On the evening of December 3, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium hosted a State Banquet at the Castle of Laeken in honor of the Sultan of Oman, Haitham bin Tariq Al Said. At the invitation of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, the Sultan of Oman, Haitham bin Tariq, who is also the Prime Minister, has undertaken a state visit to Belgium.
I love this outfit on Q. Mathilde - a smaller tiara worn with statement earrings and just enough sequins to enhance the simpler dress. I think she’s done very well to integrate the large red sash and the chain of office(??) into quite a pleasing and cohesive look. (V.M.)
ReplyDeleteTotally agree!
DeleteThe Queen looks magnificent, the gown, her diamond jewels, the up style hair and her makeup. She looks beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Ava! I also think her choice of the smaller, simpler diamond tiara was perfect given the Qatari custom of the Sultan not being accompanied by his wife. Queen Mathilde was the ranking lady but had to counterpart so this small tiara was quite respectful. Still she really sparkled away and her gown is gorgeous and so is she! Janet
Delete@ Janet
DeleteThe Qatari custom ? It is the sultan of Oman who is on state visit in Belgium. The Qatari Sheikh is in London.
Janet if I am right this is the sultan of Oman not Qatar. Btway Mathilde smashing!
DeleteThere is a lot of visits from Middle East in Europe these past days..not always easy to keep track of who is who. More surprisingly that they all show up at the same time.
DeleteAnon 02.32 Yes agree re: tiara, perfect choice. I'm not sure who the designer is of her gown?
DeleteI didn't know if this state visit had been announced previously, but I just found out through another royal blog I follow. Nevertheless both Belgian and British state visits tonight will surely be a treat to royal watchers.
ReplyDeleteI think the queen looks great her. She chose one of my favorite tiaras from the belgian royal vaults the Wolfers necklace tiara and paired it with her diamond fringe earrings. Queen Mathilde's dress has an interesting style. I really like the color and glittery cape I just wish the length was a but longer and it would drape to the floor.
I must say - all three of them look absolutely magnificent and dignified standing together. I think it is the dark colours that all three are wearing that combine so well to give this look for the group of them. The Sultan looks royal and regal, in an exotic 'picture book come to life' kind of way - super!
ReplyDeleteMathilde's gown is wonderful. I know that she has to wear the sash and the chains which make the front of the dress look quite busy, but I can just imagine how the dress would look without them when she wears it again for some other evening event. She looks very good.
- Anon 9:13
Not usually a fan of Natan designs,but this is a beautiful. I love the sequinned cape.HM looks stunning.
ReplyDeleteMy wish is they acquire a few more tiaras. They seem so limited.
I often wondered what happened to Spanish tiara gifted to QF. That would look lovely on QM.
Lowri.
Apparently QF passed it on to her Spanish relatives.
Delete@ Lowri
DeleteYes it is true Queen Fabiola passed her tiara on to her Spanish family.
In Belgium the jewelry is or was not property of the state except of the tiara of the 9 provinces which can be worn in 2 different ways. The Wolfers necklace tiara is a tiara Queen Mathilde inherited from Queen Fabiola together with other jewelry like bracelets. She wears it when it is not supposed to wear the bigger tiara. She has a couple of other tiara's she wore when she was a princess but didn't wore them often since she is a queen.
@ Lowri:
Deletesono d'accordo con te, lo scrigno dei reali belgi contiene pochi pezzi. Non so quale sia il motivo, ma è una cosa che apprezzo molto.
Siamo "abituati" allo splendore di quelli della monarchia inglese, e anche svedese, oggettivamente insuperabili.
Rossella
Thank you,for the information.
DeleteWhat a shame,it never passed to HMQM, she would have looked spectacular in it.
Lowri. x
Out of genuine curiosity: what's the source on this tiara being in possesion of her relatives? I thought the wereabouts of this tiara were unknown to this day.
Delete@ Anonymous 23:24
DeleteIt has been written in the (official) Belgian Press years ago. Since the jewelry (tiara and other) were not/are not property of the Belgian state, every queen or princess can pass on her jewelry to whom she wish to have it. Besides not so long ago 1 of the 2 tiara's has been sold by auction at Sotheby's or Christie's (don't remember which one) by the relatives of the family members of Queen Fabiola : the explanation was that the relatives who inherited the tiara had to sell it because nobody could wear it and the money of the selling would be devided under the relatives who were described in the will of the deceased.
I get the Orders and Sash but, sorry, the really detract from her lovely gown.
ReplyDeleteKim
You know as well as I that Queen Mathilde cannot refuse to wear these orders and sash. In other countries the queen and even the princesses have to wear more decorations than in Belgium. They have to wear pictures of the reigning king or queen and medailons of all kind, which often don't match their dress and are looking often too much.
DeleteYes. Would be nice to retire those things and substitute with a small simple pin or broach.
DeleteQueen Mathilde, like other royals, is often expected to wear various orders and decorations on formal occasions. These are symbols of the honors she has received from different countries, and in some cases, they are not optional but part of her official duties. However, the specific requirements can vary by country and the occasion.
DeleteAlthough I love this gown, I wish that either the glitzy cape came further down at the neckline or that the neckline of the dress was higher. The small segment of skin along with dress, cape, the sash and the chain of the order makes the whole neckline unnecessarily cluttered. A stunning look, nonetheless
ReplyDeleteAnnieM
I love Queen Mathilde in this new gown. The dark color is looking so regal and the few pieces of jewelry are so stylish. Hair and make-up are done beautifully.
ReplyDeleteWish to mention that today 4 December it is 25 years ago that King Philippe and Queen Mathilde were married. On that occasion there are 2 new official portraits which were published.
ReplyDeleteThank you for mentioning that! It's hard to believe that it's already been 25 years since King Philippe and Queen Mathilde's wedding. The new official portraits are a beautiful way to mark this special anniversary and reflect their enduring bond and dedication to each other. A wonderful milestone for Belgium's royal family!
DeleteMagnifique Mathilde jusque dans la coiffure, le maquillage ; avec cette robe, elle est parfaite après avoir rajouté des diamants délicats au niveau du diadème et des boucles d'oreilles !
ReplyDeleteWonderful showing of all three in the main photo. Mathilde wears this dress with cape really well. Colour suits her too. And the smaller tiara balances well the sparkling cape.
ReplyDeleteCH
Elegant, sophisticated, noble and charming as always !
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