Swedish Royals Bring Out Tiaras for Singapore's First State Visit
The Swedish Royal Family brought out the diamonds for a first.
His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf and Her Majesty Queen Silvia hosted a state banquet at the Royal Palace in Stockholm for His Excellency President Tharman Shanmugaratnam of Singapore and his wife Jane Ittogi Shanmugaratnam, the first-ever state visit by a Singaporean president to Sweden, as reported by HELLO! Magazine.
The visit celebrated six decades of diplomatic relations between Sweden and Singapore. A state visit is the highest level of formal visit between countries. It means full ceremony, speeches and evening dress.
Queen Silvia led the glitter in the Braganza Tiara, also known as the Coronation Tiara. It is one of the grandest jewels in the Swedish collection, worn only for the biggest palace nights. The diamonds catch the light across a ballroom.
Her eldest daughter and heir to the throne, Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Victoria, chose the diamond Laurel Tiara. It is smaller and neater, a slender wreath of leaves in diamonds. She wore it for the formal portraits and dinner.
Her Royal Highness Princess Madeleine, the King's younger daughter, joined the line-up with her husband Christopher O'Neill. Their presence kept the royal turnout strong for the Singaporean guests. The palace published photographs of the family greeting the President and his wife before dinner.
Two familiar faces were missing from the palace tables. Her Royal Highness Princess Sofia and her husband His Royal Highness Prince Carl Philip spent the evening across town. They attended an event at the Grand Hôtel in Stockholm for the 100th anniversary of Stockholm's Rotary Club.
It was a diary clash. Sofia was elsewhere on duty, not off duty. Last year she had attended celebrations for the King's 79th birthday on 30 April after recently introducing her newborn daughter in public, as reported at the time by HOLA and Marie Claire.
What makes this stand out is the pairing. A first visit plus full tiara dress tells guests this one mattered. For fans, it meant rare jewels, full gowns and a full palace line-up in one night.
