New portraits of the King and Queen of the Belgians taken to celebrate the 10th anniversary of his accession to the throne, July 2023 (Michel Gronemberger/Belgian Royal Palace)
Today is National Day in Belgium, a patriotic celebration commemorating the start of the reign of the first King of the Belgians almost two centuries ago. We’re joining in the festivities today with a look at the small but magnificent collection of tiaras worn by the Queens and Princesses of Belgium, including jewels that have endured for a century and new additions to the royal collection.
King Leopold I of Belgium, painted by Franz Xaver Winterhalter ca. 1840 (Museum of the History of France)
Belgium has only been an independent kingdom since 1830, when a revolution led to the secession of a number of southern provinces of the Netherlands, which then formed the present-day nation of Belgium. After the new legislature drew up a constitution, the search began for a suitable king to lead the new constitutional monarchy. Initially, the Duke of Nemours, the second son of King Louis-Philippe of the French, was nominated for the role. When the family decided that the Duke should not accept the invitation, the eyes of the legislature turned to a second candidate: Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.
Leopold was a prince of a small German duchy, but he had connections that made him a desirable future monarch. One of his sisters had married into the Romanov family, and as a teenager Leopold had served in the Russian army through that family connection and fought in the Napoleonic Wars. He made his way to the imperial court of Napoleon in the first decade of the nineteenth century as well, advocating for his family’s land rights and developing a positive rapport with both Napoleon and Josephine. In 1816, he made a remarkable royal match, marrying Princess Charlotte of Wales, the heiress presumptive to the British throne. Tragically, though, she died a year later, shortly after giving birth to their stillborn son.
Heartbroken, Leopold retired as a widower to their country estate, Claremont House. There, he helped to engineer and encourage more family connections. The most important of these was the marriage of his widowed sister, Princess Viktoria, and the Duke of Kent, the fourth son of King George III. They later became the parents of Queen Victoria, who remained close to her uncle over the years—a connection that was strengthened even more when she married her first cousin (and Leopold’s nephew), Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.
Queen Louise of Belgium, painted by Franz Xaver Winterhalter ca. 1841 (Royal Collection Trust)
With his military background and his increasingly impressive family connections, especially to the British royals, Leopold was a desirable candidate for countries seeking a new monarch. He was initially chosen to become King of Greece in 1830 before ultimately turning down that throne. A few months later, in 1831, he accepted an offer to become the new monarch of independent Belgium. His accession ceremony took place in Brussels on July 21, 1831, the date still celebrated today as Belgium’s National Day.
The new King of the Belgians still lacked something crucial: a consort and an heir. To appease those in Belgium who wanted stronger ties to France, King Leopold asked King Louis-Philippe if he could marry his eldest daughter, Princess Louise of Orléans. Both Louis-Philippe and Louise agreed, and the couple were wed at the Château de Compiègne in 1832. Leopold was more than two decades older than his new bride, and their marriage was an arrangement rather than a romance. But he respected her opinions on public matters and often sought her advice, and the two developed an enduring friendship. They also managed to produce four children, three of whom survived to adulthood: the Duke of Brabant, the Count of Flanders, and Princess Charlotte, known best to history as the chaotic Empress Carlota of Mexico.
Louise brought an important tie to French royal heritage to the marriage, balancing Leopold’s British and German connections, but she did not add much significant royal jewelry to the nascent family collection. Reared at the French court of her parents, she was raised to project an image of bourgeois family values in contrast to the splendor of the Bourbon and Bonaparte courts. She certainly possessed royal jewelry suitable to be worn at events like balls and masquerades, but virtually none of it apparently survives today in the Belgian royal vaults.
King Leopold II and Queen Marie Henriette of Belgium, ca. 1870 (Ghent University Library)
When King Leopold I died in 1865, the throne passed to his eldest son, King Leopold II. The new monarch was initially seen in a positive light, thanks to his tenure in the legislature and his focus on building projects and public works. He also made an important diplomatic match, marrying Archduchess Marie Henriette of Austria, granddaughter of the Holy Roman Emperor Leopold II, in 1853. The marriage was popular in Belgium, and Marie Henriette endeared herself to the public. The couple had three daughters that survived to adulthood and a son who died in childhood.
But there was a dark, ugly side to Leopold. A staunch advocate of colonialism, he was the sole personal owner of the Congo Free State and was directly responsible for the atrocities committed there, including unspeakable acts of violence and abuse against both adults and children. Millions were murdered, and Leopold was the personal beneficiary of the proceeds of brutal industries that damaged both the population and the environment. The situation was so dire that even Leopold’s contemporaries were scandalized. Control of the Congo was handed over to civil authorities in Belgium by 1908—a move that did not really much improve the daily lives of the people of the region, and which implicated subsequent Belgian monarchs in wrongdoings there as well—and Leopold ordered that the archives of the colony from his tenure as owner should be burned to conceal evidence of his wrongdoing.
At home, Leopold’s marriage had also taken a turn for the worst. Though he and Marie Henriette continued to attempt to produce a son and heir after the death of the young Duke of Brabant in 1869, they were increasingly estranged, and she eventually left Belgium entirely. Leopold, meanwhile, settled down with a teenage mistress. There were more shocking family moments on the horizon, too. Their son-in-law, Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria, died in a murder-suicide at Mayerling, while their eldest daughter, Princess Louise, was banished from Belgium after a public affair. Queen Marie Henriette did have some grand jewelry, including a tiara given to her by the Belgian public as a silver wedding anniversary present, but none of these pieces seem to have survived—probably for the best.
King Albert I and Queen Elisabeth of Belgium, ca. 1900 (George Grantham Bain Collection/Library of Congress)
Mercifully, the next King of the Belgians was not a descendant of Leopold II. Because Leopold died without a male heir in 1909, the throne passed to his nephew, who became King Albert I. Albert had known since he was a teenager that he would one day likely become King of the Belgians, and he had studied and prepared for the role for years. Affable and devout, Albert became a hero to the people for his efforts during World War I and worked for years afterward to champion redevelopment in the war-torn nation.
He also had another helpful asset: a wife with whom he was apparently genuinely in love. In 1900, Albert married Duchess Elisabeth in Bavaria, the niece and namesake of Empress Elisabeth of Austria. The couple were well matched, sharing values and interests. They had three children together: the Duke of Brabant, the Count of Flanders, and Princess Marie-José, who later became Queen of Italy.
Queen Elisabeth’s jewelry collection is the source of some of the oldest royal jewels still being worn by the royal ladies in Belgium today. Her jewelry box included numerous tiaras, including a stunning diamond bandeau made by Cartier and an Art Deco-style bandeau with a geometric design.
Princess Astrid of Belgium attends a state banquet in honor of the President of Germany at the Palace of Laeken on March 8, 2016 (Patrick van Katwijk/DPA Picture Alliance/Alamy)
Queen Elisabeth’s Cartier Bandeau is no longer with the Belgian royal family—more on that in a minute—but her Art Deco Bandeau is still in family hands. For years, the tiara was worn by Queen Paola, who loaned it to Queen Mathilde in 1999 to wear as her wedding tiara. More recently, Princess Astrid has worn the tiara for gala events in Belgium.
King Leopold III and Queen Astrid of Belgium, ca. 1927 (George Grantham Bain Collection/Library of Congress)
King Albert I died in a tragic mountaineering accident in 1934, and the throne passed to his elder son, who became King Leopold III. He was initially a popular monarch, in part because he had also made a successful love match. Leopold had married Princess Astrid of Sweden, a granddaughter of King Oscar II, in a pair of glittering ceremonies in Stockholm and Brussels in 1927. They also had three children together: Princess Joséphine-Charlotte, who later became Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, and Princes Baudouin and Albert, who would both eventually reign as Kings of the Belgians.
Astrid’s arrival in the royal family brought a treasure trove of jewelry to Belgium. As a wedding gift, she received a pearl tiara from the people of Stockholm and an incredible diamond diadem from the Belgian government. She also owned spectacular diamond and emerald jewels, some of which now belong to the grand ducal family of Luxembourg.
Sadly, though, Astrid did not have many years to enjoy the splendid jewels she had received to celebrate her wedding. In 1935, just a year and a half after becoming Queen of the Belgians, she was killed in an automobile accident in Switzerland. She was deeply mourned by the family and by the people of Belgium and Sweden.
The Queen of the Belgians attends a gala dinner celebrating the 75th birthday of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen on April 15, 2015 (DPA Picture Alliance/Alamy)
Perhaps because Astrid’s legacy has become such a monumental part of the historical narrative of the Belgian royal family, her biggest diamond jewel, the Nine Provinces Tiara, has become the signature tiara of Belgium’s queens. Queen Fabiola wore it as her bridal tiara before passing it on to Queen Paola. The jewel, which can be worn in various forms and settings, is now worn exclusively by Queen Mathilde. (Astrid’s other notable wedding gift tiara, the Stockholm Pearl Bandeau, has not been seen in many years.)
King Leopold III of Belgium and the Princess of Rethy pose in their villa in Switzerland, June 1950 (SuperStock/Alamy)
After Astrid’s death, King Leopold III’s life grew more and more challenging. War broke out once more in 1939, and while his father had been hailed for heroic actions during World War I, Leopold’s choices during World War II led to confusion and condemnation. He refused to go into exile when the Germans invaded Belgium, and a few months later, he surrendered, much to the anger and horror of many in the Belgian government.
Leopold and his children were taken prisoner by the Germans in 1940. While under house arrest, he secretly married Lilian Baels, the British-born daughter of a Belgian noble family. Though she was largely embraced by Leopold’s mother and children, many in Belgium were scandalized when news of the marriage broke. A few months later, the couple’s first child was born. Deportation to Germany followed in 1944, but when the family was released at the end of the war, tensions were still high in Belgium over Leopold’s choices during the conflict. Extensive investigations followed. Ultimately, Leopold, hoping to preserve the monarchy, opted to abdicate in favor of his eldest son, Baudouin, in 1951.
King Leopold and Princess Lilian continued to live at the Royal Palace, supporting Baudouin’s early kingship, after the abdication. They had two more children, Princess Marie-Christine and Princess Marie-Esméralda, in the 1950s. Lilian was fashionable, setting trends and wearing impressive jewels, including the Nine Provinces Tiara and other pieces that had belonged to the late Queen Astrid. Eventually, those jewels were largely handed over to Baudouin’s wife after his marriage. Lilian did eventually decide to part with one family jewel, Queen Elisabeth’s Cartier Bandeau. She reportedly sold the tiara back to Cartier. It was a convenient family transaction. Lilian’s sister, Lydia, was married to Jean-Jacques Cartier, who ran the London branch of the family firm. (The tiara is currently on display as part of the Cartier exhibit at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.)
King Baudouin and Queen Fabiola of Belgium are pictured at the Belgian Embassy in London, May 1963 (Keystone Press/Alamy)
King Baudouin was a bachelor monarch for the first nine years of his reign, but in 1960, he met his match: a Spanish aristocrat, Fabiola de Mora y Aragón. She embraced the grand tiara that had belonged to his mother, the Nine Provinces Tiara, but she also received many more pieces of jewelry when she married King Baudouin. Among these were the Spanish Wedding Gift Tiara, a present from Franco, and the Wolfers Tiara, a dazzling convertible jewel presented on behalf of the brokers and jewelers of the diamond industry in Antwerp. She also owned luminous aquamarines, elegant pearls, and many more pieces of jewelry.
Baudouin and Fabiola’s union was the result of matchmaking efforts by friends and advisors within the Catholic Church, but by all accounts they ended up falling deeply in love. Sadly, they were not able to have children of their own. Fabiola suffered five miscarriages during their marriage. Early on, they knew that the children of Baudouin’s younger brother, Albert, would likely follow them on to the throne. They embraced Philippe, Albert’s elder son, and acted at times as surrogate parents and mentors for the future king.
Baudouin’s sudden death from a heart attack at the age of 62 in 1993 changed the situation for the succession to the throne. Instead of renouncing his rights and allowing the throne to pass to Philippe, King Albert II decided to reign himself. Queen Fabiola handed over the Nine Provinces Tiara to her sister-in-law, Queen Paola, but she kept the rest of her jewels in her personal collection. She lived on for another two decades after Baudouin’s death, long enough to continue to wear her tiaras for gala events—and long enough to witness her beloved nephew’s accession to the throne.
The Duchess of Brabant attends a gala banquet celebrating the 18th birthday of Prince Christian of Denmark at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen on October 15, 2023 (Mads Claus Rasmussen/Scanpix/Alamy)She bequeathed several pieces of important jewelry to her nephew and niece, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, including the Wolfers Tiara. That tiara has since been worn by both Queen Mathilde and her daughter, Elisabeth, who is heir to the throne. The status of the Spanish Wedding Gift Tiara has apparently not been confirmed, though it seems to have left Belgian royal hands.
The Prince and Princess of Liege, later King Albert II and Queen Paola of Belgium, dance at the Waterloo Ball in Brussels in 1965 (Keystone Press/Alamy)
King Albert II was never expected to sit on the Belgian throne. As a younger son, he took on a slate of royal engagements but lived much of his life privately. In 1959, he married a glamorous Italian aristocrat, Paola Ruffo di Calabria, with whom he had three children: Philippe, Astrid, and Laurent.
A decade after their wedding, Albert and Paola’s relationship had fractured. They began living largely separate lives, and negotiations for divorce proceedings were even begun at one point, though the couple later reconciled. Albert had a long affair with a Belgian noblewoman, Baroness Sybille de Selys Longchamps, which resulted in the birth of a daughter, Delphine. For years Albert refused to publicly acknowledge Delphine, but court-ordered tests eventually proved his paternity, and Delphine and her children were granted royal titles. Today, ties between Delphine and the rest of the royal family have strengthened considerably.
When Albert and Paola stepped on to the Belgian throne in 1993, Paola’s jewelry box included a few selected pieces of gala jewelry, including Queen Elisabeth’s Art Deco Bandeau, which she had received as a gift from her late father-in-law, King Leopold III. Paola used that tiara, as well as the Nine Provinces Tiara, and also wore a few necklaces on tiara frames throughout her husband’s reign, but she apparently has not personally added any significant pieces of jewelry to the Belgian vaults herself.
New portraits of the King and Queen of the Belgians taken to celebrate the 10th anniversary of his accession to the throne, July 2023 (Michel Gronemberger/Belgian Royal Palace)
King Albert II decided to abdicate in 2013, twenty years after his accession. The throne passed to his elder son, King Philippe, who has now reigned in Belgium for twelve years. Philippe struggled in his childhood years, dealing with major instability at home and shyness in public. He was often criticized by commentators as being ill suited for the job of monarch, but since his accession he has reigned with quiet strength and has won the respect of many at home and abroad.
Part of that success must be credited to his choice of spouse. In 1999, Philippe married Mathilde d’Udekem d’Acoz, a Belgian aristocrat who worked as a speech therapist in the years before their royal wedding. On her husband’s accession, Mathilde became the first Belgian-born woman to become Queen of the Belgians. The couple’s marriage appears to be a strong one. They have four children together: Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Brabant, who is the heir to the throne, and her younger siblings, Prince Gabriel, Prince Emmanuel, and Princess Eléonore.
When Philippe and Mathilde were married in 1999, she was showered with gifts suitable for a future queen. These included a spectacular antique laurel wreath tiara, a gift from a group of Belgian aristocrats. The tiara can be worn in two different height settings on its frame, and it can also be removed from the frame and worn as a necklace.
The Queen of the Belgians attends a state banquet in honor of the President of Switzerland at the Royal Palace in Brussels on November 24, 2022 (NICOLAS MAETERLINCK/Belga News Agency/Alamy)
The Brabant Laurel Wreath Tiara is so far Mathilde’s biggest personal contribution to the Belgian royal jewelry collection. She has continued to wear the tiara regularly, even after receiving the Nine Provinces Tiara from Queen Paola and inheriting the Wolfers Tiara from Queen Fabiola.
The Duchess of Brabant attends a gala banquet celebrating the 18th birthday of Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway at the Royal Palace in Oslo on June 17, 2022 (Lise Aaserud/NTB/Alamy)
King Philippe and Queen Mathilde’s elder daughter, Princess Elisabeth, is now attending gala functions alongside her parents, wearing sparkling tiaras in the process. She has borrowed the Wolfers Tiara from her mother on at least one occasion, but she also has a special tiara of her own. When Elisabeth turned 18 in 2019, her parents acquired an antique diamond tiara for her as a birthday gift. The tiara is now considered a part of the royal family’s collection.
Princess Astrid of Belgium attends a gala on the night before the wedding of the Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg and Countess Stephanie of Lannoy on October 19, 2012 (Patrick van Katwijk/DPA Picture Alliance/Alamy)
Princess Astrid, King Philippe’s sister, has worn Queen Elisabeth’s Art Deco Bandeau for gala occasions since her brother’s accession to the throne, but she also has access to another glamorous tiara owned by her husband. Astrid married Archduke Lorenz of of Austria-Este, a grandson of the last Emperor of Austria, in 1984. He is now the custodian of a spectacular diamond jewel, the Savoy-Aosta Tiara, that belonged to his late mother, Princess Margherita of Savoy-Aosta. Astrid has often worn the diamond tiara with a magnificent emerald and diamond necklace that also comes from Margherita’s family collection.
Prince Laurent and Princess Claire of Belgium leave the cathedral in Brussels after their royal wedding on April 12, 2003 (DPA Picture Alliance/Alamy)
King Philippe’s sister-in-law, Princess Claire of Belgium, also has a pair of small tiaras at her disposal. Though she rarely attends state occasions now, she was often pictured in her diamond wedding tiara in the early days of her royal marriage. The jewel was a gift from her parents-in-law, King Albert II and Queen Paola, to celebrate her wedding to Prince Laurent in 2003.
Prince Laurent and Princess Claire of Belgium attend the wedding of Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel of Sweden in Stockholm on June 19, 2010 (Patrick van Katwijk/DPA Picture Alliance/Alamy)
Princess Claire also occasionally wears a second tiara, which is set with diamonds and pearls. The little bandeau features interesting Art Deco-esque design elements.
Two centuries of history, seven Queens of Belgium, eight royal tiaras: which jewels currently worn by the Queens and Princesses of Belgium are your favorites?