Today in the alpine city of Vaduz, the only daughter of the Hereditary Prince and Hereditary Princess of Liechtenstein was married in an iconic diamond tiara worn by her mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother.
On Saturday, 28-year-old Princess Marie-Caroline of Liechtenstein arrived at St. Florin’s Cathedral in Vaduz on the arm of her father, Hereditary Prince Alois, for her wedding to her Venezuelan fiancé, Leopoldo Maduro Vollmer. Princess Marie-Caroline is the only daughter of Hereditary Prince Alois and his German-born wife, Duchess Sophie in Bavaria, and she is a granddaughter of the reigning Prince of Liechtenstein, Hans-Adam II.
Inside, the cathedral was packed with the families of both the bride and groom, including numerous members of Princess Marine-Caroline’s royal families. Her parents and her grandfathers, Prince Hans-Adam II and Duke Max in Bavaria, were all present. So were her brothers, Prince Joseph Wenzel, Prince Georg, and Prince Nikolaus.
The were numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins sitting in the pews, too. Her mother’s sisters were present, as were her father’s brother and sister-in-law, Prince Maximilian and Princess Angela of Liechtenstein, and his sister, Princess Tatjana. Further back in the congregation were more familiar faces, including Hans-Adam II’s brothers and sisters-in-law, Prince Philipp and Princess Isabelle and Prince Nikolaus and Princess Margaretha (who is a sister of the Grand Duke of Luxembourg).
The bride and groom said their vows in Liechtenstein’s stunning nineteenth-century neo-Gothic cathedral. The same church has hosted numerous weddings for members of the princely family. Marie-Caroline’s great-grandparents, Prince Franz Josef II and Princess Gina, were married there in 1943, and her grandparents, Prince Hans-Adam II and Princess Marie, were wed in the building in 1967. Her parents, Hereditary Prince Alois and Hereditary Princess Sophie, celebrated their wedding in the church in the summer of 1993.
Marie-Caroline, who works in the fashion industry in London, wore a modern bohemian-inspired dress for her wedding, paired with a gorgeous lace veil. (The couple are both based in Britain, where Leopoldo was educated and now works in investment management.)
Her jewels for the day were special pieces borrowed from the princely vaults. Her bridal diadem, the Habsburg Fringe Tiara, dates to 1890. It originally belonged to her great-great-great-grandmother, Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria, who was the sister-in-law of Emperor Franz Josef. The tiara came to Liechtenstein with Maria Theresa’s daughter, Princess Elisabeth Amalie, who married Prince Alois of Liechtenstein in 1903. The tiara has been a treasured heirloom in the vaults ever since, worn by Princess Gina, Princess Marie, and Hereditary Princess Sophie, and by several family brides.
With the tiara, Princess Marie-Caroline wore a pair of diamond earrings that are also Liechtenstein princely heirlooms. The classic earrings, which appear to be antique, feature tiny diamond ribbons from which a large diamond frame element is suspended. They’ve been worn for numerous gala occasions by the late Princess Marie and more recently by Hereditary Princess Sophie.
After the ceremony, the newlyweds walked together through the streets of Vaduz, where they were cheered on by locals, some wearing traditional costumes.
The people gathered also got the chance to view members of the family as they arrived for and departed from the ceremony. Here’s Hereditary Princess Sophie, wearing a floral dress with diamond earrings and gold bracelets, on the arm of Hereditary Prince Alois. Behind her, in blue, is the groom’s mother.
Liechtenstein’s alpine setting provided dramatic backdrops for the official wedding photographs on the grounds of the family’s residence, nearby Vaduz Castle.
There was also an official photograph taken in front of a tapestry inside the castle, with both families posing together with the bride and groom.
A stunning wedding overall! For those interested in more Liechtenstein sparkle, I shared a flashback article about Hereditary Prince Alois and Hereditary Princess Sophie’s 1993 nuptials here at The Court Jeweller, as well as a fascinating deep dive into the history of the Habsburg Fringe Tiara over at Hidden Gems.
And a scheduling note: this bonus article takes the place of our regular Monday post on my content calendar. (Monday is also a holiday here at TCJ HQ, so good timing there!) You can expect our regular Sunday newsletter to hit your inboxes tomorrow as scheduled. Otherwise, I’ll see you all back here on Tuesday!
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.