?

Since it was announced that the inheritance had been transferred we have not heard anything from the Spanish family either... Considering the family is rather large it would not be illogical if they decided to auction of valuable assets if they had received any.

But who knows? Considering the Spanish family remained quiet after the transfer was announced it is tempting to assume that the matter has been settled quietly. Some claim that there is some wiggle room in the statement that she left everything to the Oeuvres de la Reine: it would exclude things that were already transferred to other foundations and thus would legally not belong to the Queen any longer.

If Queen Mathilde will not wear the tiara during a state visit from or to Spain I think we can assume that the tiara will never be worn by her. But perhaps they want to reserve it for the Duchess of Brabant, who will need a tiara in a year. And although the tiara is larger than the Wolfers, the latter will be the more valuable piece due to the quality and size of the diamonds.

We have not seen any other historic Belgian jewelry being re-introduced by Queen Mathilde in recent years. There was always a story floating around that Fabiola owned historic Belgian jewels -such as the emerald brooch of the Empress Carlota- but preferred not to wear them as they were previously worn by the princesse de Rethy. I think we can conclude that these stories were incorrect.
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What about Queen Astrid’s emerald necklace, which could be also worn as a convertible tiara ? King Baudouin is rumored to have inherited it , but Queen Fabiola never wore it ( Princess Lilian did wear it, if I am not mistaken).
 
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Mbruno said:
I don't think we can conclude that yet, but it is looking increasingly likely. One question remains though: if the Belgian royal family no longer owns the Spanish tiara, who owns it now ? Theoretically, it should belong to the "Help Funds of the Queen" if news about Queen Fabiola's will are to be believed. But, as far as I know, Queen Mathilde is the chair of the Help Funds and I doubt that charity organization would sell any of Queen Fabiola's jewels.



Another possibility, of course, is that Fabiola's Spanish family now has it, but I think we would probably know by now if that was indeed the case.



I still hope that Queen Mathilde is saving the tiara for a state visit to or from Spain, but my hopes are fading.


EDIT: A separate question is the fate of the stones that were worn with the tiara, especially the aquamarines from King Baudouin's gift and the Tunisian demi-parure. Are they gone too ? That includes not only the fleuron stones properly, but earrings, necklaces, pendants, etc. that would be of great use to Queen Mathilde. I am not an expert, but I suppose the aquamarines for example could even be reused if the Queen wanted to commission a new small tiara.
Click to expand...

I have to agree with you. Increasingly, it does not appear that Mathilde has access to the Spanish gift tiara
 
Mbruno said:
What about Queen Astrid’s emerald necklace, which could be also worn as a convertible tiara ? King Baudouin is rumored to have inherited it , but Queen Fabiola never wore it ( Princess Lilian did wear it, if I am not mistaken).
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Indeed, that is another missing piece, as is the Stockholm tiara with the upright pearl. I always found it incredible that Fabiola did not wear these pieces because Lilian wore them. The same can be said about the Nine provinces tiara, which she did wear. It is far more likely the pieces have been sold. Considering the modest size of the collection I would be very surprised if they have pieces collecting dust in the vault* as happened in the UK.

It will be interesting to see what will happen if all Filip & Mathilde's children & spouses will be involved in state visits. They will need 5 tiaras while there are only 3 of them (4 if Paola gives her tiara to the main line). Hopefully they will acquire something new or perhaps the Belgian association of nobility can make a generous offer, as they did for Mathilde. Another option would be an agreement with a jewelry house, as happened with the princess of Monaco and the princesses of Denmark.

* except the demi-parure that Queen Paola received from president Kabila of the Congo, which rightly never was worn in public and probably never will be.
 
While Fabiola was within her rights to dispose of her jewelry as she did, I can't express how sad it makes me that all these beautiful pieces are lost to the Belgian royal family, and by extension, the Belgian people. If they have been sold, as appears increasingly possible, then they are either hidden away in some wealthy collectors private vaults, or have been broken up for the gemstones to be reset. That seems almost wasteful to me, but then, I find historic jewelry fascinating not just for the value of the materials, but for the history, and the artistry took to create them. It seems like a real loss to history to me.
 
Mbruno said:
What about Queen Astrid’s emerald necklace, which could be also worn as a convertible tiara ? King Baudouin is rumored to have inherited it , but Queen Fabiola never wore it ( Princess Lilian did wear it, if I am not mistaken).
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Omce there was a discusion on the Royal Jewels MB about a luxemburgian neckalce from Grand Duchess Josephine-Chalrlotte which as sold or included at the cancelled auction. it was never seen worn by her but it looked like it could be the emerald necklace from her mother with the emerald's removed.. So perhaps this one did not go to Fabiola but to Joséphine-Charlotte insteed. Have also read that it was said that she inhertied most of her mother's emerald jewels.
Yes it was last seen on Princess Lilian.
As for the stockholm diamond and pearl tiara it was only worn a few times on Queen Astrid. Later the pearl was worn by Princess Lilian. Since then nothing of it has been seen.
As for the spanish Wedding gift tiara perhaps the Queen waits for a speciail occasion like a State Visit to or from Spain.
 
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Marengo said:
Indeed, that is another missing piece, as is the Stockholm tiara with the upright pearl. I always found it incredible that Fabiola did not wear these pieces because Lilian wore them. The same can be said about the Nine provinces tiara, which she did wear. It is far more likely the pieces have been sold. Considering the modest size of the collection I would be very surprised if they have pieces collecting dust in the vault* as happened in the UK.

It will be interesting to see what will happen if all Filip & Mathilde's children & spouses will be involved in state visits. They will need 5 tiaras while there are only 3 of them (4 if Paola gives her tiara to the main line). Hopefully they will acquire something new or perhaps the Belgian association of nobility can make a generous offer, as they did for Mathilde. Another option would be an agreement with a jewelry house, as happened with the princess of Monaco and the princesses of Denmark.

* except the demi-parure that Queen Paola received from president Kabila of the Congo, which rightly never was worn in public and probably never will be.
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I am pretty sure the Duchess of Brabant will be given a wedding gift tiara as it was the case with her mother. I don't know if Élisabeth will attend state dinners before she gets married, but that is likely considering that people nowadays tend to get married only in their late twenties or early thirties. If Élisabeth requires a tiara before she is married, the natural choice for me would be her grandmother's Deco bandeau and that is why I think it is important that Queen Paola doesn't leave it to Princess Astrid, even if it is not a major tiara.



Princess Eléonore, who is less likely to attend state banquets before she is married, might also get her own wedding tiara considering that Princess Claire for example was given one. Otherwise, assuming Élisabeth gets the Art Deco, she could borrow the Laurel Wreath from her mother whenever required as Mathilde would be probably wearing the Nine Provinces anyway.



On the question of borrowing jewelry, there are rumors that Cartier would be willing to loan Queen Élisabeth's diamond tiara to Queen Mathilde, but I don't know if that is true. Even if it is true, I supect Queen Mathilde would not be interested or wouldn't take the offer. The Belgian queens seem to manage well with three working tiaras only.
 
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Apart from the ri-di-cu-lous price paid for Queen Marie-Antoinette's pearl collier, purchasing a diadem is really not that expensive. King Philippe buying a new SUV is more expensive than buying a diadem. The purchases for Princess Claire and Crown Princess Mary were not for shocking prices. The purchase of the tutti frutti necklace and bracelet for (then) Princess Máxima was (in my eyes) not worth the € 51.000 excl. auction fee. For the same money she could have acquired a nice collier or diadem. When the daughters of King Philippe need a diadem, it is really not impossible to buy something reasonable.
 
Mbruno said:
I am pretty sure the Duchess of Brabant will be given a wedding gift tiara as it was the case with her mother. I don't know if Élisabeth will attend state dinners before she gets married, but that is likely considering that people nowadays tend to get married only in their late twenties or early thirties. If Élisabeth requires a tiara before she is married, the natural choice for me would be her grandmother's Deco bandeau and that is why I think it is important that Queen Paola doesn't leave it to Princess Astrid, even if it is not a major tiara.

Princess Eléonore, who is less likely to attend state banquets before she is married, might also get her own wedding tiara considering that Princess Claire for example was given one. Otherwise, assuming Élisabeth gets the Art Deco, she could borrow the Laurel Wreath from her mother whenever required as Mathilde would be probably wearing the Nine Provinces anyway.
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That leaves still the possible wives of princes Gabriel and Emmanuel that may need tiaras. We will see.

Queen Mathilde has borrowed necklaces and earrings from jewelers before, for example at the wedding of the Swedish crown princess. But she has done so discreetly. If Cartier lends her the tiara of Queen Elisabeth I am sure they will want to use that fact to generate publicity, as f.e. Lorenz Bäumer and Van Cleef & Arpels are doing with Pss Charlene's tiara's. Perhaps the Belgian court has some problems with that.

Mbruno said:
The Belgian queens seem to manage well with three working tiaras only.
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Two good marriages and one bad one depleted the vault up to a point that there is almost nothing left. But it is obviously not a priority for the family. Filip did buy a helicopter a few years ago, Albert bought several yachts. If it was they could have found ways to acquire new pieces, as other royal families have.
 
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1.
Stockholm tiara of Princess Astrid. She wore it once and later only the pearl. We never saw irs base again. Princess Lilian wore the pearl as brooch and the last time on her hat for Prince Albert's Wedding. We never saw Queen Astrid's emerald tiara/necklace since Princess Lilian wore them.
2.
Donna Paola received earrings from Princess Lilian for her engagement. She wore them her whole life.
Dona Fabiola received from Princess Lilian a Brooch she wore as fiancee for her Visit to Brussels and never wore it during her Wedding
 
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Queen Mathilde's tiara appearances of 2018:

1 2 3 4 5 6
 
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Wow, six tiara events in a year! That's quite a good haul, isn't it? And she wore all her three tiaras, including both versions of the nine provinces tiara. Additionally she usually had very good tiara hair.
 
It looks like two modern pairs of earrings. Possibly a loan, which she has done before.

Considering the long aquamarine earrings are rather simular -though not as beautiful- as the aquamarine earrings of the late Queen Fabiola it is not likely that these were inherited by the queen/ crown.

The pink earrings may be pink topaz?
 
Marengo said:
It looks like two modern pairs of earrings. Possibly a loan, which she has done before.

Considering the long aquamarine earrings are rather simular -though not as beautiful- as the aquamarine earrings of the late Queen Fabiola it is not likely that these were inherited by the queen/ crown.

The pink earrings may be pink topaz?
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Both the pair of earrings will not be very expensive, so she could well have bought them. It is a pity that it does not appear that she ended up wit Queen Fabiola's aquamarines.
 
I do not know if they are a loan, but it could be so. I do not recall HM ever wearing these earrings before, but let's hope they are hers indeed.

As Duchess of Brabant she has borrowed pieces from jewelers. For example the necklace and earrings during the wedding of CPss Victoria (from Brussels jeweler Leysen) and a Wolfers necklace which was worn at the pre-wedding dinner of the Duke of Cambridge at later at the pre-wedding dinner of the HGD of Luxembourg. The jewels worn at the 40th birthday of the Prince of Orange were also a loan as were the diamond and pearl earrings worn at the baptism of her goddaughter Pss Alexia of The Netherlands. The necklace and earrings that she wore during the dinner after the wedding of the prince of Monaco were borrowed from the Brussels jeweler Manalys.
 
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Marengo said:
I do not know if they are a loan, but it could be so. I do not recall HM ever wearing these earrings before, but let's hope they are hers indeed.

As Duchess of Brabant she has borrowed pieces from jewelers. For example the necklace and earrings during the wedding of CPss Victoria (from Brussels jeweler Leysen) and a Wolfers necklace which was worn at the pre-wedding dinner of the Duke of Cambridge at later at the pre-wedding dinner of the HGD of Luxembourg. The jewels worn at the 40th birthday of the Prince of Orange were also a loan as were the diamond and pearl earrings worn at the baptism of her goddaughter Pss Alexia of The Netherlands. The necklace and earrings that she wore during the dinner after the wedding of the prince of Monaco were borrowed from the Brussels jeweler Manalys.
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Loans from jewellers reduce the prestige of the Royal House a bit. Then the Queen is in exactly the same league as an actress on a red carpet event. It is precisely the provenance and anciennity of royal jewels which add something extra. I don't understand why the Koninklijke Schenking / Donation Royale does not set up a collection of jewels. Every month nice jewels are auctioned in Europe. They could create a pool, available for the Queen and the princesses of the House. It is really not that costly.
 
Hopefully the queen owns them outright,I really hope that Queen Fabiola's aquamarines and other jewels are still available to the Belgian RF as the late queen had some wonderful pieces.
 
Mbruno said:
Are they new ? I don't think it is a loan as they must be relatively inexpensive.
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Princess Larisa said:
Queen Mathilde wore two pairs of interesting earrings this week during the Belgian state visit to South Korea.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D2sApLxXQAUCDAM.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D2sApPTWoAIWAbL.jpg

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D2sCtCUXgAAn3xc.jpg
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I'm not sure but for me it seems that the second pair of earrings worn by QM in South Korea is just a different setting of her old diamond pink stone earrings.

https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-b_-dKxCj...600/MATHILDE+necklace+%26+earrings+Leysen.jpg
 
Actually since some time I have seen some similarities between some of QF jewels and pieces appearing on QM. For example look at QM two pairs of "new diamond earrings" :

https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PbUSJPEx...E-WT3RgCLcBGAs/s1600/2017-0103-mathilde04.png
https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iUeDgDQw...OMvUt9ioMSPYHuGXR49icKegCLcB/s1600/0earr0.jpg
and do compare them with the sketch of late QF art deco diamond bracelet from Pinterest :
https://www.google.pl/search?biw=12...0i19j0i30i19.AGe5F7vDE_g#imgrc=zOdiKUFI5qsILM:
There can be seen some clear similarity what could be a proof that QM has just altered or modified pieces of jewellery(also historical) that she now has at her disposal. Possibly the same with aquamarine earrings
 
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