29 May 2015

Place Your Tiara Bets: Prince Carl Philip and Sofia's Wedding

We've had plenty of tiara guesses in the comments over the past few months concerning the diadems we are hoping to see at the upcoming Swedish royal wedding. and now it's time to do what we did for Princess Madeleine's wedding and make it official.

Which tiaras do you think we'll see on Sofia Hellqvist, Queen Silvia, Crown Princess Victoria, and Princess Madeleine? 

It should be noted that Princess Madeleine is expecting a baby in June, though the court seems to be holding out that she'll be present so far. The King's four sisters, Princesses Margaretha, Birgitta, Désirée, and Christina, will probably be present and tiara-wearing too. But we don't have much of an international guest list to play with in the tiara guessing game, at least not yet - although the Danish delegation has apparently confirmed that Queen Margrethe plus the Crown Prince and Crown Princess will be present in addition to the Japanese presence I mentioned on Sunday.

Some popular options geared toward a bridal selection (and remember, we've covered these all in the past, so click the bold tiara name to go to its post):

This tiara is usually worn by Queen Silvia, but it has also been worn in recent years by Princess Madeleine (who has worn it in tiara form and has used the drops separately; Crown Princess Victoria has just used the drops as a necklace). It was Princess Christina's choice for her own wedding tiara, in 1974, and it looks nice with a veil background. Also, I think the fact that it is not usually named as anyone's "favorite" or "usual" diadem right now could make it a nice choice for Sofia, something she could put her own mark on. This one gets my bet.

One of the most historical and unique pieces in the collection, the Cameo Tiara has a strong bridal history: Princess Birgitta and Princess Désirée used it, as did Queen Silvia and Crown Princess Victoria. Apart from wedding appearances, it is solely used by Queen Silvia. This one's polarizing, and I know many of you hate it. Personally, I happen to love it and I would love to see it again (I have my fingers crossed that Victoria will get to wear it again sometime before she becomes queen).

This is "Crown Princess Victoria's tiara," not in terms of property ownership, but in terms of association. It belongs to the family foundation but was left there with the intent that the crown princess would use it. But it is not solely Victoria's to use and has been worn by others, including Queen Silvia, Princess Lilian, and Princess Margaretha. That said, given that Carl Philip was born the crown prince and would still be so if legislation hadn't been passed to change the succession rules, I think this one as a bridal tiara for Sofia might not be the right statement. I would still love to see it on another family member at the wedding.

This one actually is Victoria's in terms of property: it has royal history (coming from Margaret of Connaught) but was in possession of the late Princess Lilian, who left it to Victoria in her will. I would be surprised if Sofia did not wear a tiara from the main royal vault, but someone wearing this tiara at the wedding would be a nice way to tie Lilian into the celebration, as she and Prince Bertil (her husband, the King's uncle) were close to Carl Philip too - he inherited their home, and will live there with Sofia.

Here's an option some of you have mentioned in the past. It hasn't been worn as a bridal tiara so far (that we know of) and it would make an interesting option for sure. It's become a favorite of Crown Princess Victoria in recent years, but is also worn by other ladies in the family. It's very light to wear, so it might be the smartest option from a practical standpoint...if not the prettiest (in my not-so-humble opinion).

This has always been Madeleine's favorite, and I (like many others) have a hunch that it has been gifted to her, since she wore it for her wedding and has worn it almost exclusively in the past few years. So it would be surprising to me to see it on anyone except Madeleine, though I am also hoping she gets to wear something a little different for a special event like this.

Listen, my dislike of the Buttons is well documented, so I don't have to go over it again. I'm sure we'll see one or both of these tiaras on some family members, but they don't seem as special of a choice as others do for such an occasion.

Speaking of choices that don't seem special...this has been used as a tiara, but certainly lacks the significance that a royal wedding deserves, I think.

Speaking of tiaras for which my dislike is well documented...the Pronger is usually kept for Queen Silvia, and hasn't been shared with either of her daughters to date. But others have worn it in the past, including Princess Birgitta at Victoria and Daniel's wedding.

You can be 99.9% sure that this is not a bridal option (Queen Silvia is the only one that wears it now) but it is my best bet for what the Queen herself will wear. She has three favorites among the bigger tiaras - the Braganza, the Nine Prong, and this one - and she's already worn the other two for Victoria and Madeleine's weddings. Fingers crossed she'll complete the set this time around.

There are more options than this, just take a look at the Jewel Central page and scroll down to "Tiaras from Sweden." And of course, it doesn't have to be a tiara we know and it doesn't have to be a tiara at all, as far as the bride is concerned! I would love to see a festival of the family's colored stone tiaras on display at the wedding, including Queen Josephine's Amethyst Tiara and the Aquamarine Kokoshnik Tiara!

Now that I have added way more than my two cents to the equation, let's get the game rolling...

Place your tiara bets!


Photos: via Getty Images as indicated; via Kungahuset and Anna-Lena Ahlström; and via Wikimedia Commons ("Crown Princess Victoria June 8, 2013 (cropped)" by Kronprinsessan_Victoria_och_prinsessan_Estelle_-3.jpg: Frankie Fouganthinderivative work: Elinnea - This file was derived from: Kronprinsessan Victoria och prinsessan Estelle -3.jpg: . Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.)
at 7:00 AM
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