Brilliant Belgian Royal Tiaras at Tonight’s Japanese State Banquet
For the second week in a row, a European royal family rolled out the red carpet and piled on the tiaras to host the Emperor and Empress of Japan. Here’s a look at all of the tiaras and jewels worn for tonight’s Japanese state banquet in Belgium.
Just as they did during last week’s state visit to the Netherlands, the Japanese imperial couple arrived in Belgium a few days ahead of the official start of the visit so that they could take the opportunity to relax. The real work of the state visit began on Tuesday, when King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of the Belgians welcomed Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako during ceremonies in Brussels and at the nearby Palace of Laeken.
The Empress and the Queen wore lilac purple and salmon pink for the welcome ceremonies. Masako, as usual, wore pearl button earrings and a pearl necklace, while Mathilde reached for an exceedingly sparkly pair of diamond pendant earrings from her personal collection.
The diamond earrings made a second appearance later in the evening, when the King and Queen hosted a grand state banquet at the Palace of Laeken for the Emperor and Empress. Everyone was in full white-tie gala attire with decorations. Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako both wore the insignia of Belgium’s Order of Leopold, while King Philippe wore the collar of Japan’s Order of the Chrysanthemum and Queen Mathilde donned the sash and star of Japan’s Order of the Precious Crown.
Empress Masako wore a lovely ivory gown with a blush pink lace overlay for the visit. Queen Mathilde opted for a gown with a Japanese-inspired theme. The pink and green ombre dress, per Jelka Van Duyse, is a custom piece from Armani Privé with leafy floral appliqué work on the bodice.
With her gown, Empress Masako again wore the diamond honeysuckle tiara that belonged to the late Princess Chichibu. Many of you wondered after the Dutch state banquet whether the mirrored necklace from the honeysuckle parure still exists. Masako answered you loud and clear tonight, wearing the necklace, as well as the coordinating earrings. I think the bracelet may come from the set as well.
No surprises in the jewelry department from Queen Mathilde tonight. She wore the grandest diadem in the Belgian royal collection: the Nine Provinces Tiara, which was made for the King’s grandmother, Queen Astrid, in the 1920s. She also wore the same diamond earrings she’d worn earlier in the day for the welcome ceremony.
The surprises in store came along with the rest of the extended members of the Belgian royal family who were on hand for the banquet. For the first time, all four of the King and Queen’s children—the Duchess of Brabant, Prince Gabriel, Prince Emmanuel, and Princess Eléonore—were in attendance at a state banquet.
With her navy gown and the Order of the Chrysanthemum sash and star, Elisabeth wore the Brabant Laurel Wreath Tiara for the first time. The antique diamond tiara was a wedding gift to her mother, Queen Mathilde, from a group of Belgian aristocrats in 1999. Elisabeth also borrowed her mother’s diamond ribbon earrings, and she appears to have secured her order sash with a large diamond brooch.
Here’s a better look at the tiara from the auction house website.
The King’s sister and brother-in-law, Princess Astrid and Prince Lorenz, were present for the banquet as well. Princess Astrid wore the Savoy-Aosta Tiara, a legacy from Lorenz’s Italian royal ancestors.
This post is being shared in the place of our usually-scheduled Wednesday article. But never fear: there’s more jewelry goodness on the way tomorrow with my mid-week issue of Hidden Gems. We’ll be chatting about more big jewelry news, including that Windsor wedding tiara worn in Yorkshire on Saturday…