On Wednesday night, after welcoming Peru President and First Lady at Palace, King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain hosted the traditional gala dinner in the honour of Peru First Couple at the Royal Palace in Madrid.
The Peru President and First Lady are on 2 days visit to Spain to strengthen bilateral relations between both countries, coinciding with the inauguration of the 38th edition of the International Contemporary Art Fair -ARCOmadrid, of which Peru is a guest country.
The dinner was attended by the delegates of both countries.
King Felipe and Queen Letizia arriving in the Throne Room to welcome the guests.
After formal greetings, the royal couple escorted the Peru guests to the dining hall.
Before the dinner, both King and Peru President formally addressed the gatherings.
At the gala dinner, Queen Letizia brought back the beautiful memories of the April 2011 Royal Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton with her gown. Surprised how a Spanish Queen is bringing back those memories!!!!
Letizia chose a beautiful gown last night that she first wore at the pre-wedding reception of Prince William and Catherine hosted by Queen Elizabeth II for the Royal Family guests from other Monarchies.
The off-shoulder lavender gown was designed by Queen’s head designer Felipe Varela. The gown has intricate floral motifs embroidered on the tulle. The fitted bodice and waistline give chic vibes while the voluminous tulle skirt that trails behind has Princess vibes to it. The gown was such a hit that the famous doll-making company Barbie copied it for one of their dolls.
Letizia paired the gown with her J.P. Collins Diamond Floral Tiara. The Tiara was Queen Letizia’s go-to piece when she was the Princess of Asturias. As per the CasaReal (The Spanish Royal Court), the tiara was originally commissioned in 1879 by King Alfonso XII of Spain for his fiancee, Archduchess Maria Cristina of Hasburg. The then British Jeweller J.P. Collins was chosen for the creation of this beautiful diadem. Sometime in 20th century during the Spanish Royal Family’s exile, the Tiara was sold to Spanish Jewel House Aldao. In 1962, the Spanish Dictator and ruler, General Francisco Franco Bahamonde, purchased the tiara from Aldao and gifted it Princess Sofia on her wedding to Don Juan Carlos, who later became the King and Queen of Spain (parents of current King Felipe VI). Thus tiara made its return back to the Spanish Royal Family’s Jewel vault.
The most beautiful part of this dazzling diamond tiara is its versatility. The convertible piece can be worn as a necklace and can be dismantle completely to turn into multiple brooches. The timeless piece is made of gold and silver and features brilliant and knob cut diamonds forming the 3 flowers using 5 diamond petals. These three flowers can be worn as brooches which in the form of tiara are connected through diamond leaves and foliage.
Queen Sofia first wore the jewel as a necklace at her pre-wedding gala dinner and first wore the tiara in 1979 during Sweden State visit. Tiara was also worn by Sofia’s daughter Infanta Cristina on her wedding day and during many other occasions. Queen Letizia received the tiara form Queen Sofia in 2004 during Latvia State visit to Spain. and since then Letizia has worn this piece on 13 occasion, tonight making it 14th appearance.
Queen paired the tiara with a diamond bracelet part of Joyas de Pasar that is part of Queen Victoria Eugenie of Spain’s collection passed on to the Spanish Queens.
Letizia was wearing diamond drop earrings that were gifted to her by her Father-in-Law and Mother-in-Law King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia at her wedding in 2004.
