The wedding of HM the King of the Belgians and Doña Fabiola de Mora y Aragón was particularly rich in display of jewels. Two full state banquets allowed queens and princesses to show their most important parures, but most specially in the grand state banquet offered by the Royal Family at the Palace. Tiaras were also worn in the state banquet offered by the Government of the Kingdom in the Museum of the Cinquantenaire, but the grand parures of diamonds were displayed in the Palace of Brussels, on the 13th December 1960, the ball of the year.

His Majesty the King of the Belgians escorts his fiancée, Doña Fabiola de Mora y Aragón through the Royal Palace and towards the Throne Room, for the State Banquet offered by the Royal Family on the occasion of the royal wedding. Doña Fabiola’s dress, by Madrid’s designer Marbel, was in light yellow and for the first time she wore the present she had received from the Spanish people, a diamond and emerald tiara in form of aristocratic crown. The future Queen also wore a diamond necklace.

As a curiosity, it must be noticed that the diamonds on the tiara were actually false and not the original diamonds that were in the tiara when Generalísimo Franco chose it as the present. But the previous owner, an old noblewoman, inelegantly removed the valuable stones and sold the tiara as if it had the original stones in it. It is unknown if the stones in the tiara were later replaced.

On the left, HM Queen Elizabeth of the Belgians is accompanied by HM King Olav V of Norway, who wears the ribbon of the Order of Leopold in his uniform. The Artist Queen, beloved by the Belgians, wears the diamond tiara created to her by Cartier. In the middle, HRH the Grand-Duchess of Luxembourg, Charlotte, is escorted by HM King Leopold of the Belgians, father of King Baudouin. The Grand-Duchess wore the most impressive jewel of the Luxembourg Royal Family, a stunning diamond tiara created to Grand Duchess Elizabeth Mikhailovna of Russia, certainly one of the most beautiful jewels worn at this banquet. On the right, HRH the Princess of Liège, Paola, is escorted by Count Enrico Marone, husband of HRH the Infanta Maria Cristina of Spain. Beautiful and extremely elegant Princess Paola wears a discreet bandeau tiara which originally belonged to Queen Elizabeth and was later offered to Queen Astrid on the birth of Prince Albert. King Leopold later offered it to the Prince on the occasion of his wedding to Donna Paola Ruffo di Calabria in 1959.

On the left, HRH Princess Margaret of the United Kingdom, Mrs. Armstrong Jones, is escorted by her husband in the Royal Palace of Brussels. It was Princess Margaret’s first representation abroad since her wedding, boycotted by most royal houses of Europe. The Princess wears the magnificent Poltimore Tiara that she wore for the first time at her wedding, earlier in 1960. The couple is seen in the middle with Prince Golam Reza of Iran, brother of the Shah. Other guests, including HRH the Duchess of Braganza, who wears an unidentified tiara, follow them. By the side of the Head of the Portuguese Royal Family’s wife, HRH the Duchess of Bavaria wears an imposing diamond and pearl tiara. Behind them it is possible to spot HIRH the Archduke Otto of Austria, Prince of Hungary, and HRH the Duke of Braganza, D. Duarte Nuno. In the picture on the right, HM King Umberto of Italy accompanies HM the Queen of the Netherlands, Juliana, who wears perhaps the most valuable and certainly the most impressive tiara of the evening, the magnificent Stuart Diamond Tiara.

On the left, HM Queen Maria José of Italy, born Princess of Belgium, accompanies her nephew, HRH the Prince of Liège, who wears gala uniform and the ribbon of the Order of Leopold. The former Queen of Italy, wife of King Umberto, wears the splendid Savoy tiara in diamonds and pearls. On the picture in middle, HRH the Princess Liliane of Réthy, wife of King Leopold, accompanies HM Queen Anne of Romania, both wearing diamond tiaras. Princess Liliane, ranked as one of the best dressed women in the world, choose a white dress with dark red fur finalizing the skirt. HM King Michael of Romania and HM King Simeon of Bulgaria follow them. On the right, HRH Prince Felix, consort of HRH the Grand-Duchess of Luxembourg, escorts HRH Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands, who wears her favourite Pearl and Diamond Spike Tiara.

On the left, HIRH Archduchess Robert of Austria Este, born Princess Margherita of Savoy, wearing a diamond tiara, is seen with TRH the Count of Barcelona and the Prince of the Asturias. Behind them TRH Princesses Maria Gabriella and Maria Beatriz of Italy, both wearing diamond tiaras. In the picture on the right, HRH the Hereditary Grand-Duchess Josephine Charlotte, born Princess of Belgium, is escorted by her husband HRH the Hereditary Grand-Duke Jean and her younger brother, HRH Prince Alexander of Belgium, born of the second marriage of King Leopold. The Grand-Duchess wears a tiara from her mother, Queen Astrid’s, inheritance.

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