The Newlywed Procession

The newlywed procession via carriage to the docked boat was magnificent! Madeleine and Chris left the Royal Palace of Stockholm in their carriage to the waiting boat, where they, along with their guests, sailed down the river to Drottningholm Palace. There will be a gala dinner celebrating the wedding, which will cap off a fairytale day! [Click images to enlarge. All images are screencaps from SVT]

Setting out:

cortege

Leaving the Royal Palace of Stockholm:

setting out

Greeting the crowds:

waving to crowds

boquet-wave


A quick kiss, and a look at Madeleine’s lovely hair:

kiss-hairstyle

Boarding the boat to Drottningholm Palace:

board-boat

On their way!:

heading-drottiningholm

Princess Benedikte of Denmark, Prince Nikolaos of Greece, and his wife Tatiana:

bennie-nik-tat-royal-wedding

Princess Marie and Prince Joachim of Denmark:

marie-joachim

Crown Princess Mette-Marit and Crown Prince Haakon of Norway:

mette-haakon

Princess Theodora of Greece and her younger brother, Prince Philippos:

theodora

Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel:

CP Victoria

Our dear Earl and Countess of Wessex, Edward and Sophie:

wessex

The brother of the bride, Prince Carl-Philip:

carl-philip

The king and queen disembark:

king-queen-disembark

Finally, the bride and groom appear!:

chris-mad-disembark

Greeted by costumed courtiers:

the-lead-up

With family and friends:

family-friends

Official photos to capture the incredible day:

photo-official-outside

Princess Madeleine of Sweden Has Married!

Princess Madeleine of Sweden has married her American love, Christopher O’Neill. Below are photos of the event [click to enlarge photos. All are screen captures from SVT.se].

Princess Madeleine’s wedding dress was created by Valentino and made from pleated silk organza with appliquéd ivory-coloured Chantilly lace. Her tiara, the Modern Fringe Tiara (one of her frequent headpieces), is decorated with sprigs of orange blossom.

The assembled royal guests:

euro royals

The church guests:

church guests

Prince Daniel, Princess Estelle, Princess Victoria, and Queen Silvia:

royal family with Estelle


Chris’ mother, Eva O’Neill, far left:

chris family

Chris awaits his bride with his best man:

chris awaits

Here she comes!:

madde enters

Madeleine sweeps in on the arm of her father, the king:

train1

What a train!:

train2

Chris reacts to Madeleine’s entrance:

chris reacts

At the altar:

at altar

Hymns:

Chris and Madde singing

Exchange of rings:

Exchanging rings

Exchanging rings

ring closeup

A tender moment:

hand-hold

Crown Princess Victoria and Estelle:

vic-estelle-cute

Victoria gives a reading:

vic-speaks
Crown Princess Victoria wears the Laurel Wreath Tiara, a personal piece from her late aunt, Princess Lilian. The princess once stated that this tiara would be inherited by Victoria, and today she wore it in honor of Lilian.

Madeleine looks on at the singers:

madde-looks

One of Chris’ sisters, Countess Natascha Abensperg und Traun, gives a reading:

chris-sister

Departing the church:

leaving1

leaving church

leaving

very-cinderella

A very pleased King Carl Gustav and Queen Silvia:

pleased-king-queen


Sweden celebrates!:

sweden

kiss

Links:

RoyaltyNow! Royal News! Princess Madeleine’s Wedding, Camilla Speaks French, Coronation Meadows!

movie-icon Royal News! Princess Madeleine’s Wedding, Camilla Speaks French, and Coronation Meadows!

Elizabeth, A Legacy

Elizabeth, A Legacy

Sixty years ago today, the former Princess Elizabeth was crowned Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Abbey. It was a day of great pomp and circumstance, befitting a lovely new monarch.

Queen-Philip-Margaret_large

Joining her on the day were her small children, Prince Charles and Princess Anne, along with her mother, husband, and sister (as seen above). It was a day that the Queen would never forget, and certainly a day that would live in her subjects’ minds and hearts for many years to come.

King George VI Coronation

Above, another special coronation day that would be a big part of Elizabeth’s life: that of her father, King George VI. He was not prepared to take the crown, but he did so out of duty to his country and his family. The war time king became a symbol for his nation and a noble presence that the princess adored her entire life.

Even from a young age, Elizabeth has been dutiful and mindful of not merely her own legacy, but that of her father’s, grandfather’s, and all of the monarchs before her. Even to this day, 60 years later, she has not let us down. God Save The Queen! Vivat Regina!

Prince Nikolai and Family Celebrate His Confirmation

Prince Nikolai of Denmark was confirmed in a private ceremony in Fredensborg Palace Church on Saturday.

The ceremony was followed by a luncheon at Fredensborg Palace.


Prince Nikolai and family celebrate his confirmation

The family posed for photos on the steps, with Prince Joachim and Countess Alexandra both beaming with pride for their eldest son.

Joachim’s wife, Princess Marie, discreetly stood for photos with their blended family along with Countess Alexandra’s husband, Martin Jorgensen. Marie and Joachim’s son, Prince Henrik, was also in attendance for his brother’s confirmation.

confirmation1
confirmation2

It is wonderful to see this family function so well both publicly and privately. Joachim and Alexandra and their new spouses have seen to the children’s well-being first and foremost, and I admire them for that. Congratulations to Nikolai on his important milestone!

Other Royals Visit The USA!

To prove that Americans are not interested only in the British Royal Family, here’s some news: Prince Harry is not the only royal in the U.S. lately!

Do I need to fetch the smelling salts?

Their Majesties King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden have also been paying a visit to the states. They stopped in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for a brief to the American Swedish Historical Museum and some of our famous national monuments at the Independence National Historical Park.
The royal couple moved on to Delaware to celebrate the first Swedish settlement in the USA.

Their Norwegian cousins, Crown Prince Haakon and Princess Mette-Marit have also been here, their journey taking them west to Texas and California.

Mette-Marit and her husband visited the Offshore Technology conference, toured the Norwegian Seamen’s Church in San Francisco, and the Crown Prince gave a talk at a seminar about tourism in San Francisco, hosted by Innovation Norway. Their visit has primarily focused on promoting Norwegian innovation.

Do Americans Give European Royals The Brush Off?

Do Americans give European royals the brush off? Though King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima were resplendent in their regal finery, and he being the first Dutch king in 123 years, America did not light up with interest.

CNN’s Erin Burnett discusses whether or not Americans pay much attention to anyone other than the Windsors.

Here’s what I think, and feel free to agree or disagree:

The British royals all speak English. That makes life easy for us. Unfortunately, we don’t typically have opportunities to learn other European languages other than basic French or Spanish in high school.

Plus, the coverage of the investiture was not widely reported in our media like it would be for the Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry, or Prince William. King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima are older and more businesslike. Many Americans are pulled only by glossy Hollywood-type royals, and the media plays into that. Queen Elizabeth II is an institution all her own, and people respect her. Otherwise, the public can’t be bothered with serious monarchy; there is only interest when something scandalous or fashionable happens.

Then there was the issue of time: only the most devoted Dutch-Americans and royal watchers were up for the ceremony. Timing for live impact was nearly impossible and really exhausting. The Netherlands is 6 hours ahead, and that’s just for the Eastern U.S.!


I believe that these are some of the reasons that the Dutch royals did not garner as much interest as the British would. Or is Erin Burnett right – is our “love affair” with royalty on the way out?

Do you agree or disagree? Your thoughts in the comments below!

Popular Prince Harry Hits The States

Prince HarryOur Hazza has touched down in D.C. for his week-long tour. Cue the sighing women holding signs proposing marriage wherever Harry goes! It’s time to play Popular Prince Harry Hits The States!

Lucky First Lady Michelle Obama greeted Britain’s most eligible bachelor as arrived in the States. Attending a reception held in honor of military mothers and their children, Prince Harry surprised the assembled guests with his presence. He also visited an exhibition by The Halo Trust, a landmine charity supported by his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.

Harry will visit Arlington National Cemetery tomorrow, and then move on to survey Hurricane Sandy damage in New Jersey. Harry’s visit will continue in New York, where he will further promote charities supporting injured servicemen. He will also be a spokesman for British interests and promote his own charities, such as Sentebale.

One thing is for sure: Harry won’t be visiting Las Vegas with friends this time around. It’s all business on this trip. He learned the hard way that what happens in Vegas, doesn’t stay in Vegas. Especially when you happen to be royalty!