Princess Lalla Meryem’s Tiara

Happy Birthday to Princess Lalla Meryem of Morocco, who turns 60 today!  The accomplished Princess, the elder sister of the Moroccan King, has been the ‘First Lady’ of the Moroccan Court for much of her life and thus we are featuring her spectacular Diamond Tiara!


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But first, lets learn about Princess Lalla Meryem! The first daughter and eldest child of the late King Hassan II of Morocco and Lalla Latifa Hammou, since her mother did not have a public role, Princess Lalla Meryem began serving as the ‘First Lady’ of the Moroccan Court from the 1970s, also being appointed as the President of Social Works of the Royal Army Forces. In 1984, she married Fuad Filali, son of a former Prime Minister, and the couple had two children: Sharifa Lalla Soukaïna Filali and Moulay Idris Filali. The Princess is one of the most prominent members of the Royal Family, serving as the President of the Moroccan association in support of UNICEF, President of the Hassan II Foundation for the Moroccans residing abroad, President of the Moroccan National Observatory of the Childs Rights and President of the Hassan II Foundation for the social works of the former soldiers and ex-combatants, as well as a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador and a Member of the Honorary Committee of the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children, with her charity work focusing on the rights of women and children. Since the King’s divorce from Princess Lalla Salma, Princess Lalla Meryem has again been serving as the ‘First Lady’ of the Moroccan Court, hosting the Spanish State Visit to Morocco and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. We wish HRH a very Happy Birthday and Many Happy Returns!

When Princess Lalla Meryem married Fuad Filali in 1984, she received this spectacular Diamond Tiara in a striking modern design as a gift from her father, King Hassan II of Morocco. The Tiara, along with an identical mirrored necklace and a pair of coordinating earrings which were all likely made by Chaumet, was first worn by the Princess on her Wedding Day.

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The only other public appearance of the Tiara came in 2002, when Princess Lalla Meryem wore the piece for the Wedding of her brother, King Mohammed VI of Morocco, at the Dar al-Makhzin in Rabat, which appears to be the last appearance to date since the Moroccan Princesses have decided not to wear Tiaras at State Banquets.

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When Princess Lalla Meryem represented the King at the Diamond Jubilee Celebrations of Queen Elizabeth II in 2012, she wore the Diamond Necklace for the Dinner hosted by the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall at Buckingham Palace. With Princess Lalla Meryem acting as the current ‘First Lady’ of the Moroccan Court, lets hope this striking Tiara makes another appearance soon!

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