Spain’s Princess Leonor Wears Her Grandmother Queen Sofía’s Ruby Earrings for the First Time

Princess Leonor Wears Queen Sofía’s Ruby EarringsCarlos Alvarez - Getty Images

Spain’s royal family recently gathered in Oviedo for one of the biggest dates on their annual calendar: the Princess of Asturias Awards. The prizes honor top achievers in the arts, science, sports, and other fields. This year was a landmark one for Princess Leonor, who on Friday took on a larger role before and during the event.

A closer look at Princess Leonor’s ruby earrings.Carlos Alvarez - Getty Images

Dressed in a maroon dress by Venezuelan designer Hannibal Laguna, Leonor, whose title as the heir to the Spanish throne is also Princess of Asturias, wore a special family heirloom: a pair of ruby and diamond drop earrings that belong to her grandmother, Queen Sofía. They are part of the Niarchos Ruby Parure, and according to The Royal Watcher, Queen Sofía has never loaned any piece from this set out to anyone, including her own daughters or daughter-in-law, Queen Letizia.

Leonor with her grandmother, Queen Sofía.Carlos Alvarez - Getty Images

The earrings trace back to Sofía’s 1962 wedding to the future King Juan Carlos in Athens. The Niarchos Ruby Parure, a Van Cleef & Arpels collection of ruby and diamond necklaces that can also be worn as a tiara, was a wedding gift from Greek shipping magnate Stavros Niarchos. Sofía’s mother, Queen Frederica of Greece, is believed to have given her the matching earrings around the same time. Per Hola, because the necklace pieces were not designed to be worn as earrings, Frederica’s gift rounded out the suite.

Queen Sofía wearing the parure at an event in 1976.Bettmann - Getty Images

Queen Sofía wore the full parure at major moments, including her husband’s 1975 enthronement ceremony, many state banquets over the years, and the pre-wedding gala for then-Crown Prince Felipe when he married Letizia Ortiz in 2004.

The awards ceremony capped a busy day. Earlier on Friday, Princess Leonor took a major step in her royal career when she received the award winners alone for the first time, without her parents, King Felipe and Queen Letizia. As heir, she is honorary president of the Princess of Asturias Foundation. This year’s winners include soccer star Lionel Messi, singer Patti Smith, novelist Julian Barnes, and Japanese animation studio Studio Ghibli.