Everyone has a favorite, right? Years before taking on the title queen, Letizia reigned for 10 years as the Princess of Asturias, always showing a penchant for the dazzling Mellerio Floral Tiara. Since her husband King Felipe VI's coronation back in June 2014, the now 43-year-old queen has continued to show loyalty toward the stunning headpiece.
Letizia wore the floral tiara to her final dinner gala as a princess, just days before King Juan Carlos abdicated the throne. The stylish royal also elected to wear the tiara for her grand debut as Spain's new queen at an official banquet.
The former journalist has relied on the tiara for state banquets and gala dinners as well as for royal, high-profile events. She borrowed the floral jewel piece for Prince Daniel and Princess Victoria of Sweden's wedding in 2010 and again notably wore it at the farewell dinner of Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands, before the monarch abdicated in 2013.
The gem in question was created by French jewelry house Mellerio dits Meller in the late 19th century. It is made up of diamonds in the form of flowers, which are interlaced with leaves and delicate petals.
The beautiful tiara was actually a wedding gift from General Franco to Queen Sofia – Letizia's mother-in-law – on the occasion of her marriage to King Juan Carlos I, on behalf of the Spanish people.
Sofia wore it, perhaps for the first time, at her pre-wedding ball in 1962. The elegant Greek princess chose to wear the piece — which is convertible — as a necklace.
While Queen Letizia has taken a shine to the tiara and likes to wear it to formal events, other women of the Spanish royal family have also had the honor of borrowing it.
Sofia and King Juan Carlos' daughter Elena, Duchess of Lugo wore the tiara a lot during her younger years, while her sister Cristina used it as the main accessory on her wedding day in 1997.
