The Swedish Haga Palace is the new official residence for HRH The Crown Princess Victoria and her new husband, Prince Daniel. They will move in upon their return from their Tahitian honeymoon.

King Gustav IV Adolf had envisioned a home in Haga just outside Enskede, so he commissioned architect Carl Christoffer Gjörwell to build a modern palace in the style of an Italian villa. The result looked less like a palace and more like a large, sunny country home. It has been used alternately as a private home and a summer house for several members of the Swedish royal family over the years.

Haga is the birthplace of Princess Victoria’s father, King Carl XVI Gustaf. The King – Prince Carl Gustaf at the time – and his four sisters spent their childhood at this palace with their parents, Hereditary Prince Gustaf Adolf and Princess Sybilla.

Young Carl Gustaf played happily on the grounds with Princesses Margaretha, Birgitta, Désirée, and Christina and they were photographed enjoying their small playhouse in the park. The Swedish media and the public were charmed by the royal children, especially the girls, who became affectionately known as Hagasessornas, “Haga Princesses”.

The death of their father in an airplane crash in 1947 outside Copenhagen, Denmark, devastated the family. Princess Sybilla, who felt as though “the floor fell out from under my feet”, took the children to live in an apartment at The Royal Palace in 1950.

Haga, abandoned as the official home, was left empty for several years. King Gustaf VI Adolf eventually transferred its ownership to the Swedish government for use as a guest house for visiting dignitaries in 1966.

Happily, Haga reverted back to Royal property in 2009. Just after Princess Victoria’s engagement was announced in February 24th of that year, Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt declared that the rights of disposal to the palace would be transferred back to the royal court as a wedding gift to Victoria and her new husband, Prince Daniel. Attempting to echo the sentiments of Winston Churchill upon the wedding of Princess Elizabeth in 1947, Reinfeldt said: “[T]he royal engagement [i]s a beacon of light in the dark times of economic crises.”

This happy, warm palace looks extremely welcoming and should be perfect for the beaming royal couple. Congratulations to Victoria and Daniel upon the return of a very precious family home.

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. It was big, but not as intricate or tall as that of Grand Duchess MT.

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 (l) 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 (r), for her wedding to Ari Behn.

While Martha-Louise wore the tiara high on her head, the Crown Princess tilted the prongs back, creating the illusion of a smaller headpiece.

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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)!

As if the wedding wasn’t sweet enough already:

I love Princess Vic. What a great wedding! It will go down in royal history.

In this day and age sometimes it’s difficult to merge tradition with modern practices. In this case, the tradition of the Cameo tiara, worn by her mother Queen Silvia at her wedding, was not a choice that most people, prior to the wedding, would have chosen for Crown Princess Victoria. But in this case, it worked with the simplicity of her wedding dress. Designed by Pär Engshede, who has created many dresses for members of the royal family, it is made of cream-coloured duchess silk satin, with short sleeves and a turned-out collar, which follows the rounded neckline. The dress has a v-shaped back with covered buttons. The sash at the waist is buttoned up at the back.

Crown Princess Victoria wore Queen Sofia’s lace veil, last worn by Victoria’s mother, Queen Silvia at her 1976 marriage to King Carl XVI Gustaf. The 5 metre (about 16 feet) long train edged with a border, was fastenened at the waist, the same shape as the veil.  Her unseen shoes were made of the same fabric as the dress.

Although she arrived at the the cathedral in a Rolls Royce, after the ceremony, the Princess and her new husband departed in the Parade Barouche from the Royal Mews, the same carriage used by her parents at their wedding exactly 34 years to the day. The traditions continued with the newlyweds taking a journey on the Royal Barge Vasaorden

- Marilyn Braun

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,

Princess Madeleine Possibilities:

Princess Mathilde possibilities:

Princess Maxima Possibilities:

Some Queen Silvia possibilities:

Princess Martha-Louise Possibilities:

HRH The Crown Princess of Sweden is getting married in a month, and you can rest assured that The Royal Representative will cover it!

The funny thing is, my husband’s cousin is getting married the same day – June 19th – and we will be on the other side of the country celebrating her wedding. What to do?

So, with a huge amount of gratitude and happiness, I announce today that Marilyn of Marilyn’s Royal Blog will be covering the wedding of Princess Victoria and Daniel Westling here at The Royal Rep while I’m en famille out west.

Thanks to Marilyn for helping, and here’s to wedding fever! :)

Sweden’s Princess Madeleine has called off her wedding plans.

Amid the preparation for elder sister Victoria’s wedding this June, Madeleine, 27, has been dealing with numerous issues in her relationship. Madeleine had been engaged to lawyer Jonas Bergstrom since August 2009, but recently rumors cropped up over his alleged infidelity. Her mother, Queen Silvia, even made a public statement of support to try and quell speculation but to no avail – the engagement was called off, a rare thing for royalty.

The princess said in her engagement interview that she and Bergstrom became engaged during their holiday to Capri in early June 2009. On August 11th, the pair officially announced the engagement during a formal photo call in front of the royal family’s summer home Solliden. Madeleine showed off her ring to the media, and Jonas lovingly held his arm around her. The news of a broken engagement, therefore, comes as a surprise to many.

The Royal Court issued a statement: “After careful consideration, Princess Madeleine and Jonas Bergström jointly decided to go their separate ways.”

I wish Madeleine the best and hope that she finds her “Prince Charming” one day soon.

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If you have ‘tweens’ or teenagers, chances are you’ve heard the term “BFFs”. The catchy abbreviation stands for “Best Friends Forever”, a term that’s taken seriously by some of Europe’s royals.

Take the Scandinavian troika of Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark, Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, and Sweden’s Crown Princess Victoria: all three are close friends and, like most European royals, are distantly related through Britain’s Queen Victoria.

These three all have close ties with one another, as they share a unique position of being the heir to a throne. The burden is eased knowing that they can talk and share ideas with someone who understands the pressures. Both Frederik and Haakon have always regarded Victoria as a “lillesøster” (little sister), attending royal ceremonies and performing official duties together whenever they can.

“We share experiences from travel, and talk together on complex issues where we need to exchange ideas,” says Princess Victoria.

“We always have a really nice time together. Meeting points are obviously not as frequent as you want. Full calendars sometimes prevent you from being united, but I am very fond of both the Crown Princes and grateful for their support.”

One of their joint outings occurred when Frederik, Haakon, and Victoria visited the Antarctic as patrons of the International Polar Year, a project which allowed them to schedule working time together. They all have a keen interest in the environment and are usually seen together for such causes. In December 2009, they spent time in Frederik’s homeland of Denmark, where they attended the opening of the Bright Green Expo in Copenhagen.

Previously, Victoria was the only unmarried royal among the group, and would often accompany her princely “brothers” and their wives at royal functions. Now Victoria is escorted by Daniel Westling, her fiance, who will become a royal prince and the Duke of Västergötland upon their marriage on June 19th. The Crown Princess will walk down the aisle the same day her parents married in 1976.

The Scandinavian triumvirate are so close that Victoria was named godmother to Princess Ingrid Alexandra and Prince Christian, the eldest children of Prince Haakon and Prince Frederik, respectively.

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The Crown Princesses of the Netherlands and Belgium are close friends through their royal husbands. Even their countries are intertwined. Belgium was once a part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, but gained independence in 1830. Both nations remain close allies.

Princess Maxima of the Netherlands and BFF Princess Mathilde carry out several engagements for their respective countries, but try to make it a joint effort as much as possible.

Many say that the pair work ‘seamlessly‘ when they attend events together. The opening of a new museum in Leven, Belgium, was no exception: Maxima and Mathilde smiled and greeted the crowds with warm enthusiasm and clearly enjoyed each other’s company as well.

Mathilde and Maxima have a lot in common. Close in age, they both married heirs of thrones; both women are university-educated; they speak several languages fluently; and both were successful career women when they met their husbands.

Argentine-born Maxima was working at the New York branch of Germany’s Deutsche Bank when she began dating Prince Willem-Alexander. Mathilde was employed as a speech therapist when she met her future husband, Prince Philippe, during a casual game of tennis.

The pair of princesses also share a love of being hands-on, attentive mothers. Maxima has three girls and Mathilde has two boys and two girls. Mathilde is godmother to Maxima’s middle daughter, Princess Alexia.

Add your favorite royal pairings in the comments below!

With both Crown Princess Victoria AND her sister Princess Madeleine getting engaged, the British (and American, and Canadian…) public are chomping at the bit for a Royal Wales Wedding.

You almost don’t want to think about it, because somehow you just know you’re going to end up disappointed. It’s like armageddon: people keep coming up with “concrete” dates of when it’s supposed to happen and what the signs were that helped them determine that date!

It’s maddening! What do you think? Will 2010 be the year? Will the Prince and Kate Middleton throw down with CP Victoria in the media for most watched wedding? Or will they stomp out Princess Madeleine in 2011? Will it just never happen? It’s your guess…

The two royal brides-to-be, sisters Victoria and Madeleine, will be in the process of choosing their gowns, flowers, and most importantly, their jewels.

Today we take a look at some of the fabulous tiaras and jewels the Crown Princess may wear for her wedding to Daniel Westling in June 2010. Princess Madeleine also has a stunning repertoire of jewels from which to choose in preparation for her wedding to Jonas Bergstrom.

With many thanks to The Royal Forums and Royal Jewels of the World, I present some of the most stunning items in the Swedish Bernadotte dynasty. What will the Princesses choose?

The Baden Fringe tiara
Many times princesses and queens will have a tiara converted. Fringe tiaras are popular as necklaces. The Baden fringe belonged to Princess Viktoria of Baden, later Queen Victoria of Sweden.

The Diamond Laurel Wreath tiara
Currently worn by the Princesses’ aunt Lilian. It is rumored that Victoria may wear this one as an affectionate gesture to the Welsh-born Princess Lilian.

The Six Diamond Button tiara

This tiara and its mate, the Four Button tiara, are very popular with Victoria. It has only been seen on Princess Madeleine once or twice, but it usually adorns the locks of the Crown Princess.

Napoleonic Cut-Steel Tiara
A tiara of highly polished cut-steel set with gold in the designs of oak leaves, acorns, flowers and feathers.

King Carl Gustav’s Fringe tiara

The Aquamarine Bandeau Tiara

Empress Josephine’s Cameo Tiara

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 ever since, and was worn by the princesses’ mother, Queen Silvia, at her own wedding.

Queen Sophie’s Diamond Tiara
Made in Berlin for King Oscar II’s wife, Queen Sophie, nee Princess of Nassau. Nine graduated prongs are topped with five-pointed star-like clusters of collet diamonds, encompassing classical motifs.

Braganca Diamond Tiara

An immense diamond tiara set in silver and mounted in gold. The tiara once belonged to the sister of Queen Josephine of Sweden. After her death, it was inherited by the Queen and has been passed down within the Swedish royal family.