Spain’s state visit to the Netherlands will start in a few days. We are very much looking forward to it. Today we look at the tiaras that Queen Letizia can wear during the state visit to the Netherlands.
Fleur-de-lys tiara/La Buena
We saw the Fleur-de-lys tiara at the end of last year during Spain’s state visit to Denmark. This tiara may only be worn by reigning Spanish queens. Queen Letizia is currently allowed to wear the tiara, but Queen Sofia is no longer allowed to wear it. In 1906, the tiara was made as a wedding gift from King Alfonso XIII for Princess Victoria Eugenie, the future Queen Ena. The tiara is often called La Buena.
Letizia also wore this tiara at Emperor Naruhito’s coronation ceremony in 2019.
Wedding tiara/Prussian tiara
Letizia’s wedding tiara, commonly called the Prussian tiara, is made of platinum and diamonds. The tiara was made by jeweler Koch and has, among other things, the motif of a laurel wreath. The tiara was a wedding gift from German Emperor Wilhelm II for his daughter Viktoria Luise. She married Ernst August, Duke of Brunswick. Viktoria Luise passed the tiara on to her daughter Friederike. She met the future Greek king Pavlos and married him in 1938. Friederike passes the tiara to her daughter Sofia, who marries the future King Juan Carlos of Spain. The tiara is the personal property of Queen Sofia. It is not clear whether Queen Letizia will receive the tiara on loan or whether Queen Sofia will later pass the tiara on to her or one of her daughters.
Diamond flower tiara
The diamond flower tiara is regularly worn by Queen Letizia. She wore the diamond flower tiara during the dinner for Princess Beatrix in the Rijksmuseum. The tiara was a wedding gift from General Franco to Sofia when she married the then Prince Juan Carlos. The tiara was made in 1879 by the British jeweler Collins. Jeweler Collins made the tiara on behalf of King Alfonso XII of Spain, as a gift from the king for his wife, Archduchess Maria Christina of Austria. The tiara can also be worn as a necklace or as 5 brooches. The Spanish Royal Family lost their throne and the tiara was sold. However, General Franco was able to buy the tiara back and gave it to Sofia as a wedding gift. It is not clear whether Queen Letizia received the tiara from Sofia, or whether she has the tiara on loan.
Ansorena tiara
Queen Letizia wore this tiara during the celebration of Queen Margrethe’s 75th birthday. The Asturias Fleur-de-Lys tiara is still quite new. This was made in 2009 by Ansorena. The tiara contains pearls and diamonds. The tiara is rarely worn by Queen Letizia. Who knows, maybe she’s saving it for Infanta Leonor, the future queen of Spain.
Cartier Circle Tiara
The Cartier Circle Tiara consists of several platinum loops, which are set with diamonds and pearls. The tiara was made by Cartier for Queen Maria Cristina, wife of King Alfonso XII. She passed the tiara to King Alfonso XIII. He in turn passed the tiara to his daughter-in-law Maria Mercedes, the Countess of Barcelona and the mother of former King Juan Carlos. Maria Mercedes has often worn the tiara. However, she also lent the tiara to her daughter-in-law Sofia, her daughter Infanta Pilar and her granddaughter Simoneta.
The tiara probably became the property of King Juan Carlos after the death of his mother. From that moment on, Queen Sofia wore the tiara regularly. Queen Letizia only wore the tiara for the first time in 2018, 5 years after she became queen.
Cartier Pearl Tiara
It is not entirely clear to me why the above tiara from Cartier is called the Circle Tiara. As far as I’m concerned, that name was more appropriate for this tiara. However, this tiara is called the Cartier Pearl Tiara. To make this tiara, another tiara was broken up. The original tiara was made by Ansorena. It was a wedding gift for Queen Ena from her mother-in-law, Queen Maria Cristina.
Maria Cristina was initially against the marriage of her son Alfonso XIII and Ena (Victoria Eugenie van Battenberg). Later she gave in. However, her daughter-in-law Ena did not wear the tiara given by her mother-in-law. She sent the tiara to Cartier to have a new one made. It became a tiara with pearls and curled laurel wreaths. The pearls could be replaced by emeralds.
Queen Ena left the tiara to her daughter Infanta Maria Cristina. The tiara left the royal family. But, after Maria Cristina’s death, the tiara returned to the family. It is not known whether the tiara was inherited or purchased from the family. It is clear that Queen Sofia regularly wore the tiara in the 1990s.
Queen Letizia wore the tiara for the first time in April 2018. The tiara may belong to the royal collection. However, the tiara could also be the personal property of Juan Carlos and Sofia.
Mellerio shell tiara
The Mellerio shell tiara was made by jeweler Mellerio in 1867 (designed by Oscar Massin). The tiara consists of pearls set in diamond shells. The tiara was purchased by Queen Isabella II of Spain as a wedding gift for her daughter. Her daughter Isabella married Prince Gaetano Bourbon of the Two Sicilies. She died childless and left the tiara to her cousin King Alfonso XIII of Spain. His wife Queen Ena wore the tiara a number of times. Alfonso and Ena gave the tiara as a wedding gift to the future Queen Sofia. Sofia wore the tiara regularly, but also lent it to her daughters and to Letizia. The tiara is (or was?) the personal property of Queen Sofia. Letizia wore the tiara once in 2007, which is why we have to make do with a Pinterest photo here.
Which tiara do you hope to see on Queen Letizia during the state visit to the Netherlands?
