Queen Sonja and Queen Mathilde Dazzle in Historic Tiaras at State Banquet —And One Was Involved in a Daring '90s Jewel Heist
The Norwegian and Belgian royals gathered for a glittering evening in Oslo, with one princess conspicuously missing from the event.
The Norwegian Royal Family is hosting an official state visit from King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium this week, and both queens wore tiaras with fascinating stories behind them at a state dinner on March 24.
Queen Sonja of Norway dazzled in a pale pink pleated gown with a silver lace overlay, wearing a copy of a tiara that’s sadly disappeared. Queen Maud’s Pearl Tiara actually has ties to the British Royal Family, as it was given to Maud—the daughter of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra—by her parents when she married into the Danish royal family in 1896. Maud and her husband, Prince Carl, were then made the King and Queen of Norway in 1905.
After surviving World War II while being hidden in Windsor Castle, the tiara was given back to the Norwegian royals. But in a shocking twist of fate, Queen Maud’s tiara was stolen in a 1995 jewel heist while being cleaned at royal jewelers Garrard in London. The historic tiara was never found, and a copy of the diamond and pearl tiara was made instead, per the Royal Watcher blog.
Queen Sonja of Norway, on the arm of Belgium's King Philippe, wears a replica of Queen Maud's Pearl Tiara at a state banquet on March 24.
Queen Mathilde of Belgium wears the Nine Provinces Tiara and a gold Armani Privé gown.
Crown Princess Mette-Marit joined the Norwegian and Belgian royals earlier in the day, but skipped the banquet.
As for Queen Mathilde, she also chose a piece with ties to a long-ago royal wedding. The Belgian queen wore The Nine Provinces Tiara, a stunning diamond diadem that dates back to Princess Astrid of Sweden’s 1926 wedding to the future King Leopold III of Belgium.
The diamond tiara is a clever convertible piece that can be worn as a simple bandeau style, with its full diamond topper, or as a necklace, and Mathilde wore the tiara in its full glory with a shimmering gold Armani Privé gown.
King Harald and Queen Sonja were joined by their son and heir, Crown Prince Haakon, at the banquet, but his wife, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, stayed home amid her worsening health issues. The royal family had announced that Mette-Marit, who suffers from pulmonary fibrosis, wouldn’t be taking part in the state visit. But earlier Tuesday she made a surprise appearance to welcome Queen Mathilde and King Philippe, wearing a black skirt suit and a red pillbox hat that nodded to the Belgian flag.
The crown princess gave a tearful interview about her friendship with Jeffrey Epstein to Norwegian broadcaster NRK last week, sharing that she took full “responsibility for not checking his background more carefully.”
