Tomorrow marks the 20th Anniversary of the Death of Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands, who passed away on this day in 2004, 20 years ago! The Lippe-Biesterfeld Prince who married the Heiress to the Dutch Throne and became a symbol of Wartime Resistance and later the notorious patriarch of the Dutch Royal Family, Prince Bernhard presented these striking Diamond Daisy Earrings as a Wedding Gift to Queen Máxima!
Each composed of two Diamond Daisies set with large diamonds, the exact origin of these earrings is unknown, but they were likely purchased by Prince Bernhard shortly before the Wedding of his grandson, the Prince of Orange, to Máxima Zorreguieta, who he advised through her initial period of royal duties.
The then Máxima Zorreguieta first wore the Diamond Daisy Earrings for a Ball at the Royal Palace of Amsterdam in 2002, two days before her Wedding to the Prince of Orange.
Another notable appearance came a few months later when Princess Máxima wore the Diamond Daisy Earrings for a Dinner held on the eve of the Wedding of Princess Märtha Louise of Norway in Trondheim.
The Diamond Daisy Earrings made a poignant appearance when worn by Princess Máxima for the Funeral of Prince Bernhard of The Netherlands at the Nieuwe Kerk in Delft.
Following a handful of appearances in her first few years in the Dutch Royal Family, which included during her first Tour of the Dutch Caribbean, the Diamond Daisy Earrings have not been regularly worn by Queen Máxima.
However, a prominent appearance of the Diamond Daisy Earrings came in 2013, when Queen Máxima wore the Earrings for the annual Liberation Day Concert shortly after the Inauguration of King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands, no doubt a symbolic reminder of Prince Bernhard’s role in the Dutch government-in-exile during the Second World War. There is no doubt we will continue to see these Earrings for years to come!
