Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands will abdicate in favor of her son, Willem-Alexander, on April 30th. In her honor, we'll flashback to some of the formal visits made between the two queens during Beatrix's reign, starting with the very glittering state visit Queen Beatrix and her husband, Prince Claus, made to the United Kingdom in November 1982.
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| With Queen Beatrix at the arrival and exchange of gifts |
The Queen (wearing the
Frosted Sunflower Brooch) and the Duke of Edinburgh greeted Queen Beatrix and Prince Claus with many members of the British royal family in tow. (For video of the arrival,
click here and then click on "Play Clip.") Later at Buckingham Palace, the group stepped outside to view a very special gift from Beatrix: Valentine, a bay gelding, the perfect gift for a horse-loving monarch. The Queen wore the
Dorset Bow Brooch and her customary
triple strand of pearls.
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| The state banquet, with the Duke of Edinburgh, Queen Beatrix, and Prince Claus |
In the evening, the Queen hosted a state banquet at Buckingham Palace. She wore the
Grand Duchess Vladimir Tiara with pendant pearls along with the
Duchess of Gloucester's Pendant Earrings and
Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee Necklace. She wore the riband and star of the Order of the Netherlands Lion, with her sash anchored by the
Kensington Bow Brooch. On her other shoulder, she wore the
royal family orders of her father and grandfather; on her wrists, a bracelet (it's hard to tell which one) and an evening watch.
Click here for video of the state banquet, at which you can see other pieces of jewelry currently in the Queen's collection, including the Princess of Wales in the
King Khalid Diamond Necklace, which she borrowed for the evening, and the Queen Mother in the
Greville Tiara (currently on loan to the Duchess of Cornwall) and the
necklace from Queen Alexandra's Wedding Parure. As for Queen Beatrix, she is wearing her impressive
Württemberg Ornate Pearl Tiara.
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| The return banquet |
Queen Beatrix hosted a return banquet at Hampton Court Palace where even more glitter was on display. The Queen went for rubies, wearing her
Burmese Ruby Tiara, the
Ruby Floret Earrings, the
Ruby and Diamond Floral Bandeau Necklace, the
County of Cornwall Bracelet, and a diamond evening watch. She wore the same orders as the first evening, and anchored her sash with the
True Lover's Knot Brooch.
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| The Queen Mother, the Princess of Wales, and Queen Beatrix at the return banquet |
The Queen Mother also opted for rubies, which are now in the Queen's collection: the
Oriental Circlet and
Queen Victoria's crown rubies. And the Princess of Wales once again borrowed a necklace from her mother-in-law, the
Four Row Japanese Pearl Choker. Her tiara, the
Cambridge Lover's Knot Tiara, was a lifetime loan. Queen Beatrix wore
Queen Emma's Diamond Tiara, though if you
click here (and then click "play clip") to see video from the banquet, you'll see it was quite out-sparkled by her diamond festoon necklace.
Though we only saw two tiaras from Lilibet during the state visit, there were actually
three tiara events.
The customary banquet at the Guildhall is not generally attended by the Queen (who is represented by family members), but Queen Beatrix dazzled in her large
Mellerio Sapphire Tiara. It was just one of the additional events the Dutch Queen undertook during her state visit.
And that (as we let out a collective sigh about the glittering days that were) is just a taste of the 1982 state visit. In our next flashback, we'll take a look at some of the Queen's visits to the Netherlands.
Photos: Corbis/ANP/gahetNA
