Queen Letizia of Spain's wedding dress is remembered as one of the most expensive royal bridal gowns of all time, estimated to cost an impressive £6 million, so we're not surprised she chose to keep it locked away while she stepped out in a different wedding dress on Wednesday night.
The former journalist, 51, joined her husband King Felipe at a Dutch state banquet at the Royal Palace Amsterdam, hosted by Queen Máxima, King Willem-Alexander and their 20-year-old daughter Princess Catharina-Amalia.
For the glittering occasion, Letizia turned to The 2nd Skin Co for her striking gown, which is part of the brand's bridal collection. The website said the dress features "Japanese sleeves" with "natural white mikado bows" alongside a crew neckline, a belted waist and an A-line skirt with pockets.
The custom gown is made to measure in different colours, which explains how Letizia managed to wear her cobalt blue frock without people suspecting it was a wedding dress. She had made some subtle alterations for the banquet, choosing a large-buckled belt to accentuate her waist and reducing the length of the train.
It was much more pared-back than her head-turning wedding dress, which she wore to Madrid's Almudena Cathedral on 22 May 2004. Letizia looked regal in a gown designed by Spanish couturier Manuel Pertegaz with long sleeves, a V-neck and a four-and-a-half-meter circular train, and was finished with gold embroidery.
Twisting her chocolate-hued hair into an elegant updo, Letizia completed her latest look on Wednesday with Queen Victoria Eugenie's diamond earrings and the Cartier Diamond Loop Tiara, which she borrowed from her mother-in-law Queen Sofia. Originally made for King Alfonso XI's wife Maria Cristina, the diamond and pearl headpiece was passed down to the Spanish royal family, and was previously used as a wedding tiara for Infanta Pilar in 1967 and Simoneta in 1990.
Queen Sofia has been pictured wearing the tiara on a number of occasions, but Queen Letizia rocked it for the first time at the Chinese state banquet in Madrid in November 2018.
The one accessory that was not visible was Letizia's shoes, which were covered by her floor-length hem, but it's likely that she chose flat shoes or very small heels. The Spanish royal opted to sit in a chair for roughly 45 minutes as she greeted around 240 guests, which could be because she had been suffering from a prolonged foot injury.
According to the Spanish outlet, El Mundo, Letizia reportedly has chronic metatarsalgia - pain in the ball of the foot - in both of her feet, as well as Morton's neuroma in her right foot, which involves a thickening of the tissue around one of the nerves leading to the toes. Her condition is said to be caused by wearing high heels for long periods.
Meanwhile, the banquet also saw other royals dress to the nines, including Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg, who stepped out in an Oscar de la Renta floral halterneck dress, and Queen Maxima, who opted for a pastel blue off-the-shoulder Jantaminiau gown alongside the Stuart Tiara.
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