Maxima of the Netherlands, known as the queen of tiaras, has once again left us in awe with her dazzling style, complemented with historic jewelry.
This Wednesday night, at the Royal Palace in Amsterdam, was held the traditional dinner for the diplomatic corps that the kings of the Netherlands organize annually.
It is a gala event where the protocol dictates tailcoats for men and long dress for women, with tiaras for those who have them. Maxima has more than 16 different pieces in her collection.
Queen Máxima with peacock tiara
On this occasion, the queen has worn the peacock tiara, a jewel dating from 1897.
It was created by Johann Eduard Schürmann & Co for Queen Wilhelmina, great-grandmother of the current king, using rubies that belonged to Queen Sophie of Würtemburg, the first wife of King Wilhelm III.
The tiara, whose upper part resembles the tail of a peacock, hence its name, is a unique piece.
Queen Wilhelmina left the tiara to her daughter Juliana, mother of Beatrix. Juliana wore it as a choker at her investiture and then gave it to her second daughter, Princess Irene, then married to Carlos Hugo Borbón-Parma, a Carlist pretender to the Spanish throne.
Irene wore it until her divorce in 1981, after which the tiara disappeared for nearly three decades, fueling rumors that it had been sold.
Máxima rescued the tiara in 2009, when she was still Princess of Orange. Her love for jewelry led her to ask her mother-in-law, Beatrix, to wear it at the dinner hosted in the Netherlands on the occasion of the state visit of the King and Queen of Sweden.
Since then, Máxima has worn it frequently, and her daughter Amalia has also worn it, choosing it for the wedding of Hussein and Rajwa of Jordan and recently for a gala dinner with King Felipe and Queen Letizia.
The peacock tiara is part of an ensemble that includes a large choker with the same design, a brooch, several bracelets and earrings. On this occasion, the queen wore all the pieces except the brooch.
Queen Máxima in a ball gown
For this event, it is common for Máxima to reuse some dress from previous years.
In 2018, for example, she wore a vintage Valentino that she debuted in 2001, before her wedding and becoming Princess of Orange.
In 2022, she opted for a pink Jan Taminiau design that she had debuted in 2009.
This year, she has again turned to her closet, choosing a burgundy red dress.
The design, by Natan, has long sleeves, boat neckline and back buttoning.
Máxima wore it for the first time in 2011, during a state visit to Qatar.
She reused it in 2012 for the Prinsjesdag celebration and in 2013, in her first official images as Queen of the Netherlands.
Now, eleven years later, she has worn it again at this dinner at the Royal Palace.