Many of our crown princesses have at least a couple tiaras to choose from when going about their crown princess business. Not everybody is
as lucky as Máxima when it comes to tiara variety, but most have at least a bit of choice. Princess Mathilde, though, she has just one and here it is:
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| The Laurel Wreath Tiara |
Made by London jewelers Hennel & Sons in 1912, this tiara includes 631 diamonds in a classic laurel wreath design and can be removed from its frame for use as a necklace. It was a gift from the Belgian nobility to Mathilde for her wedding to Prince Philippe in 1999. Mathilde was of course a member of the Belgian nobility herself prior to marrying the next King of the Belgians.
Apart from the tiara she borrowed from Queen Paola
for her wedding, this is the only tiara that Mathilde has worn. We’ve chatted about this before, but the Belgian royal family is a bit tiara-poor: their collection has dwindled over the years thanks to gifts and inheritances to those outside the main royal line and sales. And they don’t often share what they have left.
If you only have one tiara, I suppose something like this is what you want: it’s a basic design, all diamonds, convertible, and a good size. I’d hazard a guess that it must be fairly easy to wear and not too heavy. On the other hand, there's not much unique here; there are other tiaras so similar you need to pay attention to fine details to tell them apart.
Since we’ve seen Mathilde in plenty of other necklaces and so on but never a new tiara, I’d also guess she herself likes it just fine. I wish she had another one or two or more to pick from (I’m always rooting for more tiaras, that’s just me), but I won't cry too hard on her behalf: she still has one more (real) one than I'll ever have.
What do you think: a good solo tiara, or not?
Photos: Polfoto/Rex/Corbis/Daylife/Zimbio
Since we’ve seen Mathilde in plenty of other necklaces and so on but never a new tiara, I’d also guess she herself likes it just fine. I wish she had another one or two or more to pick from (I’m always rooting for more tiaras, that’s just me), but I won't cry too hard on her behalf: she still has one more (real) one than I'll ever have.