Happy Birthday to Princess Beatrix of The Netherlands, who turns 86 today! The popular former Dutch Queen once commanded the massive collection of the House of Orange, and wore over a dozen tiaras, one of her favourites for decades has been the Antique Pearl Tiara!
Württemberg Ornate Pearl Tiara | Queen Emma’s Diamond Tiara | Dutch Antique Pearl Tiara | Mellerio Ruby Tiara | Ruby Peacock Tiara | Dutch Diamond Bandeau | Dutch Emerald Parure | Dutch Laurel Wreath Tiara | Dutch Sapphire Tiara | Pearl Button Tiara | Sapphire Necklace Tiara | Aquamarine Tiara | Pearl and Diamond Stomacher | Diamond Flowers | Dutch Diamond Stars | The Dutch Royal Tiaras
Composed of seven large upright pear-shaped Pearls over a base of diamond strawberry leaves, this Tiara can be worn with or without the pearls, the largest four of which belonged to Princess Amalia of Orange née Soms-Braunfels, who was the Princess of Orange between 1625 and 1647, and the Regent between 1650 and 1672.
The Antique Pearl Tiara was commissioned by Queen Wilhelmina between 1900 and 1910, based on the design of a similar Tiara belonging to her grandmother, Queen Anna Pavlovna, who had been the Queen of The Netherlands between 1840 and 1849, and passed away over two decades before her birth.
Queen Wilhelmina wore the Antique Pearl Tiara for a portrait and in a few rare pictures over the years, but it remained her property until her passing in 1962, entering the Orange-Nassau Family Foundation a few years later.
Queen Juliana wore the Antique Pearl Tiara on a handful of occasions from the 1960s through to the 1980s.
Princess Beatrix became the primary wearer of the Antique Pearl Tiara from the late 1950s, with it entering her usual rotation alongside the Württemberg Ornate Pearl Tiara and Queen Emma’s Diamond Tiara. The Antique Pearl Tiara was notably worn for her Wedding Ball in 1966, as well as for the Dutch State Visit to Belgium in 1960, the Thai State Visit to The Netherlands, Queen Juliana’s Silver Anniversary in 1962, the Dutch State Visit to Austria in 1962 the Dutch State Visit to Ethiopia in 1969, almost always paired with the Pearl and Diamond Stomacher.
The Antique Pearl Tiara has also been worn by Princess Margriet on a handful of occasions over the years including Queen Juliana’s 30th Anniversary Gala in 1967, and most recently appearing in just the base for the Peter Stuyvesant Ball in 2018.
Queen Beatrix continued to wear the Antique Pearl Taira regularly after her accession to the Throne in 1980, including for the Dutch State Visit to Japan in 1991, the Dutch State Visit to Thailand in 2004, and the Jordanian State Visit to the Netherlands in 2006, in addition to numerous State Visits and Gala Dinners.
In 2001, the base of the Antique Pearl Tiara was the first Tiara worn by the then Máxima Zorreguieta for the Wedding of Crown Prince Haakon of Norway in Oslo, the same version worn by her a few years later, for the Italian State Visit to the Netherlands in 2003, while she wore the full version for King Harald’s 70th Birthday Banquet in 2007, the Swedish State Visit in 2009 and her 40th Birthday Portraits in 2011.
In 2013, Princess Irene wore the Antique Pearl Tiara for Queen Beatrix’s Abdication Dinner at the Rijksmuseum, while her daughter-in-law, Princess Viktória of Bourbon-Parma, wore the base of the Tiara for a Banquet at the Quirinal Palace in honour of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima in 2017.
Following her abdication, Princess Beatrix has continued to wear the Antique Pearl Tiara, with notable appearances during the Argentine State Visit to The Netherlands in 2017, the Cape Verde State Visit to The Netherlands in 2018, and the Indian State Visit to The Netherlands in 2022.
Queen Máxima has worn the Antique Pearl Tiara rather regularly over the past few years, for a Chinese State Banquet in 2014, at the Diplomatic Corps Gala Dinner at the Royal Palace of Amsterdam in 2019, during the Dutch State Visit to Austria in 2022, and most recently during the French State Visit to The Netherlands last year. There is no doubt we will continue to see this historic heirloom worn for years to come!
Württemberg Ornate Pearl Tiara | Queen Emma’s Diamond Tiara | Dutch Antique Pearl Tiara | Mellerio Ruby Tiara | Ruby Peacock Tiara | Dutch Diamond Bandeau | Dutch Emerald Parure | Dutch Laurel Wreath Tiara | Dutch Sapphire Tiara | Pearl Button Tiara | Sapphire Necklace Tiara | Aquamarine Tiara | Pearl and Diamond Stomacher | Diamond Flowers | Dutch Diamond Stars | The Dutch Royal Tiaras
