Queen Letizia followed hundreds of years of royal tradition at Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral on Monday – and her somber headdress has a sweet connection to the late monarch.
The Spanish queen, 50, covered her face in a long black mourning veil as she attended services for the late monarch, wearing Cherubina’s ‘Elisabeth’ style headpiece ($250) in tribute to Britain’s beloved head of state.
Queen Letizia – who is married to King Felipe VI – wore a chic black dress with belt by Carolina Herrera and joined thousands of mourners at Westminster Abbey for the memorial services in memory of Queen Elizabeth, who died on September 8 at the age of 96. .
Her choice to wear a veil — along with other attendees including Kate Middleton, Queen Consort Camilla, Princess Charlene, Queen Maxima of the Netherlands and Princess Eugenie — is steeped in history.
Queen Victoria famously wore a mourning veil for the rest of her life after the death of her husband, Prince Albert, and many other members of the royal family have worn them at funerals over the years – including Queen Elizabeth, Princess Margaret and the Queen Mother.
While the other royal women’s veils yesterday were of a shorter variety, Letizia appeared to be the only one wearing a full mourning veil draped over the front and back of her halo-style headpiece.
Letizia added Chanel feather earrings and an elegant black Giorgio Armani handbag to her look.
The Spanish royal family met Queen Elizabeth II on numerous occasions, including a state visit to the UK in 2017, where the two queens had a memorable tiara moment.
They joined numerous other royal families at the funeral, including Prince Albert and Princess Charlene of Monaco, who made a rare public appearance after the mysterious illness that nearly killed her.
Other guests included King Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima and the former Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden, Queen Rania and King Abdullah II of Jordan and Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, who is one of the cousins and best friends.
Plus, Joe Biden and celebrities Sandra Oh, Bear Grylls, musician Gregory Charles and Olympic gold medalist swimmer Mark Tewksbury were among the 2.00 guests.