Queen Sofia’s Diamond Flower Brooch

Happy Birthday to Queen Letizia of the Spain, who turns 49 today. Having access to the Spanish Jewellery collection, Queen Letizia has worn a variety of heirloom jewels, but she has also worn pieces from sizeable personal jewellery collection of her mother-in-law, Queen Sofia, so to mark her birthday, we are taking a look at the Spanish Diamond Floral Brooch!

The Spanish Royal Tiaras

This delicate floral brooch has been in the collection of Queen Sofia since the times of her wedding. It represents a large flower (probably a Dahlia) and its respective stem and leaf, all set in diamonds (with different cushions) mounted in platinum. Reportedly, the Spanish Cortes Generales presented the then Princess Sophia of Greece, wife-to-be of Prince Juan Carlos, with a diamond floral brooch as a wedding gift. When Doña Sofia opened the jewellery case, she let out a huge “Ahhhh” of admiration. The brooch we are featuring today is likely the piece in question, although it was never been publicly confirmed.

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Doña Sofia wore the Floral Brooch plenty of times throughout her life, first as Princess and later as a Queen Consort. It was worn mostly for daytime events, like the Christening of Prince Nikolaos of Greece, some exceptions are the Wedding of Princess Margrethe of Denmark and Count Henri de Monpezat in 1967.

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The Queen has loaned the jewel once to her daughter, Infanta Cristina, in 2010, for the Wedding of Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, when she wore the Flower Brooch on the back of her dress, securing her sash of the order of Charles III.

Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images

To this today, Queen Letizia has worn the brooch twice. The first time was in 2007, while she was the Princess of Asturias, during  a gala of the “Save the Children” Foundation. The second occasion took place in 2019 in Windsor for the Service of the Order of the Garter. On that occasion, she paired the Floral Brooch with the Diamond Earrings from the Joyas de Pasar. There is no doubt Queen Letizia will continue to wear this piece for years to come!

This article was written by assistant editor, David Rato, who runs the Spanish Royal Jewels account on Instagram!

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