Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden put her sartorial skills on display for the Singaporean President's state visit on Monday.
Welcoming Tharman Shanmugaratnam and his wife, Jane Ittogi Shanmugaratnam, Victoria was pictured alongside her husband, Prince Daniel, in a wintry white gown from high street store H&M.
Adorned with sequins, the £549.99 floor-length dress featured a lace pattern layered over a nude lining, giving the appearance of the viral 'naked' dress while adhering to royal fashion etiquette. The fitted silhouette skimmed Victoria's figure, while shoulder pads and a backless cut-out added to the theatrical design.
With her brunette hair swept into a low bun, the royal completed her look with the diamond Laurel Tiara, a 20th-century family heirloom originally given to the then-Prince Gustaf Adolf's wife, Princess Margaret of Connaught, as a wedding gift by Gustaf's grandmother, Queen Sofia.
Laurel Tiara's history of forbidden love
Despite its romantic origins, the tiara is a reminder of forbidden royal love. According to The Court Jeweller, Margaret’s son Prince Bertil inherited the convertible jewel following his mother’s untimely death in 1920, though decades passed before it was publicly worn again.
Bertil found love with divorced "commoner" Lilian Davies, but chose to prioritise his royal duties instead of giving up his royal title to marry Lilian.
The couple continued to pursue a romantic relationship in private, and Lilian was eventually accepted as a member of the royal family. Her appearance at Bertil's father's 90th birthday celebrations in 1972 in the Laurel Tiara – despite the fact that tiaras are reserved for married women – marked a turning point in their relationship.
King Carl XVI Gustaf later granted Bertil and Lilian permission to make their relationship official, and they married in 1976. Lilian went on to wear the tiara to several royal events before passing it down to Victoria, who was pictured wearing it for the first time to her Princess Madeleine's wedding in 2013.
Crown Princess Victoria's shared family accessories
© GettyHer updo also allowed Victoria to show off her Swedish Diamond Floral Earrings, which are a favourite item among the royals. They were part of Queen Silvia's regular jewellery rotation in the 90s and 00s, featuring at Princess Alexia of Greece’s Wedding Gala in 1999 and King Carl XVI Gustaf’s 60th Birthday Banquet in 2006.
They then entered Princess Victoria and her sister Princess Madeleine's jewellery collections. The latter wore them at Prince Albert and Princess Charlene of Monaco's 2011 wedding and the Swedish royal family portraits in 2022.
