My final post before vacation focused on the royal jewels that might be seen at Crown Princess Victoria’s wedding. The royal women certainly did not disappoint; everything sparkled and looked magnificent.

I saw some tiaras that were amazing as well as amazingly out of place. Let’s check it out, but a word to the wise: this post is picture-laden. It may take a moment to load.

Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg

The Cuban-born lovely usually wears beautiful jewels that fit her appearance, but in this instance, the tiara was too big. It seemed to weigh too heavily for someone as petite as Maria Teresa.

According to Royal Magazin, the origin of this Empire Diamant tiara is not known. The tiara’s design of laurel leaves dates to around the mid of the 19th century. It had been worn by Grand Duke Henri’s mother, Grand Duchess Josephine-Charlotte. Read more…

Since her engagement last February, Crown Princess Victoria has been waist-deep in wedding business: choosing her gown, flowers, and most importantly, her jewels.

Many details have not been made public yet, but one important tidbit we do know is that Victoria has chosen the Cameo tiara as her headpiece. One of the oldest jewels in the Swedish royal family’s collection, the Cameo tiara was worn by the princess’s mother, Silvia, when she married King Carl XVI Gustaf.

Owned by the French Empress Josephine, it was inherited by her granddaughter and namesake, Duchess Josephine of Leuchtenberg, who brought it to Sweden when she married the future King Oscar I. It has been passed down by the Bernadotte dynasty ever since.

We know what Victoria will be wearing for a tiara, but what about the other royal women attending the ceremony? What cascades of jewels will be adorning regal heads – and gowns – across Europe? Take a look at Royal Jewels of the World, Royal Dutch Jewels, and Royal Magazin for an idea of the magnificence that may appear on the day.

For more possibilities, Read more…

King Albert II of Belgium visited the site of a horrible train crash Monday afternoon.

During Monday morning rush hour in Brussels, a commuter train ran a stop light and crashed head on with another train. It has been reported that at least 18 people were killed and approximately 55 were injured. Officials call it Belgium’s deadliest train wreck in decades.

The king’s nephew, Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, sent his country’s condolences.

When I think of Belgium, I think of Tintin, the EU, and lots of arguing about who should speak what language.

The Belgian royals are a lovely family, but they are not usually on my radar. They are pretty quiet in comparison to their fellow royals.

In Britain, we see the young Prince William sending the media into a frenzy over whom he will marry; in Holland, the traditional ‘Queen’s Day’ ended in drama when a crazed man drove his car through the crowds; and in Sweden, the Crown Princess is about to set a record when she marries next year – the only Queen regnant to take a commoner husband and grant him the HRH title.

Lately, however, I’ve seen that the Belgian royals are full of character and crazy events. We don’t always get to see the funny, dramatic, or casual side to the lives of Royalty until that one crowning moment.

That moment came when Belgium’s dowager Queen Fabiola was threatened with death by an anonymous nut. They claimed that they would shoot to kill during Belgium’s National Day celebrations, the fatal blow to be delivered with a crossbow.

I don’t know about you, but I would take that threat very seriously. I’d consider attending said celebration with a bullet-proof vest and some chain mail. Under armor.

Not Queen Fabiola.

This feisty Queen Mum of België decided to dress in normal attire, with the typical royal chapeau and… an apple.

The surrounding members of her family were seen chuckling as Fabiola brandished the apple. She waved it to and fro, as if to say, Where are you, William Tell?

You might, at this juncture, expect a white-gloved thumb to the nose and a quiet “Neener neener”.

I think from now on, the monarchy of King Albert II will be watched closely by this royal blogger. They have surprises up their sleeves, they do.

RoyaltyNow! presents Prince Harry in NYC, the Belgian Royals, Prince Charles’ 40th anniversary, and more! Majesty Magazine Review for July 2009 – http://royaltynow.podcastpeople.com/posts/33626.

Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg is a first cousin to Belgium’s Crown Prince Philippe.

Henri’s mother was Josephine-Charlotte, a Belgian princess who married into Luxembourg’s Grand Ducal family. Philippe’s father is King Albert II of Belgium, Josephine-Charlotte’s youngest brother. Their other brother, Baudouin, died in 1993 after 42 years as Belgium’s king.

The editors of a Belgian television website have massive quantities of egg on their faces.

After declaring that Queen Fabiola of Belgium had died, the website quickly withdrew the story, blaming a “publishing error”.

“This was human error. We are very sorry and our online news team has sent an apology to the royal family,” said a spokeswoman for the Flemish VRT television website.

The queen – who had surgery to correct a thyroid problem earlier this month – was diagnosed with pneumonia and is currently in a “serious but stable” condition.

Queen Fabiola Facts:

Consort to the late King Baudouin of Belgium
Aunt to Crown Prince Phillipe
Elected to be sedated using hypnosis during her recent surgery
Her godmother was Queen Victoria Eugenia of Spain
The Queen was born Fabiola de Mora y Aragón, a daughter of the Marquess of Casa Riera, 2nd Count of Mora