Two key royals miss glittering tiara-filled state banquet in Sweden

Tiaras and sashes were out at Stockholm Palace in Sweden as the king and queen hosted Singapore’s president during a state visit on Monday night (Tuesday AEDT).

King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia sat alongside President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and his wife Jane Ittogi in the formal photos.

Two of the royal couple’s three children and their spouses stood behind them - Crown Princess Victoria and her husband Prince Daniel, along with Princess Madeleine and her husband Christopher O’Neill.

Prince Carl Philip and his wife Princess Sofia were absent from the event.

This was simply down to a conflicting schedule though, with the couple at the Grand Hôtel, which sits directly opposite the palace across the body of water known as the Strömmen.

The Duke and Duchess of Värmland, as they’re also known, helped mark the centenary of Stockholm’s rotary club.

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Inside the palace, heir apparent Crown Princess Victoria stunned in a white lace gown by Swedish retailer H&M, which was accessorised with an ice blue sash and a number of orders pinned to her clothing.

But the showstopper was her diamond Laurel Wreath Tiara, which features a delicate hanging drop diamond between the classic double-row leaf pattern.

The total carats or value of the heirloom are unknown.

The stunning piece, which can be worn as a tiara or statement necklace, was created by French jewellery house Boucheron in about 1905.

It was a wedding gift to Princess Margaret of Connaught, the niece of British King Edward VII, on her marriage to Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden, hence the design of the leaves to symbolise eternity.

Victoria’s sister, Princess Madeleine, opted for the diamond Modern Fringe Tiara, which she’d previously worn on her wedding day to British-American businessman O’Neill in 2013.

The Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland, as she’s also known, looked striking pairing the headpiece with a red off the shoulder gown for the occasion.

But the biggest and most significant tiara of the evening was worn, unsurprisingly, by the hostess.

Queen Silvia donned the Connaught Diamond Tiara, widely known as the Forget-Me-Not Tiara, which features distinct swinging diamond pendants.

The Queen of Sweden has worn this headpiece regularly over the last five decades as it’s a lighter option than other tiaras in the vault.

Her Majesty paired the diamonds with a dusty pink silk two-piece ensemble, while the Singaporean first lady opted for some diplomatic dressing in a red silk ensemble with gold print across it.

The gentlemen all donned white tie tailcoats with sashes.