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Prince William proposed to Kate with his mother’s sapphire and diamond engagement ring.
When explaining why he used Diana’s engagement ring from her marriage to Prince Charles, William said that is was so she ‘didn’t miss out on the excitement’. See video of the announcement here.
Diana, Princess of Wales’ style of engagement ring is the current favorite, and following closely behind is Her Majesty the Queen. Princess Grace of Monaco comes in at third place.
I chose photos of rings that ranged from the über traditional (Princess Victoria of Sweden) to the unusual (Marie of Denmark). According to the voters, the prince will use his mother’s engagement ring.
Ever since the media reported that the Royal Mint was creating a coin in honor of Prince William’s engagement, voters have gone bananas with the poll:
A source told The Mail on Sunday that he’d seen the mold for the commemorative coin at the Mint’s Llantrisant plant in South Wales. The news of this possible creation sent royal wedding watchers into a tizzy.
Clarence House denies that there are any preparations to mint such a coin, but that doesn’t stop the public guessing the date of William’s engagement to Kate Middleton. Some people say it will be next year, others say it will be in 2012. Whatever the date may be, vote now for the style of ring the Prince may choose for Kate here (images available). Will he pick one of these styles, or go down a completely different road?
A royal wedding means gown commentary, and the recent Greek royal nuptials are no exception.
It was a formal wedding but with a relaxed, happy twist that was perfect for their Mediterranean surroundings. Below, the great and the good (along with a few questionable choices thereafter):
The bride, Tatiana – Her wedding dress was an ivory Angel Sanchez gown with lace overlay. It was paired with a matching lace bolero jacket and full-length veil, topped off with a stunning tiara borrowed from her new mother-in-law. This tiara was also worn by Tatiana’s sister-in-law, Princess Marie-Chantal.
Marie of Denmark – a sand-colored gown and a stylish fan finishing the look. Bravo!
Princess Victoria of Sweden – her brilliant warm tangerine gown with empire waist fits and flows elegantly. Perfect!
Princess Letizia – a warm blue gown that wraps in the style of a Greek goddess, with a matching Hellenic column bracelet.
Nikolaos’ cousin, Infanta Cristina, looked splendid but serious in a black and gray floral gown with matching wrap.
The “Oh No!” Brigade:
Princess Madeleine of Sweden – an aqua gown the color of the Mediterranean Sea; a top the style of…a lettuce leaf?
Princess Mary and Princess Maxima – the the light and airy colors flatter Maxima, but the skirt of the gown is too fussy. The color and pattern of Mary’s gown, though it’s an elegant cut, falls flat.
The groom’s brother and sister, Prince Philippos and Princess Theodora – the stylish Philippos looked handsome in his suit. Funny enough, the men’s suits seem too heavy in comparison with the women’s gowns in such sunny, warm weather.
J’adore Theodora’s gown, except for the top. It cuts much too tightly across her bosom, and the bejeweled strap seems out of place.
Nikolaos’ other Spanish cousin, Enfanta Elena, looked much better without her candy pink jacket. The dress is still too dated though, looking like something out of the 1980s. Princess Rosario of Bulgaria kept things much more simple.
Royal Updates for July 2010.
Prince Albert gets engaged to Charlene Wittstock, and Princess Victoria of Sweden marries her Daniel. What the heck would Diana be like today, had she lived? What’s up with Crown Princess Letizia of Spain? Welcome to the latest edition of RoyaltyNow! Click here to view the latest!
Image by Globovisión via Flickr
Prince Albert of Monaco has proposed to his girlfriend Charlene Wittstock.
The Palace of Monaco officially announced the engagement of HSH Prince Albert II with Ms Charlene Wittstock on June 23rd. This is the first marriage for the 52-year-old prince and for Charlene, 32.
His Highness is the son of the late Prince Rainier III and the American actress-turned-princess Grace Kelly. Albert succeeded to the throne upon Rainier’s death in July 2005.
Charlene Lynette Wittstock is of South African nationality. Born on January 25th, 1978 in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, she is a former Olympic swimmer and described by the Palace’s official statement as ‘a youth worker’.
Charlene’s engagement ring is as stunning and large as that of Albert’s mother, Princess Grace:
Stylelist.com says:
Her pear-shaped engagement ring, set in unique gray gold, is the “Tethys” design created by Parisian jeweler Maison Repossi. The sparkler’s huge center stone is embellished with round diamond brilliants.
Many congratulations to them both!
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.
