Everyone knows Kate Middleton, now the Duchess of Cambridge. The gorgeous Queen Rania of Jordan ranks high in the royal elite, and Queen Elizabeth II is a legend. Which modern-day royals rank in your top 10? Let’s hear the nominations as we research the hard-working and history-worthy royals across the world.
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.
Princess Birgitta of Sweden
Crown Princess Victoria’s aunt Birgitta was seen wearing the Nine-Prong Diamond tiara, also known as Queen Sophie’s Diamond Tiara.
Queen Sophie’s tiara was put forward as a possibility for Queen Silvia, the mother of the bride (below).
Instead, Her Majesty opted for the Braganca Diamond Tiara. This tiara once belonged to Empress Amalie of Brazil, whose sister was Queen Josephine of Sweden. After her death, it was inherited by Josephine and became a fixture among the jewels of the Swedish Royal Family. Interestingly, Queen Silvia’s mother Alice was Brazilian.
This easily rivals the Luxembourg Empire Diamant tiara above, but because Silvia’s hair has more body, it seems to compliment the tiara rather than allow it to overshadow her.
Her suite of jewelry was the Pink Topaz set worn by Queen Louise of Sweden (Lord Mountbatten’s sister). It was originally the wedding gift of the Russian Tsar Paul to his daughter, who married a German Grand Duke. Their daughter, Augusta, married the infamous Kaiser. It was Augusta’s granddaughter, Victoria, who would bring the suite into the Bernadotte dynasty when she married Prince Gustav of Sweden.
Princess Madeleine of Sweden
The sister of the bride sported the Connaught Diamond Tiara, a delicate looped headpiece that was simple and elegant.
The Connaught once belonged to Princess Margaret of Connaught. It was a wedding gift from her parents, Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Duchess Louise Margarete (formerly of Prussia). Margaret, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria, married the future King Gustav Adolf in 1905.
Crown Princess Maxima of the Netherlands
Maxima wore a very sparkly yet subtle tiara to the nuptials.
The Diamond Bandeau Tiara has adorned the heads of Dutch queens and princesses for generations. It is made up of twenty-seven large diamonds set on a platinum band.
Princess Mabel of the Netherlands
Mabel’s nutty “trouser gown” detracted from her headpiece, but if you did happen to notice it, you’ll recognize that it is the very same tiara she wore on her wedding day to Queen Beatrix’s son Prince Friso.
Thanks to Mad Hattery, I discovered that Mabel’s tiara is the second setting of the Mellerio Sapphire Tiara. It is topped with 11 large diamonds that look like lollipops.
I don’t know what possessed her to wear the outfit that she did, but the color was nice anyway!
Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway
Mette Marit chose to wear Queen Maud’s Pearl tiara to highlight her elegant bone structure and eye-catching platinum locks. This tiara was also worn by Mette Marit’s sister-in-law, Princess Martha-Louise for her wedding to Ari Behn.
While Martha-Louise wore the tiara high on her head, the Crown Princess (above) tilted the prongs back, creating the illusion of a smaller headpiece.
This tiara came down from Queen Maud of Norway, a sister of King George V of Great Britain. She had married Prince Charles of Denmark, who had been presented with the opportunity to become King of Norway. He accepted, and they became Queen Maud and King Haakon.
Princess Martha-Louise wore the Norwegian Amethyst Necklace Tiara. Like many royal tiaras, it is easily converted into a necklace and has matching earrings. The tiara was a gift to her mother Queen Sonja from King Harald.
Crown Princess Mary of Denmark
The Danish Crown Princess wore Queen Ingrid’s Ruby Parure Tiara. It is a tiara frequently worn by Mary, and completely apropos for this wedding: inherited by Queen Luise of Sweden, she eventually passed it to her daughter, the future Queen Louise of Denmark, as a wedding present.
Many thanks to The Immense Glitter of Two Danish Royal Weddings, Royal Jewels and Royal Magazin (again)!
Queen Rania of Jordan
Queen Rania wore a converted bracelet as her headpiece. Her gown was elegant but her hair was slightly messy. The small tiara gets lost in Rania’s beehive.
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.
Image via Wikipedia
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 – at least here in America – compared to their counterparts.
In Britain, we’ve seen 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 seriously. I’d consider attending said celebration with a bullet-proof vest and some chain mail. Under armor. Or maybe I wouldn’t turn up at all.
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”.
Queen Fabiola is full of surprises, and brazenly brave to boot. My hat is definitely off to her!
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.
