Tiara Tuesday: Countess Estelle Bernadotte's Bridal Crown (Plus, Other Tiara Sightings)

It's a busy royal week, so our regular tiara feature is coming at you a couple days early! With a bonus tiara event, too. Read on...

The announcement that Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel had named their first child Princess Estelle took a lot of people by surprise; it doesn't really ping as "traditional", as names of future Swedish queens go. But while announcing the name in a cabinet meeting the day after her birth, grandpa King Carl XVI Gustaf noted that it was a name close to the family's heart, and many began to connect the name to another Estelle: Countess Estelle Bernadotte (1904-1984), the wife of Carl Gustaf's godfather, Folke Bernadotte.

Count Folke Bernadotte of Wisborg, a grandson of King Oscar II of Sweden, was a Swedish diplomat who helped release of thousands of prisoners from German concentration camps during World War II. He was named as the United Nations Security Council mediator for the Arab-Israeli conflict in 1947-48, which tragically led to his assassination in Jerusalem in 1948. American-born Estelle Manville had four sons with her first husband, two of whom lived into adulthood, and she carried on his philanthropic efforts after his death.

Countess Estelle Bernadotte of Wisborg

The couple married in Pleasantville, New York, in 1928. The New York Times reported in advance of the wedding that the bride would wear a veil of Brussels lace inherited by the groom from his grandmother, Queen Sophia of Sweden. The paper also reported that a coronet of silver and crystals was being crafted for the bride by the Swedish court jeweler.

The coronet referenced by the Times was a traditional Swedish bridal crown, this version featuring nine points rising from a small circular base. The custom of special wedding headpieces for brides to wear is an age-old tradition in Sweden as well as in other cultures. While Estelle's bridal crown was specially made for her, others can be borrowed from churches; Princess Margaretha of Sweden, King Carl Gustaf's eldest sister, wore a large bridal crown belonging to her wedding church in 1964.

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Christine Glahns wears the crown to marry Count Folke Bernadotte of Wisborg (son of Estelle and Folke), 1955

Like so many old traditions, the use of bridal crowns has fallen out of fashion and they aren't as common to see on a modern bride. And, in truth, many of them aren't great fits with modern wedding gowns; the shape of something like this can be more associated with fairy tale illustrations than with today's weddings, depending on your perspective. Family tradition, however, has given us a few more appearances of Countess Estelle Bernadotte's Bridal Crown. Two of Estelle's daughter-in-laws wore it: Christine Glahns (above) and Rose-Marie Heering, first wife of Count Bertil Bernadotte. Now it is being used by Estelle's grandchildren: Nathalie Frediani wore it to wed Edward Bernadotte, and most recently it has been used by Astrid Bernadotte.

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Astrid Bernadotte's wedding to Filippo Bruti Liberati was held this weekend in Florence, Italy. It was a white tie affair and thus a tiara occasion for both Queen Silvia and Crown Princess Victoria, who wore Queen Josephine's Amethyst Parure and the Cut Steel Bandeau, respectively. The bride absolutely shone in her modern use of a bridal crown, using it to add the perfect fairy tale touch to her ensemble. I thought it was perfect proof that these traditions really can be right at home in a modern wedding. (See here and here for more of the bride's look and the guests.)

(This wedding was, on the whole, very interesting on the tiara front. Instagrams from guests show the bride wearing - or wearing something just like - the Russian Aquamarine Kokoshnik Tiara for the dinner afterward. See here and video here. Innnnnteresting! And h/t to Sarah at The Royals and I for pointing these out!)

A Royal Wedding for the Weekend: Ernst August Marries in Hanover

I don’t know about you, but I always have time for a massive royal wedding dress. Especially one topped with a massive royal tiara.

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Hereditary Prince Ernst August of Hanover married longtime love Ekaterina Malysheva in a religious service today in Hanover, Germany, following their civil ceremony earlier this week. The bride is a fashion designer; the groom is an investment banker and the son and heir of Ernst August, Prince of Hanover. The elder Ernst August is the estranged husband of Monaco’s Princess Caroline. (The groom’s troubled father is also the source of some wedding scandal, having recently – and publicly – decided not to give his consent for his son’s marriage. The two Ernst Augusts have a strained relationship and this is another play in a long battle over control of family property and assets. Not surprisingly, EA the Elder did not attend the wedding.)

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The bride’s gown was created by her friend Sandra Mansour. The elaborate design takes its inspiration from Ekaterina’s Russian roots and included Chantilly lace and rhinestone embellishment throughout the flowing sleeves, the full skirt with lengthy train, and the veil. The whole thing has a bit of a fairy tale vibe, which I’m loving despite the fact that it is truly a lot of dress.

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Answering much advance speculation over whether she would wear a Hanover family tiara (or even the family’s tiny bridal crown), Ekaterina wore the diamond Hanover Floral Tiara. The large diadem was last seen on Princess Caroline in 2004; prior to that, it was worn by the groom’s mother, Chantal. I always think floral tiaras are such a natural choice for a bride, since they fit so well with the floral themes that often appear in lace and other bridal trimmings. In this case, the Hanover Floral Tiara wasn’t just the perfect fit for the dress embellishment, it acted as the serious anchor a dress this big required. An excellent choice.

The guest list was chock full of German titles, Greek royals (Pavlos and Marie-Chantal were there), and Ernst August’s Casiraghi step-family.

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Andrea Casiraghi and Tatiana Santo Domingo with their children, Sacha and India

This is a lovely look from Tatiana Santo Domingo in an Emilia Wickstead dress, no? I am totally here for Tatiana embracing the big hat movement, by the way. Monaco events could use an infusion of giant brims.

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Pierre Casiraghi, Beatrice Borromeo, Charlotte Casiraghi

And if Beatrice wants to make her hat contribution a variety of fancy braided breads, I think I’m here for that too. Whimsy! Why not?

Tiara (and Hat) Watch of the Day: Luxembourg's National Day

While the Brits were hatting it up at Ascot, Luxembourg's grand ducal family did the same for National Day. They even one upped them a bit by donning their best chapeaux and a selection of family tiaras. It was, however, a sadly small group this year; while most (if not all) of the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess' five kids usually join their parents for the event, this year they were joined only by the Hereditary Grand Duke and Hereditary Grand Duchess.

The Te Deum at the cathedral
RTL screencap

Princess Stéphanie surely did her best to give us all the sartorial interest we were missing out on with a smaller family group. It was a valiant effort, primarily involving a hot pink cape dress which I probably should love, given my usual cape weakness.

RTL

And perhaps I would love it, if it were just a teensy bit less...craft project-y. Hmmmmmm.

Earlier at the official National Day ceremony; the ladies also wore these outfits for the National Day parade
Cour grand-ducale/Claude Piscitelli/tous droits réservés

I preferred Stéphanie's offering from earlier in the day, an orange Paule Ka dress paired with some fun Rupert Sanderson shoes. Grand Duchess Maria Teresa did not opt for an outfit change between day events, simply adding a matching hat to her red Yves Dooms coat and dress. I can't blame her. That's classic as classic can be, and she looks absolutely impeccable.

Maria Teresa must have known she was looking good, because she turned up to the evening's gala wearing what is basically just the gown version of her day outfit. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, right?

The National Day gala
Cour grand-ducale/Claude Piscitelli/tous droits réservés

The Grand Duchess wore, again, the Belgian Scroll Tiara. The Hereditary Grand Duchess wore the family's parure of oval amethysts, including the petite bandeau tiara she has worn in the past. The story here is that purple dress. That very familiar purple dress...

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...there it is. Stéphanie's mother-in-law wore the dress in 2008 during a state visit to Sweden (a dress memorable to me because Maria Teresa apparently removed her tiara after seeing the Swedish royal family roll up without their diadems, awkward). The grand ducal family has one large, magical one-size-fits-all closet from which they all shop, or so it seems. Luxarazzi has an entire series of posts covering their clothes swapping twin moments. First they test my love for capes, now they're testing my love of purple and amethysts. Hmmmmmm.

For full National Day coverage (and more fashion IDs), Luxarazzi has you covered as always.

Tiara Watch of the Day: The Dutch State Visit to Italy

In this busy royal week, we're swapping Tiara Thursday for a double dose of tiaras in action.

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima are currently on a state visit to Italy and Vatican City, and the only surprising thing here is how long it took Máx to wear some Valentino.

Presidenza della Repubblica

Here's the arrival outfit. Perfectly lovely! It is from Natan, and the way that you know that is because it looks suspiciously familiar.

Belgian Monarchy

Yup, Queen Mathilde got there first with her own customized version. Perfectly lovely, I say again. But if we were going to go with a blush pink floral, then I'm going to pout that Máxima didn't repeat her perfect Valentino outfit from William and Kate's wedding.

Valentino was not her choice for the state banquet either, even though the designer himself - the master behind Máxima's wedding gown - was present for the event. She fulfilled another one of our requests instead.

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We wanted a better look at the Jan Taminiau gown she wore to Willem-Alexander's 50th birthday party, and the Queen replied with a hearty "I'm right on top of that, Rose!" It's every bit as satisfyingly dramatic as I'd hoped.

Presidenza della Repubblica

Is it safe to call the Mellerio Ruby Tiara Queen Máxima's new favorite diadem, would you say? I'm saying yes. Feels like she's been gravitating toward it for events when she doesn't wear one of the bigger tiaras. The trellis necklace with its interchangeable clasp definitely is a current fave and who among us can blame her for that?

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Bonus tiara! Prince Jaime of Bourbon-Parma, King Willem-Alexander's cousin, is the current Dutch ambassador to the Holy See, so he attended the state banquet with his wife, Princess Viktória. She borrowed a tiara from the Dutch vaults: the diamond base of the Antique Pearl Tiara, without any pearls. Máxima wore it this way when she attended Haakon and Mette-Marit's wedding while she was still a royal fiancée, and it was a great option for this black tie event. Viktória's diamond crescent brooch is also from the Dutch vaults.

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This is day 2 of the trip, and everything but the hat is a page ripped straight out of Queen Letizia's book (seriously). Beating the heat in the sleekest possible way? Yes please.

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There's the Valentino! It only took until a concert on day 2 for it to appear. This pink Valentino gown dates back to Frederik and Mary's wedding in 2004, and it got a makeover three years ago when she added some lace to the layers. But you can color me shocked that this wasn't an excuse for some new Valentino.

The trip continues at the Vatican today.

Royal Outfits (and Tiaras!) of the Day: A Scandinavian Update

This is turning out to be a very Scandinavian week around here, which is A-OK with me. We've got princesses, we've got queens, we've got a bunch of tiaras. What else could you need?

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Sweden: Princess Sofia attended a merit ceremony at 

Sophiahemmet College on Wednesday.

This COLOR. Can we talk about this color?! It's just, you know... *chef kiss* And look, Ma, no center part!

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Norway: Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit marked the 250th anniversary of Storebrand on Wednesday.

Next door, there was this. In case there was any doubt that a return to the Little House on the Fjord was inevitable.

The Nordic heads of state gathered in Finland on Thursday to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Finland's independence.

L to R: Former President of Finland Martti Ahtisaari, Queen Sonja of Norway, King Harald V of Norway, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, the President of Finland Sauli Niinistö, Finland's First Lady Jenni Haukio, King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, Queen Silvia of Sweden, the President of Iceland Guðni Th. Jóhannesson, Iceland's First Lady Eliza Jean Reid, former President of Finland Tarja Halone, and her husband Pentti Arajärvi.
Office of the President of the Republic of Finland

Big royal tiaras at an event in a republic last night, gotta love that. Not the biggest of royal tiaras, of course; as often happens when a monarch visits a location where her hosts will not wear diadems of their own, each queen here has used tiaras that are smaller than their largest possible selections.

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Finland's first lady, Jenni Haukio, headlined the jewel-worthiness of the occasion by wearing a piece so unique it even warrants a mention on this royal blog. Her newly designed necklace and earrings with beryl stones are pieces are intended to be something like crown jewels, minus the monarchy; they'll be used by future presidents/presidential partners. This should be my new response when people ask me to increase my non-existent coverage of political figures/spouses: bring me "state jewelry" in use, and we'll talk. (Here's a Finnish article with some close ups.)

Office of the President of the Republic of Finland

Back to the royals. You ever notice how Queen Margrethe gets a new outfit for a special occasion, and then repeats it several times right after? It's kind of cute, actually. You can really tell when she's feeling a new look. Royals: they're just like us! Except, uh, that they have tiaras to correspond to every level of occasion. Daisy selected the Baden Palmette Tiara, one she's worn for many non-monarchy visits.

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Continuing the evening's Baden-ness, Queen Silvia chose the Baden Fringe Tiara. This is an unusual selection for her. She must have remembered how much she liked it when she took it to Germany last year. Rounding out the evening's tiaras was Queen Sonja - who I wish would put some new gowns on repeat for a change - wearing Queen Maud's Pearl and Diamond Tiara.

Tiaras on a Friday. Not too bad, right?

Tiara Watch of the Day: Sparkle in the Netherlands & Luxembourg

Kids, the day we all knew was coming has finally arrived: Queen Máxima's gone all in and decided that a business casual dress code should include tiaras too!

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima hosted a gala reception for the Diplomatic Corps yesterday.

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...or not. As entertaining as the couple are in their mismatched outfits here, that's just them arriving at the Royal Palace for the dinner. They don't actually live at the Royal Palace, you see; the Queen gets ready at home and is all set to go on arrival, while others (including the King, Princess Beatrix, and Princess Margriet) toss on their formal best after arriving. Willem-Alexander was properly white tie attired on the way out of the event. I'll have to keep the dream of business casual tiaras alive for another time.

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Anyway, Máxima topped a ten-year-old Natan dress with the Württemberg Ornate Pearl Tiara, plus diamond and pearl earrings and a diamond and pearl strawberry leaf brooch from Queen Sophie (1818-1877). Some color would have been nice here, though? Even just a bit? Mega tiara appearances shouldn't be this blergh, is what I'm saying.

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Princess Beatrix joined her daughter-in-law in pulling from the family stash of pearls and diamonds. The Pearl Button Tiara is getting around these days, having made its debut on Princess Mabel earlier this month.

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And finally, Princess Margriet was looking saucy in sparkly green, with the Dutch Emerald Parure on top and hubby Pieter van Vollenhoven (see? White tie) by her side.


But wait! There's more! Tiaras were also on parade in Luxembourg yesterday.

Grand Duke Henri, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume, and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie hosted a state banquet for the President of Portugal during his state visit to Luxembourg.

SIP/Charles Caratini

Go ahead and give Maria Teresa alllllll the structured metallic dresses you've got, please and thank you. And let's hope she continues to accessorize them with massive diamond collet necklaces and the Belgian Scroll Tiara.

Dîner de gala au palais grand-ducal https://t.co/bmGzZXHHKu pic.twitter.com/N9LJBgJvOQ

— GouvernementLU (@gouv_lu) May 23, 2017

Despite her valiant effort to match her sash from Portugal's Order of Merit without looking like a bumblebee, Stéphanie's look suffers one major setback: her tiara. This modern diamond butterfly motif tiara (see it closer here, from another occasion) is never going to convince me it wasn't a clearance rack find at Claire's in another life, and that's that.

A Wedding for the Weekend: Pippa Middleton Gets Married

It might not technically be a royal wedding, but we're not ones to complain about a little extra bridal glamour, are we? We are not. Let's have a little looksee - just a brief one - at the bride of the weekend and her royal guests...

Pippa Middleton, sister of the Duchess of Cambridge, married James Matthews at St. Mark's Church, Englefield Green, England. 

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The bride's dress comes from Giles Deacon. It features a high neckline and cap sleeve with hand appliquéd bespoke silk cotton lace designed to create the illusion of a no seam dress. The corseted bodice is embroidered with pearls and the underskirt has layers of organza and tulle.

With her pearl-embroidered tulle veil by milliner Stephen Jones, Pippa wore a Maidenhair Fern tiara and matching headpiece from Robinson Pelham, the jewelers who also made her earrings; the earrings are the same ones she wore to her sister's royal wedding in 2011 and are companions to Kate's wedding earrings. I can't say I follow Pippa's style at all, and yet this feels just right for her, doesn't it?

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The Duchess of Cambridge was on hand to wrangle the train and the wee bridal party, which included Prince George and Princess Charlotte (in bespoke outfits from Pepa & Co.). Kate chose Alexander McQueen for her blush pink dress, Jane Taylor for her matching hat, and Kiki McDonough for her earrings (yup, another new pair!). It's a lovely and understated look, with many comparisons to similar pieces she's worn in the past - something I'm sure will win her much praise for not overshadowing her sister. I think I might have preferred a sleeker hat, but if I'm honest, those percher hats she adores are a hard sell for me in the first place.

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My wedding guest swoons for the day belong to Princess Eugenie, who looks faaaaabulous! The perfect dress shape for her (it's from Paule Ka, per Polka Poppins on Twitter), and she's keeping the York sisters love of interesting shoes alive with a little added color. LOVE.

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I'll also never miss a sighting of Lady Gabriella Windsor, daughter of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent. Wearing her usual picks - Catherine Walker with a Philip Treacy hat - she's really got the old world royal elegance down pat.

Happy wedding gazing and happy weekend, all!

Royal Fashion Awards: King Harald and Queen Sonja’s 80th Birthday Gala Banquet

The Norwegian royal family promised big sparkle and they – and their guests – delivered today, with a gala banquet at the Royal Palace to celebrate King Harald V and Queen Sonja’s 80th birthdays. (Don’t forget to check out our open post for guest list information as well as tomorrow’s itinerary.)

Thomas Brun, NTB scanpix

Tiaras galore! Click that photo to enlarge and drink in all that splendor. And when you’ve quenched your thirst, come forth and judge:

Biggest Birthday Queen Statement

Queen Sonja of Norway

Ways to avoid being upstaged at your own birthday dinner: 1) wear the biggest parure you’ve got (Empress Joséphine’s Emerald Parure will do nicely), and 2) wear a LIME GREEN BALL GOWN. Option 2 is not for the faint of heart.

Of course, when it comes to a loud color or a big, fussy ball gown, Queen Sonja is NEVER faint of heart. Much like her friend QEII, it's her birthday and she can be eye-searingly radioactive if she wants to, I suppose.

Best Tiara Surprise, Home Team Division

Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway

You’d be forgiven for thinking that Mette-Marit forgot her tiara tonight. Never fear, she did not! In fact, she gave us something NEW (-ish), which almost never happens.

With apologies for the candlestick to the face, it’s the Vifte Tiara! Mette-Marit has worn this one as a necklace in the past, and others have worn it as a tiara. This is her first time wearing it as a tiara. For someone that wears the same thing most of the time, this was a fabulous surprise.

Most in Need of a Tiara Swap

Princess Märtha Louise of Norway

I’m not gonna lie, I hoped this might be an occasion for something – anything, really – other than Märtha Louise’s usual: King Olav’s Gift Tiara. In a new dress from Norwegian designer Cecilie Melli (per Heaven), she looks great, and yet this look isn’t really clicking.

Best Tiara Surprise, Guest Division

Princess Mabel of Orange-Nassau

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Princess Mabel took a welcome break from her diamond wedding tiara, her constant selection for the rare tiara events she attends, to try out the Pearl Button Tiara from the Dutch vault! She paired it with a repeated Viktor & Rolf dress. Her presence was a welcome surprise itself; though she’s mostly withdrawn from royal events, King Harald was godfather to the late Prince Friso, and it’s nice to see the connection continues.

Best in Tiara Enthusiasm

Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie of Luxembourg and Princess Sofia of Sweden

Two ladies who love to pull things out of their respective plentiful family vaults, what more could you ask for? Stéphanie is using Grand Duchess Marie-Adélaïde's Tiara again and has added a second convertible sapphire and diamond necklace tiara. Sofia, repeating an Oscar de la Renta gown from the 2015 Nobel Ceremony, has added another Swedish tiara to her repertoire: the Six Button Tiara. She wears it well (and longtime readers know I don’t say that lightly about those button tiaras).

Best in Regular Tiara Action

Queen Silvia of Sweden, Princess Astrid of Norway, Queen Anne-Marie of Greece

These three ladies didn’t necessarily shake things up, but they happened to pick some of my favorite pieces from their respective collections, so they get a personal thank you from me: the Leuchtenberg Sapphire Parure Tiara for Silvia, Queen Maud’s Turquoise Tiara for Astrid, and the Greek Ruby Parure for Anne-Marie.

Biggest Repeat Déjà Vu

Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg and Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands

This pink evening coat has been here before: Maria Teresa, wearing the Belgian Scroll Tiara, wore it to Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s wedding all the way back in 2001. It's Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture (h/t to Luxarazzi).

And this pizza-trimmed gown (okay, paisley or whatever, but it will forever read like little pizzas to me and I honesty wish it was) might as well have been here before: Beatrix, wearing the Württemberg Ornate Pearl Tiara, wore it to birthday celebrations for Queen Margrethe and King Carl Gustaf, as well as on other occasions. Déjà vu, ladies, déjà vu.

Best in Repeats

Queen Margrethe of Denmark, Queen Mathilde of the Belgians, Queen Máxima of the Netherlands

Queen Margrethe, in the Floral Aigrette Tiara, repeated the sleek dress she wore for the recent Belgian state visit, and she looks goooooood.

Queen Mathilde repeated the red Armani dress she wore for the Jordanian state visit, and while I wish she’d upgraded from the Wolfers Tiara, she looks goooooood.

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Queen Máxima, not wanting us to forget that she owns two Jan Taminiau dresses based on a palace room, repeated her dress from Prinsjesdag 2015, and she looks reaaaaaalllly goooooood. She’s also rounding out the impressive Dutch tiara show with the Dutch Sapphire Tiara, so bonus points abound.

Best in Volume

Princess Tatiana of Greece and the Countess of Wessex

Big sleeves and big skirts, thank goodness they showed up on two separate gowns! I’m here for Tatiana’s adaptation of the big sleeve trend, worn with the Antique Corsage Tiara, even though it’s not shown to greatest effect while holding someone’s arm.

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Continuing to seek out new colors to pair with her aquamarine jewels – her Wessex Aquamarine Necklace Tiara here – is really paying off for Sophie, because this green gown from Suzannah (h/t to Anna) is stunning. Really, really stunning. Grand, but not too much.

Best in Earring Bling

Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden

Elie Saab repeat: check. Baden Fringe Tiara: check, always. Major diamond epaulette earrings: forever check, and GIMME.

Nearly Best Dressed

Crown Princess Mary of Denmark

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There’s so much potential in this metallic gown from Max Mara (h/t to Marwa) and I’m so nearly in love with it. Nearly. It’s just not quite holding up in motion, and the geometric design makes me wish Mary had a spectacular diamond fringe tiara to complement it. She is, instead, wearing her newest tiara find: her Diamond, Ruby, and Spinel Necklace Tiara.

Best Dressed

Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece

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You can always count on M-C to bring something fresh off the runway. Sometimes, that’s not such a successful strategy. In this case, though? I’d love to see more floral ball gowns, so Marie-Chantal’s Valentino is right up my alley. This is also the rare case where the full royal accessory package actually works to improve the gown, because the sash and the spike of her Diamond Fringe Tiara cut through what could otherwise be an upholstery overload. ADORE, though I won't be surprised if I am alone in naming her best dressed. (Bonus tiara watch: Walking with her is Lady Elizabeth Anson, best known for being Queen Elizabeth II’s cousin and a party planner extraordinaire. Her diamond tiara comes from Princess Viggo of Denmark.)


Phew! We shall return for more fun tomorrow. Until then...

Who makes your best dressed list?

Photos: NRK1 screencaps, unless otherwise noted

Tiara Watch of the Day: Spain's State Visit to Japan

We have some tiaras in action for our review on this Thursday: King Felipe and Queen Letizia kicked off their state visit to Japan with both tiara glitter and earring glitter.

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Letizia's Felipe Varela outfit for the official welcome ceremony was a deep red velvet dress with a whole lot of buttons and a neck bow worn under a red coat with waist detailing and a double tie closure. That's an awful lot of fastening methods for one outfit. Doesn't really matter, though, because her earrings drew all the attention anyway.

House of HM the King

That's right, our resident Earring Queen delivered in a major way. In addition to a potentially interesting pair from Bounkit in green jade and rose quartz worn for a later reception (which you can spy in this gallery), Letizia's red outfit included a pair of diamond and ruby earrings belonging to a set of jewelry previously worn by Queen Sofia. Not only do I love a little extra dazzle on a special state visit outfit, I love Letizia wearing gems from Sofia's collection.

The Sofia earring trend continued at the evening's state banquet.

House of HM the King

Returning to her recent favorite tiara, the Spanish Floral Tiara, Letizia wore the two large bracelets from the "joyas de pasar" (recently debuted when she wore the Fleur de Lys Tiara) and borrowed diamond and sapphire earrings once again previously worn by Queen Sofia. This dress could take the necklace, too, not to scare her off the jewel path or anything. Empress Michiko got her carats in with a large diamond collet necklace and pendant, having stopped wearing tiaras a few years ago.

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Lest you were in any doubt from the above picture, yes, this is THE Princess Dress (queen dress, but whatever) from the 2015 Peru state banquet. And lest you should be in any doubt in any situation, yes, Empress Michiko has worked a little bit of cape action into her look.

Observe that Princess Skirt in motion:

Shall we do a Sash Check? For the curious: King Felipe wore the collar of Japan's Order of the Chrysanthemum, while Emperor Akihito wore the collar of Spain's Order of the Golden Fleece. Both displaying peak methods of combining orders from another country plus one's own country, Felipe also wore the Order of the Golden Fleece around his neck and the sash of the Order of Charles III (with double breast stars on his jacket); Akihito also wore the sash of the Order of the Chrysanthemum. Queen Letizia was given Japan's Order of the Precious Crown. (Fun fact: she was also gifted silk from Empress Michiko's own silkworms, enough to make a dress.) The Empress chose to wear the small bow brooch of the Order of Charles III on her bodice instead of the sash, which she has worn in the past.

House of HM the King

There are always more tiaras when Japan is involved, it's often just a little harder to see them. Above (click to enlarge) we have Princess Mako in her tiara, Crown Princess Masako with an interesting sleeve detail and the Japanese Pearl Sunburst Tiara, Princess Kiko in the Akishino Tiara, and Princess Kako in her tiara. (There are a couple better views of some of the Japanese princesses in this gallery, and you can see more walking behind the main table in this video.) A most satisfying sparkly show, no?

Royal State Visit of the Day: March 29

The Belgians went a-state visitin' to Denmark, offering us a speedy primer in Royal Dressing 101 and 102.

The Danish royal family welcomed the King and Queen of the Belgians for a state visit yesterday.

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This is straight from the textbook for Royal Dressing 101: The Basic Coat + Hat Combo. (Also from the textbook for Royal Dressing 000: The Men Wore Suits.) Sometimes there really is nothing better than a simple coat or suit with strong lines, paired with an out-of-the-way hat. Princess Marie's repeated ensemble looks downright fussy next to the sleek run of mint-turquoise-aqua-blue-whateva on the other three ladies. Queen Mathilde's Natan outfit feels like 100 others she has in her closet, but when it works so well for her, can I argue? Nah.

Belgian Monarchy

Here's a shocker: my top marks for the day's class go to Crown Princess Mary. (Try and contain your surprise.) First, she used a new-to-her designer, the Dutch Danish designer Claes Iversen who we know mostly around here for his work for Queen Máxima; second, this is just a great coat. Throwing off the curve for everyone else as usual.

The evening's state banquet provided a glimpse into the textbook for Royal Dressing 102: Sash Coordination Strategies.

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Obviously we need another Sash Check first: Philippe and Mathilde wore Denmark's highest order, the Order of the Elephant. Belgium's highest, the Order of Leopold, was worn in turn by Margrethe and Frederik. A lower Belgian order went to Mary and Joachim, the Order of the Crown, and another notch down went to Marie, the Order of Leopold II. (Now's a good time to drop a couple links to posts I wrote ages ago on the "rules" of wearing orders, useful for those with questions: the basics on the whats and whys, and what happens when countries get together.)

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Queen Margrethe set off her purple sash by keeping the day's aqua theme going, and accented things with her Pearl Poire Tiara and the assembled parure that goes with it. I thought she looked spectacular - one of her best evening dresses of late.

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Queen Mathilde took advantage of the fact that Denmark's Order of the Elephant blue sash goes with just about anything and sported a light orange Armani Privé gown. A complementary color strategy in the school of sash coordination is an advanced tactic. It's also, in this case, a real hard sell.

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She's almost got me sold on the full version of the diamond Nine Provinces Tiara, which I never would have believed possible in the days before she became queen consort, so the impossible is clearly within her reach.

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Golden gowns will go with about anything too, a strategy taken by Mary and Marie (who wore her Diamond Floral Tiara). Crown Princess Mary took it a step further by opting to get a little sash coordination in there by matching her jewels to her burgundy sash - and it was the best surprise of the night.

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This is the first time Mary has used the Danish Ruby Parure for a state visit, so she really made it count. Wearing the Ruby Parure Tiara, the studs from the Ruby Parure Earrings, and the full Ruby Parure Necklace added a necessary bit of color to her golden Jesper Høvring gown (which we just saw at this year's New Year Court). March 28th being Queen Ingrid's birthday was an added bonus. Valedictorian of the class, this one.

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One more tiara for the road! Princess Elisabeth of Denmark was a lovely surprise to see at the state banquet, wearing her usual pick, Princess Thyra's Sapphire Tiara.

And finally, do yourself a favor and enjoy just a bit of the sparkle in action.