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Queen Astrid in the Nine Provinces Tiara, with and without the diamond arches |
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Princess Lilian (left, wearing what are thought to be the large diamonds from the tiara on her necklace), and Queen Fabiola (right) |
Video: Baudouin and Fabiola's wedding
King Leopold abdicated the throne in favor of his son Baudouin in 1951. When Baudouin married Fabiola de Mora y Aragón in 1960, Leopold gave the tiara to the new queen. Fabiola was Belgium’s first queen since Astrid, and she wore the Nine Provinces Tiara on her wedding day. It was a majestic topper for her regal fur-trimmed Balenciaga gown.
Queen Paola
Queen Fabiola handed the jewel over after King Baudouin passed away and King Albert took the throne, giving it the new queen consort – Queen Paola – to wear. Queen Paola then did the same when her husband abdicated and King Philippe took the throne. Queen Mathilde debuted the only jewel passed from Belgian queen to Belgian queen right away, wearing the bandeau portion of the tiara for her first official portrait as queen.
Queen Paola wearing the Nine Provinces bandeau as a choker and Queen Elisabeth's Diamond Bandeau as a tiara
Belgium doesn’t have a huge jewel collection, but to their credit, what they do have is usually quite flexible. This tiara can be worn in several different ways: the original bandeau and spike version, the full diadem with arches, just the bandeau worn as a tiara, the bandeau and arches without the 11 large diamonds inside, the bandeau as a necklace, or the bandeau as a bracelet.![]() |
Click here to see Place Royale's feature on the tiara, with beautiful close ups and shots of the tiara in action |
Wearing the tiara at state visits for other monarchies was something Queen Paola did (in fact, the photo of her wearing the full tiara above is from a state visit from the Netherlands), and I’m curious to see if Mathilde will do the same. (She did not bring it to Japan in October.) This is Belgium's big gun, and while it’s a little too pointy with the arches for my tastes, it can do battle with the best of them when it comes to carat power and pure sparkle.
Does this have a spot on your list of favorite big gun tiaras?