Queen Letizia likes to pull a style surprise and one of her biggest was her decision to dust down a sapphire necklace that hadn’t been seen for decades.
The Queen of Spain wore a very special but rarely seen set of jewellery for a hugely important royal event but its appearance came after a long spell of keeping this particular set of gems hidden behind palace walls.
The diamond and sapphire necklace in question was a wedding gift from her parents in law, King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia, but it hadn’t been worn publicly for almost twenty years when Letizia chose it for the diplomatic reception in January 2024.
The last time it was seen was at the glittering event held in Madrid on the eve of the wedding of the then Prince Felipe and Letizia Ortiz in May 2004.
However, as the now King Felipe and Queen Letizia hosted the annual diplomatic gathering at the Royal Palace in the Spanish capital, the gems were one again on show.
The Queen of Spain’s necklace is a simple design featuring the blue stones and sparkling diamonds that twist down to hold a giant pearl pendant. And there’s a special touch to the choice of gems. Sapphires are the birthstone for September and Queen Letizia was born on September 15 1972.
The necklace was a particularly sentimental gift from King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia to their daughter in law. The gem had originally been given to Sofia for her own wedding.
However, the long hidden necklace wasn’t the only talking point when it came to Queen Letizia’s jewels no the day she dusted down the sapphire necklace. One of her bracelets came loose as she was greeting some of her guests and fell to the floor. King Felipe helped her to refasten it.
The annual reception sees the King and Queen greet the diplomatic body accredited in Madrid which currently consists of 126 embassies and around 800 consulates.
Queen Letizia always wears a full length gown for the event, in keeping with protocol. Her choice that year was a navy blue dress with cross over top and flowing skirt. The necklace, which features the diamonds and sapphires in a twist that falls from its central strand. flowed discreetly through the top of the dress.
Sapphire are a rare stone in Spain’s royal collection with most tiaras and necklaces made of diamonds and pearls. Queen Sofia has a ruby necklace that converts into a bandeau style tiara but Queen Letizia has, so far, never worn it.
The current Queen of Spain prefers discreet jewellery although she often wears the Cartier tiara created for Queen Ena for her wedding over a century ago and which is known to the country’s royal family as ‘La Buena’ or ‘The Good One’ as it became their prize possession following their exile in 1931. The tiara was retained and when the monarchy was restored, in 1975, it became the preserve of the queen. Since the restoration, only Queen Letizia and Queen Sofia have worn it. In time, it will be worn by Letizia’s daughter, Leonor, who is in line to become monarch one day.
Princess Leonor, who is 21 in October, has yet to make her tiara debut publicly. As most of her counterparts as heir to the throne have been seen in tiaras already, there is anticipation that her own first appearance in a diadem isn’t far away. The Spanish Royal Family owns a number of diamond tiaras that have been used as ”starters” for royals over the years.
Among the favourites as a possible first tiara for Leonor is the Greek design diamond diadem that was loaned by Queen Sofia to Queen Letizia for her 2004 wedding to the now King Felipe and an unusual pearl and diamond creation based on sea shells that has been a favourite of both her mother and grandmother.
