At the invitation of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima, Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako are making a three-day state visit to the Netherlands.
On the evening of June 17, the King and Queen hosted a state banquet at the Royal Palace in Amsterdam in honour of the Emperor and Empress. Princess Amalia, Princess Ariane, Princess Beatrix, Princess Laurentien, Princess Margriet, and Professor Pieter van Vollenhoven also attended the state banquet.
For the occasion, Empress Masako wore Princess Chichibu’s Diamond Honeysuckle Tiara, the Imperial Diamond Rivières, and the Order of the Netherlands Lion. Queen Máxima wore an evening gown by Iris van Herpen, paired with the Stuart Diamond Tiara.
For the occasion, Princess Amalia wore the Mellerio Ruby Tiara and the Order of the Chrysanthemum. Princess Ariane wore a red dress by Safiyaa with Queen Emma’s Diamond Tiara and the Order of the Precious Crown.
Princess Beatrix wore the Dutch Diamond Bandeau and the Order of the Chrysanthemum. Princess Laurentien wore a gown by Hardies Couture with the Laurel Wreath Tiara and the Order of the Precious Crown. Princess Margriet wore the Mellerio Diamond Tiara.
The ladies and gentlemen all look very beautiful, but I don’t understand why Queen (consort) Maxima the hostess has to outshine her guests by wearing the biggest tiara of all.
ReplyDeleteI view it as a mark of respect for the Emperor and Empress - sort of like the royal version of putting out the best guest towels.
Delete-Royal Watcher
It is actually not so strange. Royals will often bring out the biggest jewelry when high ranking visitors come. When the Japanese were on state visit in Sweden some 20 plus years ago queen Silvia wore the Brazilian diadem. It's not to try to outshine anyone, but rather a way of showing the importance of the visit and to honour the guests.
Delete@Anon 22:44 And why not? That's exactly the purpose of a big tiara - to outshine everyone present. No queen with any sense is going to leave a crown or tiara to gather dust in the vault 'because it's too big and will outshine the others'. It was made to be worn that size. As queen and hostess of The Netherlands, it is Maxima's privilege to wear whatever she wants at her own hosted party, and she has.
Delete(The real winners are us faceless readers, because we get to see The Stuart tTara for real, instead of wondering what it looks like gathering cobwebs in the vault, lol.)
- Anon 9:13
I agree.
DeleteSomehow for some QM never can do it right: if she’s a guest she outshines the host and when she’s the host she outshines the guests …
DeleteAll look wonderful and relaxed. I would love to see individual photos of them standing to see more details of the separate gowns
Oh my the empress looks divine in her dress. The jewels are exquisite everyone in beautiful gowns. The men so handsome. What a charming group of photos. Maximas tiara, my gosh it is so over the top. I love it.
ReplyDeleteThe dresses of all the ladies here are wonderful, but the obvious stars are the sparklers worn on every woman's head, ears and neck. Such a dazzling display of exquisite jewellery.
ReplyDeleteBack to the gowns, I love seeing E.Masako in this beautiful, colourful gown - a blue sheath with a gold/beige rose lace overlay. I don't think we've ever seen her in something like this (or at least not recently) and she looks fantastic. Her honeysuckle tiara is gorgeous, as is her diamond necklace and earrings. This whole look is even better than what she wore for their state visit to the UK.
I also like Maxima's gown (such a good fit on the bodice), and the two red gowns of Amalia and Ariane are fab. Both sisters - especially Ariane since we are seeing her at such and event for the first time - fit into their gowns perfectly. Amalia's is a re-wear I think from Princess Rajwa's wedding in Jordan, with some modifications. I also like P.Beatrice's gown and I'd love to see more of P.Laurentien's gown.
The men look very dapper too.
All in all, this evening did not disappoint in terms of clothing and jewellery.
- Anon 9:13
Great post and you captured many of thoughts exactly. I too am stunned by the jewels, especially the necklace worn by the Empress. I mean all those carats of diamonds…I don’t know if I can count that high! Everyone is dressed beautifully and so happy to see the young princess attend her first tiara event (at least I think so?) in a great red dress.
DeleteI agree, what a lovely sight to behold!
DeleteThe Empress looks exquisitely lovely; also the dress and tiara. She radiates poise and elegance. I look forward to reading everyone’s comments about the other women.
ReplyDeleteThe ladies all look fantastic. The color, fabric, and pattern of the Empress’s dress are gorgeous, and her jewelry is all stunning. Máxima wears the extremely large Stuart tiara beautifully and her dress is quite elegant and unique (in a good way). The brooch at her waist is a lovely creative use of jewelry. Both daughters look beautiful in their gowns and tiaras. Amalia in particular has the poise and presence to wear substantial jewelry with confidence, and rubies look very good on her with her coloring.
ReplyDelete-Royal Watcher
Marvellous display of tradition and history. All these tiaras have such deep roots in the House of Orange’s lineage. I think Arianne chose a beautiful tiara, with a great story for her official debut. Amalia is now a pro, like be to see her supporting her younger sister. And Maxima brought out the Stuart tiara - my oh my…!
ReplyDeleteThe Empress looks amazing, I am so happy she has found her balance and she remains close to Maxima.
Fantastic look for all the ladies and men. The Tiaras are all stunning. I would love to take peek in their jewelry boxes. The Empress has such a nice smile everyone seems to be relaxed.
ReplyDeletecss
I love it when all the women are wearing tiaras!! JUMPPY HAPPY CLAPS!!! :D
ReplyDeleteEveryone looks wonderful. Máxima as usual can't tone it down a bit, but it is what it is (wearing her tallest tiara is kind of rude). I've always had a soft spot for Ariane; it's wonderful to see her there in a tiara & a gorgeous red gown, she looks beautiful. ~~Ruthie
ReplyDeleteMasako me semble totalement épanouie. Le changement d’air lui fait du bien. Josée.
ReplyDeleteEmpress Masako's dress is beautiful; her whole ensemble is. All the ladies look lovely. Christine
ReplyDelete天皇皇后両陛下は、とてもリラックスした満ち足りた表情をしていらっしゃいますね。
ReplyDelete皇后陛下のドレスの模様はハマナスのように私には見えます。
日本の皇族には一人ずつ印が決められていて、ハマナスは皇后陛下の印なのです。
皇后陛下の繊細なティアラはから、制作した職人の技量の高さを感じます。
OK, now that I have recovered from my swoon induced by these fabulous jewels I think I can comment. Empress Masako is wearing a gorgeous gown--the lace overlay is exquisite. She looks so regal in one of her big gun all diamond tiaras and those diamonds in the riviere necklaces are another touch of elegance. I figured Queen Maxima would pull out her biggest dazzler--the Stuart Tiara--and she did. She can pull it off beautifully and she has done so tonight. I do think she should have worn a solid color gown rather than the one she is wearing as I feel that color choice shows off the Stuart to its greatest effect. As always Amalia is proving she is a real star with the big jewels in the Dutch collection--her whole look is stunning and I really like how she's placed the clasp of her necklace, What a terrific surprise Ariane has given us--she looks smashing!!! Her first tiara appearance is perfect--she is dazzling us in diamonds and I cannot wait to see more tiara appearances from her. Getting a chance to see Princess Beatrix is always a treat for me. She seems to like wearing the bandeau tiara these days and with her bouffant scaled back these days it works well for her--and she seems to wearing a matching riviere necklace. Her fabric of her gown is sumptuous--perhaps it is from one of her fabric purchases from her travels when she was queen. Another treat is the addition of Princess Laurentian in the group tonight--I haven't see her at a state dinner in forever. The Laurel Wreath tiara looks perfect on her--her short hairstyle makes it a bit problematic for tiaras but this one wonderful. Finally, Princess Margriet also attended--another rare sighting at a state banquet. I always enjoy seeing her as she has such fashion flair and tonight is no exception to that standard. Excited to see the Emperor and Empress when they host their hosts--I hope to see this same sensational line up of Dutch royals in attendance!
ReplyDeleteJanet
I really looked forward for Princess Ariane's State Banquet Debut and so glad that she did not disappoint. She looked fantastic and stole the spotlight.
ReplyDeleteAriane's dress had minimalist silhouette but the deep red color and a sculptural floral drape made her dress stand out. Ariane wore her hair down, but I liked the way her hair were tucked behind her ears, so her diamond earrings were visible, also the Queen Emma Diamond Tiara looked amazing on her. Wonderful debut.
All other royal ladies looked also really elegant and lovely. So much glitter and wonderful outfits.
Kaarin
I agree completely. I'm very impressed by Empress Masako, she really looks fantastic. The improvements on Amalias dress changed it for the better. I just love this state visit; the Emperor and Empress should do this more often (maybe twice a year, one incoming and one outgoing like most countries). Who knows!
ReplyDeleteThey all look beautiful. Nice to see lot of the Orange Nassau family jewels with the Stuart tiara as the top piece. I wonder if Maxima's dress is from the designer Iris van Herpen. Worldfamous for exploring innovative manupilation fabric techniques. A couple of years ago she had this amazing exhibition in la musée des arts decoratifs in Paris
ReplyDeletePost a Comment