Editor’s Note
This article explores the subtle yet significant role of jewelry in royal protocol, highlighting how heirloom pieces distinguish a gala dinner from an official reception, as seen during the recent state visit at Zarzuela Palace.
What distinguishes a gala dinner from an official reception? According to royal etiquette, it is the jewelry that makes the difference. For institutional meetings, queens, princesses, and duchesses are invited to bring out the heavy artillery—historical and precious jewels to accompany their thousand-and-one-night dresses. This was the case for the soirée organized on November 16 at the Zarzuela Palace in Madrid on the occasion of the state visit of the President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella, and his daughter Laura.
For the occasion, Letizia Ortiz returned to wearing a crown after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, and the effect was super wow. Divine in a Giorgio Armani dress, a super glam tribute to Italy and her guests, Letizia of Spain shone once again. Credit goes to her innate elegance but also to the choice of jewels that embellished her look. Among the standout pieces of the Spanish royal family’s jewelry collection is the Niarchos ruby tiara, a gift from Greek shipping magnate Stavros Niarchos to the then Princess Sofia of Greece on the occasion of her marriage to Juan Carlos of Bourbon in May 1962 in Athens, created by Van Cleef & Arpels, which had not been seen for 12 years (worn by the Queen as a necklace at her son Felipe’s wedding to Letizia in May 2004). That will be for next time (and it could be soon), because for the gala in honor of Mattarella, Letizia chose the Russian Tiara, a Cartier piece from the late 19th century, crafted in platinum with fourteen pearls and drop diamonds. A name that evokes the design of the jewel, similar to the traditional Russian female headdress, the kokoshnik, created for Maria Christina of Austria, who became Queen of Spain through her marriage to Alfonso XII. A crown that, as Le Figaro recalls, was first worn back in 1906.
Completing the ensemble was the parure of necklace, bracelet, and earrings made by the ancient Spanish jewelry house Ansorena: a triumph of diamonds that belonged to Queen Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg, Felipe’s great-grandmother. The double pearl brooch pinned on the sash of the mother of Leonor and Sofia was nothing short of splendid: it is believed that the hanging pearl is the famous ‘Peregrina,’ which has passed through several royal families, from Mary I of Tudor onwards, up to Liz Taylor. The next appointment with the jewels of the Spanish royal house is already set: from November 23 to 25, Letizia and Felipe will be on an official visit to Sweden at the invitation of King Carl XVI Gustaf. Will we finally see the Niarchos ruby tiara?