Archives for June 2015
Royal Jewel Rewind: Crown Princess Victoria’s Pre-Wedding Gala (Part 2)
The Benelux royals were out in bejeweled force for the wedding. Queen Beatrix — who was still the Dutch queen at the time of the wedding — wore pearls for her goddaughter’s pre-wedding concert. Her jewelry included a large diamond and pearl bracelet that belonged to Queen Sophie.
Princess Maxima wore her diamond girandole earrings, plus the new bracelets made from Queen Juliana’s large Dutch East Indies Bracelet.
The Duchess of Brabant — who would become Queen Mathilde of the Belgians a few years later — wore her diamond floral necklace and bracelet with large earrings featuring dark pendant drops to match the waist of her gown.
Of all the jewels at the pre-wedding events, I’m not sure any were as spectacular as the ones worn by Princess Astrid of Belgium. This is the Savoy Emerald Necklace, made in France in the nineteenth century. Its original owner was either Queen Maria Vittoria of Spain (wife of Amedeo I) or her daughter-in-law, Princess Hélène of Orléans. (She’s probably better known to the British royal watchers among you as the Catholic princess whom the Duke of Clarence was forbidden to marry.) Today, the necklace is part of the jewel collection of Astrid’s mother-in-law, Archduchess Margherita of Austria-Este.
Also decked out in major colorful gemstones: Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg, who wore pieces from the family’s aquamarine parure, plus a ring that looks to have an amethyst stone.
As usual, the Earl and Countess of Wessex represented the Brits at this foreign royal wedding. Sophie let her dress do most of its own accessorizing, but she did wear earrings, an evening watch, and…
…a bracelet, which you can see better in this photo, where everyone is very concerned about Infanta Elena’s skirt.
Hereditary Princess Sophie of Liechtenstein kept her jewelry very minimal, wearing only small earrings, a watch, and a diamond bracelet. (Plus all those feathers.)
The Princess of Asturias — who would later become Queen Letizia of Spain — wore large diamond hoop earrings and her diamond Cartier bracelet.
Letizia’s sister-in-law, Infanta Elena, wore a Spanish-style gown for the pre-wedding events, accessorizing with green earrings and a pair of glittering bracelets.
Here’s something you’re not likely to see again: Infanta Cristina of Spain and her husband, the disgraced Iñaki Urdangarín, attending a royal event. She’s wearing almost no jewelry at all, save for a pair of small earrings.
She wasn’t yet a princess, as her engagement to Prince Albert II of Monaco was announced after this wedding, but Charlene Wittstock wore a gorgeous pair of pearl earrings to the pre-wedding dinnner. I’m not sure, but I think the jeweled brooch pinned at her waist is probably a part of the gown.
The amazingly-youthful Princess Sarvath of Jordan wore a gorgeous jewel-toned outfit to the pre-wedding dinner, plus delicate drop earrings and a bracelet that matched her dress.
Princess Rym, the sister-in-law of the Jordanian king, wore delicate pendant earrings with her coral-colored gown for the pre-wedding events. If you’re not familiar with Princess Rym, have a Google: her educational and journalistic resume is beyond impressive!
There were a few royals from non-reigning monarchies in attendance at the pre-wedding events as well. Margarita, the Spanish-born wife of the former tsar of Bulgaria, wore gold jewelry to coordinate with her outfit.
And Margarita’s daughter-in-law, Valentino muse Princess Rosario, wore elaborate earrings to contrast with her minimalist gown.
From the former royal family of Yugoslavia, Crown Princess Katherine wore pearls with her vibrant purple dress.
And one more bejeweled guest: Crown Princess Margarita, daughter of the last king of Romania, wore a gorgeous diamond necklace with diamond earrings and a diamond brooch.
Royal Jewel Rewind: Crown Princess Victoria’s Pre-Wedding Gala (Part 1)
The Swedish royal wedding is quickly approaching, and to get us all in the mood, I’ll be presenting special editions of Royal Jewel Rewind over the next two weeks, shining the spotlight on the most recent Bernadotte weddings. Today, we’re kicking things off with Crown Princess Victoria’s pre-wedding gala. This is part one of two — stay tuned at the same time tomorrow for more jewels from this event!
I think it’s only appropriate that we start off with the bride, right? Crown Princess Victoria’s dress and jewels for the pre-wedding government dinner and concert is one of my favorite looks of all time on the princess. Even though the gala was black tie (i.e., no tiaras), Victoria managed to wear some major Swedish royal jewels. Her earrings are pieces from the family’s jewel foundation: a pair of diamond epaulettes (shoulder elements from a dress military uniform) that were converted into a pair of earrings.
She also wore the Bernadotte family’s diamond arrow brooch. The piece was artfully placed in her chignon, as if Cupid himself had struck her with an arrow of love. Perfect!
She also wore an elaborate diamond bracelet on her left wrist. I think the choice to go without a necklace was a smart one — the earrings, brooch, and bracelet provided more than enough sparkle, and there was nothing to compete with the dramatic neckline of her one-shouldered gown.
The mother of the bride — Queen Silvia of Sweden — wore stunning diamond floral earrings, plus a large diamond collet necklace with a pendant drop.
Princess Madeleine delved into the Bernadotte jewels for the pre-wedding events. She borrowed her mother’s Modern Fringe Tiara, wearing it as a necklace.
She also wore the Vasa earrings, pieces of jewelry which may date to the late eighteenth-century, when the Vasa dynasty reigned in Sweden. (They’re also the same earrings she would wear three years later on her own wedding day.)
Like her sister, Madeleine also added a jeweled surprise to her hair: the floral brooch from the family’s Brazilian parure.
The king’s second sister, Princess Birgitta of Sweden and Hohenzollern, attended the pre-wedding dinner wearing long diamond earrings, a diamond necklace, and sparkling bracelets. I’m not sure if the king’s other three sisters attended — I haven’t seen photos of them entering or leaving, and I haven’t spotted them in any of the dinner photos.
Queen Sonja of Norway wore pearls, pearls, and more pearls at the pre-wedding events.
Crown Princess Mette-Marit wore a dress with a sparkly belt, plus a sparkly bracelet and a sparkly clutch…
…but it was her gorgeous diamond earrings, with their faceted red (ruby? garnet?) pendant stones, that stole the show. The earrings are versatile and can be worn with various pendants, including pearls.
Princess Märtha Louise completed the Norwegian contingent of royal ladies, wearing a demi-parure set with stones that I think are probably opals interspersed with diamonds.
Queen Margrethe II of Denmark also wore blue-toned jewels: pieces from her set of diamond and turquoise jewelry.
Crown Princess Mary of Denmark wore a suite of jewels from Ole Lynggaard (the maker of the Midnight Parure), with diamond floral elements and pale stones. I’ve never seen a positive ID on the gemstone included here; I’ve heard suggestions that they might be morganite, and they do seem to have a distinctive pinkish shade to me.
She also wore a diamond floral cuff that coordinates with the diamond floral stud of the earrings.
Princess Benedikte, sister of the Danish queen (and a first cousin of the Swedish king!) wore pearls to the pre-wedding events.
Benedikte’s son, Prince Gustav, brought his partner, Carina Axelsson, to the wedding; for the pre-wedding events, she wore a pearl necklace, plus earrings and a ring with colored gemstones.
Benedikte’s elder daughter, Princess Alexandra, wore a diamond necklace and delicate earrings.
Anne-Marie, the former Queen of Greece and the youngest sister of the Danish queen (which also makes her a first cousin of the Swedish king) wore a pearl necklace, diamond earrings, and a diamond brooch in the shape of a swan.
Anne-Marie’s elder daughter, Princess Alexia, wore long pendant earrings with her bright red gown at the pre-wedding dinner.
Tatiana Blatnik, then the fiancee of Prince Nikolaos of Greece and Denmark, wore bold, dramatic gold jewelry at the pre-wedding events.