{"id":641555,"date":"2026-10-26T06:36:45","date_gmt":"2026-10-26T06:36:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/641555\/"},"modified":"2026-10-26T06:36:45","modified_gmt":"2026-10-26T06:36:45","slug":"princess-leonor-wears-queen-sofias-treasured-royal-jewels-for-the-first-time-something-even-queen-letizia-has-never-done","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/641555\/","title":{"rendered":"Princess Leonor wears Queen Sof\u00eda’s treasured royal jewels for the first time, something even Queen Letizia has never done"},"content":{"rendered":"

Princess Leonor\u00a0made a dazzling appearance at the 2026 Princess of Asturias Awards, but it wasn’t just her elegant outfit that caught everyone’s attention.\u00a0<\/p>\n

You may also likeContinue reading<\/p>\n

The future queen of Spain marked a special moment in royal jewelry history by wearing a pair of treasured ruby and diamond earrings belonging to her grandmother, Queen Sof\u00eda.<\/p>\n

\"Princess\u00a9 CORDON PRESSPrincess Leonor wore a striking magenta dress and her grandmother Queen Sof\u00eda’s historic ruby and diamond earrings at the 2026 Princess of Asturias Awards in Oviedo.<\/p>\n

The 20-year-old royal stepped out in Oviedo on Friday, October 23, alongside\u00a0her parents, King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, her younger sister, Infanta Sof\u00eda, and her grandmother, Queen Sof\u00eda. For the occasion, Leonor chose a sophisticated magenta midi dress by Hannibal Laguna, featuring short sleeves, a fitted waist, and a flowing skirt.<\/p>\n

She completed the ensemble with coordinating accessories and a pair of striking ruby and diamond drop earrings that perfectly complemented the rich color of her dress.<\/p>\n

\"Queen\u00a9 Getty ImagesQueen Sof\u00eda looked elegant in a white gown paired with a dazzling ruby and diamond necklace and matching earrings at an event in 1976. Decades later, her granddaughter Princess Leonor would bring the historic earrings back into the spotlight.<\/p>\n

However, the sparkling accessories carried a much deeper significance. According to Spanish reports, this marks the first known occasion that Queen Sof\u00eda has lent the historic earrings to another member of the royal family, making Leonor’s choice particularly meaningful.<\/p>\n

A special gift from Queen Frederica of Greece:<\/p>\n

The earrings have a fascinating history that dates back more than six decades, connecting three generations of royal women.<\/p>\n

The jewels originally belonged to Queen Frederica of Greece, Queen Sof\u00eda’s mother, who reportedly gifted them to her daughter around the time of her marriage to the future King Juan Carlos I in Athens on May 14, 1962.<\/p>\n

\"Princess\u00a9 GrosbyGroupThe ruby and diamond earrings are believed to have been a gift from Queen Frederica of Greece to her daughter, Queen Sof\u00eda, before eventually making their debut on Princess Leonor.<\/p>\n

The elaborate earrings feature red cabochon rubies surrounded by sparkling diamonds, with each piece incorporating two ruby elements.<\/p>\n

Their design complements the famous Niarchos ruby collection, which Queen Sof\u00eda received as a wedding gift from Greek shipping magnate Stavros Niarchos.<\/p>\n

\"Queen\u00a9 Getty ImagesQueen Frederica of Greece, Princess Leonor’s great-grandmother, pictured in London on June 19, 1969. The late queen reportedly gifted her daughter, Queen Sof\u00eda, the ruby and diamond earrings that Leonor wore at the 2026 Princess of Asturias Awards.<\/p>\n

The collection included an impressive ruby and diamond necklace, along with a diamond tiara. However, the necklace’s individual elements were not designed to be worn as earrings, making Queen Frederica’s gift a particularly fitting addition to her daughter’s jewelry collection.<\/p>\n

The connection between the pieces highlights the extraordinary collection of jewels Queen Sof\u00eda received when she married into the Spanish royal family.<\/p>\n

A royal heirloom that even Queen Letizia has never worn:<\/p>\n

What makes Leonor’s appearance especially noteworthy is that the earrings have remained exclusively associated with Queen Sof\u00eda for decades.<\/p>\n

\"Queen\u00a9 Getty ImagesQueen Sof\u00eda wore her treasured ruby and diamond earrings during a gala dinner honoring French President Nicolas Sarkozy at the Royal Palace in Madrid on April 27, 2009. The historic jewels were later worn by her granddaughter, Princess Leonor, at the 2026 Princess of Asturias Awards.<\/p>\n

According to reports, the former queen had never previously lent them to her daughters, Infanta Elena and Infanta Cristina, or even to her daughter-in-law, Queen Letizia. Now, Leonor appears to have become the first royal to wear the treasured pieces outside her grandmother’s own jewelry collection.<\/p>\n

The moment carries special significance for the young princess, who is preparing for her future role as queen and increasingly embracing the traditions and responsibilities associated with the Spanish monarchy.<\/p>\n

\"The\u00a9 CORDON PRESSThe future queen of Spain paired her elegant magenta midi dress with sparkling heels and a matching clutch, allowing her historic jewelry to take center stage.<\/p>\n

By wearing the earrings, Leonor brought a piece of her family’s history into the spotlight, connecting her appearance to the legacy of both Queen Sof\u00eda and Queen Frederica of Greece.<\/p>\n

A meaningful family moment in Oviedo:<\/p>\n

The jewelry debut took place during one of the most important annual events on the Spanish royal calendar.<\/p>\n

The Princess of Asturias Awards recognize outstanding achievements in fields including the arts, literature, science, sports and international cooperation.<\/p>\n

\"Crown\u00a9 Getty ImagesCrown Princess Leonor of Spain and Princess Sofia of Spain during an audience to celebrate the winners of the 2026 Princess of Asturias Awards<\/p>\n

This year’s honorees include Lionel Messi, Patti Smith, Julian Barnes and Japanese animation studio Studio Ghibli. Leonor also took on a significant responsibility during the celebrations, receiving the award winners in a solo audience for the first time, another milestone in her growing public role.<\/p>\n

With Queen Sof\u00eda joining the family for the occasion, the historic earrings added a sentimental dimension to the gathering. And while Leonor’s magenta dress made an elegant fashion statement, it was the jewelry inherited through generations of royal women that made her appearance particularly memorable.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Princess Leonor\u00a0made a dazzling appearance at the 2026 Princess of Asturias Awards, but it wasn’t just her elegant…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":641556,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[156,111,139,69,314546,256659,232415,16196,40163],"class_list":["post-641555","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-entertainment","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-prince-leonor","tag-princess-sofia","tag-queen-letizia","tag-royals","tag-spanish-royals"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/641555","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=641555"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/641555\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/641556"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=641555"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=641555"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=641555"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}