Queen Sofia's Pearls

[SteveM]

This is posted under 'Pearl History' and not 'Pearl Fashion' for apparent reasons.

On another thread I mentioned that we had been in Miami last week, attending a major wine and food event featuring Spain that scored the major coup of an official visit from King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia. We did attend the official dinner at The Biltmore and managed to get a few photos for our memories. The photo below is low-res from the organizers' public website as my photos were done on the sly without flash.

From the color range—comparable with photos we've seen of the sunken treasure from the Margarita shipwreck—the Queen's rope may be assumed to be an antique Caribbean from the royal collection, P. Margaritifera Mazatlantica. In any case it was an honor to be in their (the Queen, the King and the pearls) presence!

 

[pattye]

Wow, doesn't take much imagination to see there are some great size and gorgeous colors in those pearls! And a lovely pin also. Thanks Steve!

 

[Amrita]

Wow - thanks for sharing that picture Steve!

 

[john675]

Delightful pearls though if her biography is to be believed, her views could be quite disturbing to many.

 

[SteveM]

her biography?.

A bit cryptic there, John. European royalty no doubt has skeletons overflowing its closets. But I'm not able to ascertain your apparently specific concerns in this bio.

 

[borah]

John675 might be referring to a series of interviews the queen gave an author that were considered rare in how unguarded she came across. Unguarded to the extent that she gave her real opinions on a wide variety of things from politics, homosexuality, liberal Catholics, etc. The author then either wrote a book or published a series of articles about the queen and afterwards she backtracked and said that everything had been taken out of context. I don't think it was covered in the American media at all but the British papers talked about it. Googling Queen Sofia and views might bring up more information.

 

[SteveM]

Thanks, my wife and I spend 3 months of every year traveling in Spain on business but don't pick up the tabloids. Went running to my mother-in-law, also easily found the pertinent web reports. Seems like the Spanish Monarchs have caught the public relations malaise from their British cousins. The points of view expressed would be shocking only if they were otherwise given the source, but make good headlines nonetheless.

I suppose I should have felt free to use my flash after all…

 

[john675]

I was trying to be avoid angering anybody based upon political/social views but I think it came across as coy instead...

You never know what's true from a biographical perspective, but the image presented (as described so well by borah) brings to mind somebody out of touch in so many ways. Of course, that is undoubtedly a prerogative of royalty as is having access to such lovely pearls, but then it does end badly for some.

 

[SteveM]

Thanks. Just for a ground's eye view from Spain (mom in law, a dedicated observer of current events and a liberal-leaning non-royalist), this was not mainstream news at all and the interviewer/book author is not a respected journalist. The entire controversy has been puffed up, if not instigated, by the British tabloids.