Princess Leonor Wears Her Grandmother's Ruby Earrings to Oviedo Awards
Princess Leonor wore a pair of ruby and diamond earrings that belonged to her grandmother, Queen Sofia, at the 2026 Princess of Asturias Awards on Friday 23 October. Hello! magazine reported the choice. The presentation took place at the Teatro Campoamor in Oviedo, in northern Spain.
The earrings are part of a jewellery set known as the Niarchos rubies. The set was created by Van Cleef & Arpels, the jewellery house. Queen Sofia received it in 1962 as a wedding gift from Stavros Niarchos, a Greek shipping tycoon. She wore the earrings and a necklace from the same set on the day in 1975 that Juan Carlos I was proclaimed King of Spain.
The Princess of Asturias Awards are prizes in science, culture and the humanities, run each year by the Princess of Asturias Foundation. This year's laureates include the footballer Leo Messi and the singer and poet Patti Smith. The Foundation's live stream of the ceremony came from the Teatro Campoamor.
The ceremony was attended by King Felipe, Queen Letizia, Queen Sofia and Infanta Sofia. Spain's Royal Household lists the event as an official activity in Oviedo on 23 October 2026 involving Leonor. The family had already appeared together the evening before, on 22 October, at the awards concert in the same city. The King and Queen, accompanied by Leonor and Infanta Sofía, presided over that event.
Leonor has been honorary president of the Princess of Asturias Foundation since 2014, an unpaid role that gives her a formal place at the awards. She turns 21 on 31 October 2026. She is studying political science at Carlos III University of Madrid, after completing three years of military training.
The Royal Household has also listed a further engagement for Saturday 24 October. The King, Queen, Leonor and Infanta Sofía are scheduled to travel to Llanes that day to present an award.
For many viewers, the detail that stood out was the jewellery. Earrings passed down or lent between generations are a familiar part of royal dressing, and this pair links three women across more than six decades. The Niarchos rubies have now been worn by both Queen Sofia and her granddaughter at public events.
