Tiara Thursday: Princess Louise of Orléans’ Belle Époque Tiara

Princess Louise of Orléans’ Belle Époque Tiara
Christie's

Scheduled to be sold at Christie’s in June 2018, this intricate tiara was made around 1905 from old-cut, old pear-shaped and rose-cut diamonds set in platinum. It has an inner circumference of 21.2 centimeters. It belonged to Louise of Orléans (1882-1958), who was a Princess of Bourbon-Two Sicilies and, in 1907, married Infante Carlos of Spain, Prince of Bourbon-Two Sicilies.

Princess Louise of Orléans wearing this tiara
via

In the lot essay by Vincent Meylan that accompanies this diadem in the auction catalog, a possible British connection is laid out:

This diamond tiara was given to Princess Louise shorty after it was made during the first years of the 20th century. Its crescent moon shape is reminiscent of other royal tiaras. The first, with diamonds and pearls, was given by King George V and his wife Queen Mary to their niece, Princess Alexandra of Fife when she married her cousin, the Prince Arthur of Connaught, in 1913. The jewel was signed by Garrard, one of the jewellers to the British Crown. A second, very similar, with turquoise and diamonds, was gifted in 1926 by the same king, King George V, to his daughter-in-law, Lady Elizabeth Bowes Lyon, future Duchess of York. The young Duchess transformed it by removing the upper row of diamonds that “closed” the jewel. It is possible that the Infanta Louise’s tiara has the same British provenance. As well as the style of the jewel, two other factors also suggest this heritage. The French Royal Family have lived in exile in England for over twenty years, and for this reason the wedding of Princess Louise and Infante Carlos took place at Wood Norton Manor in Worcestershire. Additionally, at that time the French Royal Family is very closely linked to the British Royal Family. Queen Alexandra and two of her daughters, the Duchess of Fife and Princess Victoria, are in attendance at Louise’s wedding.

The turquoise and diamond tiara mentioned has been covered here: the Persian Turquoise Tiara (also known by other names) was last worn by Princess Margaret.

Christie's

From British connections to other connections, this tiara touched a lot of different titles while descending through Princess Louise’s family. Louise was a maternal grandmother of King Juan Carlos, but the tiara did not pass to his mother, Maria de las Mercedes. It was inherited by another daughter, Princess Maria de la Esperanza of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (1914-2005), who was married to Prince Pedro Gastão of Orléans-Braganza, a claimant to the Brazilian throne. Maria de la Esperanza wore her mother’s diamond tiara during the grand festivities in Athens in 1962 celebrating Juan Carlos’ marriage to Princess Sophia of Greece and Denmark.

Christie's

The tiara then went to Maria de la Esperanza’s daughter, Princess Maria da Gloria of Orléans-Braganza. Maria da Gloria was Crown Princess of Yugoslavia from 1972-1985, during her marriage to Crown Prince Alexander, and is now Duchess of Segorbe and Countess of Rivadavia via her second marriage. (We see Crown Prince Alexander around here sometimes, as he regularly appears at big royal events with his second wife, Katherine.) In 1982, Maria da Gloria sold the tiara at an auction in St. Moritz.

Christie's

Now it will be sold again, in the Important Jewels auction at Christie’s London on June 13, 2018. The diadem is labeled as an "Important Belle Époque Diamond Tiara" and has an estimate of $186,900 - $280,350.

Royal Outfits of the Day: Queen Letizia's Recents

It's been a minute, let's hit some selected highlights from Letizia's recent shenanigans:

Queen Letizia attended the inauguration of the 13th International Seminar of Language and Journalism yesterday.

House of HM the King

I saw the top half of this first and thought it seemed awfully tame for her. Lacking the Letizia touch, if you will. Until, of course, I saw the whole thing, and there it is. It works.

The Spanish royals attended Armed Forces Day on Saturday.

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This coat gives me a toothache, it's so sweet. Too sweet for her. Except I think she could get around that if she shook up the styling a bit; so far, we've seen this Carolina Herrera coat twice and both times she's worn it like this, like a dress with these pink heels. I'd nix the pink shoes, for a starter.

Queen Letizia visited the Dominican Republic and Haiti last week.

House of HM the King

This is my second favorite outfit from this trip. This is where those pink heels shine.

House of HM the King

And finally, my fave from the trip - and, really, my fave from all of her recent offerings - is a great polka dot dress. You can never go wrong with a great polka dot dress. From Carolina Herrera, natch. Extra points awarded for twirl-ability.

Tuesday Tidbits for May 29: Birthday Leftovers and More

How's your sparkle hangover doing? Let's treat it with some leftover bits and pieces from that big Danish birthday bash plus other stuff:

--A highlight of Crown Prince Frederik's 50th birthday banquet - beyond, you know, the sparkle we so enjoyed - was Crown Princess Mary's speech. A sweet and funny tribute to her husband. Below is a video with English subtitles.

--The Danish royal family shared a clip of the documentary made for Crown Prince Frederik's birthday on YouTube. Really short, but interesting insights.

--One more leftover tidbit from the banquet: Did you notice that Crown Princess Mette-Marit wore the Order of the Elephant for the first time? According to Kjell Arne Totland, the Danish honor was bestowed upon Mette-Marit by Queen Margrethe in 2014 during the bicentennial celebrations of the Norwegian Constitution. This was her first opportunity to wear it. [Twitter]

--Princess Madeleine brought Princess Leonore along for Childhood Day on Sunday and they had a blast. She wore a baby blue suit and Princess Sofia wore a pale pink trouser suit yesterday, and between the two, I'm not sure I'm on board with the pastel suit revival. [Svenskdam, Instagram]

A post shared by Princess Madeleine of Sweden (@princess_madeleine_of_sweden) on May 27, 2018 at 10:58am PDT

--The Countess of Wessex has a new dress from Zimmerman, and she must really like it; she wore it twice in very short order, for a performance at the Newbury Spring Festival and for the Chelsea Flower Show. It's the perfect canvas for a long pendant necklace, even a bigger statement piece than the one she wore at the flower show. [Countess of Wessex Blog]

Royal Family

--Another new grandchild for Princess Caroline, in case you missed it: Pierre Casiraghi and Beatrice Borromeo welcomed Francesco Carlo Albert on May 21st. The couple's first son, Stefano, was born last year.

Coming up this week: I suppose we're due for a Letizia catch up, and more...

Tidbits is your spot for royal topics we haven't covered separately on the blog, all week long. Please mind the comment policy, and enjoy!

Royal Fashion Awards: Crown Prince Frederik’s Birthday Banquet

The Danish royal family doesn’t usually mess around when they label something a “gala” dinner, and they did not disappoint for Crown Prince Frederik’s 50th birthday banquet at Christiansborg Palace: tiaras all around! Plus, plenty of foreign royal guests to up the tiara count. A gift of sparkle for us all.

Award time:

Finest in Fringe

Princess Benedikte

DR1

This event could go down as one of my all-time favorites just based on the number of fringe tiaras alone. Even a fringe from Liechtenstein – not a country we usually see represented at big Danish gatherings – showed up: the Habsburg Fringe Tiara on Hereditary Princess Sophie. Countess Sussie of Rosenborg (not pictured) added a Danish fringe to the pile with Queen Alexandrine’s Fringe Tiara.

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Crown Princess Victoria threw in the Baden Fringe Tiara, a nice contrast to her floral Camilla Thulin ballgown. The dress has been changed since we saw it at the King’s Dinner for Nobel laureates in December; it has sleeves now and I like them.

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Much as I love a floral ballgown, my fringe queen of the evening has to be Princess Benedikte. The Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg Fringe Tiara is large and in charge and the dress seals the deal. She’s regal in her sleep, I’m pretty sure, so add in the built-in cape at the back of this and she soars off the charts.

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Probably the most notable fringe appearance of the night comes from Princess Maria-Olympia, in her very first tiara appearance. She’s wearing the fringe we usually see on her mother, Princess Marie-Chantal, but the story is that it was destined for Olympia all along. She had the biggest tiara of her grouping, followed there by Princess Theodora in the Antique Corsage Tiara.

Highest Achievement in Headbands

Princess Marie-Chantal

DR1

What’s a mom to do when her daughter claims her tiara back? And when it’s not really a big gun occasion, leaving Queen Sophie’s Diamond Tiara off the table? While I don’t normally approve of teensy headbands at big tiara occasions, it would be Princess Marie-Chantal that would make it work. This piece pairs really well with the delicate necklace and the hair works around it to make it more than a headband.

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Unlike this one, which is Crown Princess Mette-Marit just totally giving in to her tendency to use the Diamond Daisy Tiara in the same way she'd use a plastic headband. Girl, I guess. (This dress is a repeat from King Harald and Queen Sonja’s birthday celebrations.)

Most Radiant in Red

Grand Duchess Maria Teresa

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Queen Silvia added some red to her repeated magenta gown by wearing the Edward VII Ruby Tiara. Queen Mathilde’s red gown was accompanied by her Laurel Wreath Tiara and Queen Fabiola’s fringe brooch. The one shoulder on her dress was positioned so that it holds her sash, which is great except…

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...all the interest was happening on her sleeve and we don’t really get to see it on the parade into the banquet because she’s arm in arm with King Philippe. According to ModeKoningin Mathilde, the dress is by Esmeralda Ammoun and that sleeve detail is art by Belgian artist Paula Raiglot. Let’s see it again another time.

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All of that leaves me to crown Grand Duchess Maria Teresa the ruler of the reds. Playing catch up to Queen Máxima’s red caftan from earlier in the week suits her well. And she finally gave us a different tiara – but only because this one was already out of the vault from the state banquet, let’s not get too crazy. She’s wearing the Chaumet Diamond and Pearl Choker Tiara with the pearls back on top.

Most Satisfying Tiara Sightings

Countess Alexandra and the Duchess of Castro

We don’t get to see these two tiaras that often, three cheers for any appearance at all: the Alexandrine Drop Tiara on the Countess of Frederiksborg and the Ancona Tiara on the Duchess of Castro.

Most Intriguing Designer Introduction

Princess Marie

DR1

Princess Marie’s sporty n' sparkly blue dress is from Elie Saab (per Laura). Elie Saab! Not a designer we see on Marie or really in the Danish royal house. So…more, please? From the department of no surprises at all, on the other hand, Marie wore her Diamond Floral Tiara. (Also: Prince Nikolai joined Princess Maria-Olympia and Prince Constantine-Alexios in making their gala debuts.)

Most Complicated Accessorizing

Queen Máxima

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Several of you have noted that Queen Máxima’s purple dress from King Willem-Alexander’s 50th birthday celebrations had been borrowed back from the ongoing Jan Taminiau exhibition, and were anxiously awaiting its appearance. Did she pick the right event for it, though? The dress has so much going on that I actually hate to see the sash over top of any of it. The Dutch Diamond Bandeau was probably her safest tiara choice.

Most Dubious Tiara Pairing

Queen Margrethe

Keld Navntoft/Kongehuset

Queen Margrethe had to plan ahead for the Naasut Tiara; it, along with Princess Benedikte’s Floral Tiara worn by Princess Alexandra of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg and the Khedive of Egypt Tiara worn by Queen Anne-Marie (neither pictured here) were on display in Koldinghus. And I can’t help but wonder…why? Looks-wise, I mean. That yellow gold doesn’t look its best with the settings on these diamonds. Oh well. It worked out alright with her new pink party dress. She still can’t resist a big sleeve, can she? Bless.

Prettiest in Pink, and Best of the Evening

Crown Princess Mary

Keld Navntoft/Kongehuset

 This dress. Crown Princess Mary's dress. Oh my. This is a piece of art by Lasse Spangenberg. Mary paired it perfectly with her Diamond, Ruby, and Spinel Necklace Tiara, the matching earrings, and even a brooch at the back of her hair. That brooch was a gift to her from the late Prince Henrik.

DR1

Time to get out those future Best of 2018 lists and ink some things in, methinks.

Do you spy any Best of 2018 prospects here? 

Who takes home your best dressed awards for the night?

Royal Birthday of the Weekend: Frederik Turns 50 (with Gala Dinner Info)

A very happy birthday to Crown Prince Frederik, who is celebrating his 50th today! There's a gala dinner tonight that's shaping up to be quite the gathering of European royals and possibly (hopefully) quite the gathering of tiaras - more on those attendees, timing, and livestreaming at the end of the post.

NRK screencap

But first, the day began with a festive birthday balcony appearance for Frederik, Queen Margrethe, Crown Princess Mary, and the kids. Mary repeated a Vilshenko dress; Margrethe made sure to wear her diamond daisy brooch, a gift from her mother, Queen Ingrid. She wears this brooch for a lot of special family occasions, and it has extra significance today since Frederik was very close to his grandmother.

NRK screencap

Just a few people turned up to wish him well. Frederik and Mary both looked very touched, it was sweet. (You can watch it here.)

The royal house also released two new portraits, one of the Crown Prince and one of the whole crown princely family:

Franne Voigt

Franne Voigt

Lovely.

Now, about this evening's festivities...

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A gala dinner will be held at Christiansborg Palace, and we're crossing our fingers it will be a tiara event. The following foreign royal guests are confirmed so far:

• Sweden: King Carl Gustaf, Queen Silvia, Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Daniel
• Norway: Crown Prince Haakon, Crown Princess Mette-Marit
• Belgium: King Philippe, Queen Mathilde
• Netherlands: King Willem-Alexander, Queen Máxima
• Luxembourg: Grand Duke Henri, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa
• Greece: Crown Prince Pavlos, Princess Marie-Chantal, and their two eldest children are in Copenhagen according to Instagram; probably more from the Greek side of the family as well
• And others: A full guest list will be released this evening.

Timeline:

• 19:00 (7 pm local / 1 pm Eastern): Guests will start arriving.
• Around 19:30: Frederik and Mary will take a carriage ride to get to Christiansborg.
• 20:00 (8 pm local / 2 pm Eastern): The banquet begins. 

Livestreams: I will include links available internationally below, and if you come across more, please share them in the comments. 

• Billed-Bladet on YouTube
• DR1 video and text updates

Open Post: Those watching live may feel free to use this post as an open post. We'll have a fashion post after the event as usual.

Royal State Visit of the Day: More from the Dutch in Luxembourg

Summer is almost here. Do you have your luxurious caftans ready for all the cocktail parties you shall be hosting on your yacht?

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima hosted a concert in Luxembourg, Máxima wearing a repeated Valentino caftan gown
RVD/Barney's

Queen Máxima's caftans come in the form of gowns and they are always ready, darling, whether for cocktails on a yacht or hosting a return event on the second day of the Luxembourg state visit.

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Grand Duchess Maria Teresa's looking ready for a little holiday glam too, with all the tropical foliage happening on her bespoke Elie Saab dress (per Heaven).

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And just a little tip for you from these ladies: Use those flowing garments as a showcase for your strongest necklace game. Queen Máxima wore the Ruby Peacock Necklace previously on this red gown; last night, she followed up on her Stuart Surprise with her Tutti Frutti-style necklace and bracelet. I wouldn't have thought that set would work so well with red, and yet it does. Just one reason that set belongs to her and not me, I guess. One of about 66,419 rea$on$.

Cour grand-ducale screencap

Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie may not have sported a caftan - her flowy dress is another Elie Saab nabbed from her mother-in-law's wardrobe - but she too came to play in the necklace department. One of the diamond rivière necklaces from the Luxembourg collection! Making up for the giant diamonds missing from the Lux side of the state banquet, are we? (Luxarazzi posted a video of these arrivals, worth a view if you're interested in Stéphanie's updo. Some impressive hair architecture going on there.)

Shall we hit the day events from days 1 and 2, briefly?

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For day 2, the Grand Duchess looked super cute - a great jacket in bold jewel tone, neatly paired with cropped trousers and a statement necklace. That is all I have to say about the day outfits on day 2. Moving on...

NOS

Moving back, actually, to the arrivals and another can't-miss-it outfit from Queen Máx. If she'd leaned more into the green side of this and less into the yellow, she would have come pretty close to one of my all-time favorite QEII ensembles. But she didn't.

Speaking of hats, if you've ever wondered how royal women manage to greet each other when they're all hatted up, well:

Sometimes it doesn't work out so well. The Hereditary Grand Duchess won the prize for best welcome outfit anyway.

Psst: Check in over the weekend, fingers crossed we'll have some fun stuff to look at from Crown Prince Frederik's birthday!

Breaking Tiara News: Queen Máxima Wears the Stuart Tiara

It's the moment many have been waiting for since King Willem-Alexander took the throne: Queen Máxima wore the Stuart Tiara for the state banquet in Luxembourg tonight!

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It's a smaller version of that elusive Dutch big gun, to be clear; the setting has been lowered, the namesake pear-shaped Stuart Diamond has been removed from the top center with a smaller substitute in its place and other large diamonds from the top have been removed. Which was predictable, really; it is a massive tiara that comes with smaller settings, so easing into it is logical. Queen Máxima is wearing two of the removed large diamonds as earrings.  Read the tiara's full story here.

The Stuart Tiara in its full setting, as worn by Queen Juliana

There's the full version, as worn by Queen Juliana. The tiara was created for Queen Wilhelmina in 1897 and was regularly worn by Juliana, her daughter. Once Juliana's daughter, Beatrix, took over the throne, the tiara went unworn. Unworn for more than 40 years. Until now!

Royal reporter Rick Evers shared a fantastic video of the occasion, with some drool-worthy close ups and oh so much sparkle:

There is also a set of mega diamond jewels, the Stuart or House Diamond jewels, that Juliana wore with the Stuart Tiara. Máxima debuted the necklace from that set last year. Here, she wears the large bow brooch from the set, which she's used before. Her dress is a Jan Taminiau repeat.

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Also, other people were there! Let's do a quick sash check (left to right): Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume in the Order of Orange-Nassau from the Netherlands, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa in the Order of the Netherlands Lion, King Willem-Alexander in Luxembourg's Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau, Queen Máxima in the same, Grand Duke Henri in the Order of the Netherlands Lion, and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie in the Order of Orange-Nassau.

Blauw Bloed screencap. Click here for more sparkly video.

The Luxembourg ladies doubled up on their Elie Saab, Maria Teresa in a repeat and Stéphanie borrowing another dress from her mother-in-law's closet. The Hereditary Grand Duchess is giving us a double tiara appearance, technically, and a debut; she's wearing the Chaumet Diamond and Pearl Choker Tiara for the first time (without the pearls), and her sapphire and diamond necklace can also be used as a tiara.

Cour grand-ducale/Cyril Moreau

I must say, I'm a little disappointed in Maria Teresa when it comes to the tiara department. If there was ever a time for the Luxembourg Empire Tiara, right? Instead, the Grand Duchess stuck to her current favorite, the Belgian Scroll Tiara. Good thing her dress is divine, easily my favorite of the evening.

The Dutch arrived for their state visit to Luxembourg earlier today. The visit continues through Friday.

Royal Outfits of the Day: Camilla and Meghan in the Garden

Clarence House

The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall hosted the Prince's 70th Birthday Patronage Celebration yesterday, a Buckingham Palace garden party for 6,500 people from 386 of his patronages and reps from 18 military affiliations. They were joined by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex on their first engagement as a married couple.

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I'm not entirely convinced that Meghan's dress in photos lives up to its promise on the hanger, but I see where she's going and she's headed in a more chic direction than we usually see at a garden party. That's promising. (The dress is from Goat.)

Clarence House

Anyway, let's talk about that Philip Treacy hat and its perfectly matched updo. A brim! Huzzah. Sort of a beginner's entry into the serious world of hat shenanigans. Can you even really consider yourself a member of the British royal family before a hat has hula hooped its way around your head? I think not. She's officially in the fam now.

Clarence House

Camilla's an experienced hat hula hooper, and she has the impressive collection of Philip Treacy designs to prove it. She's also wearing her Four Strand Pearl Choker with Large Diamond Clasp and her Everyday Pearl Pendant Earrings.

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Her Bruce Oldfield coat and dress looks like a rejected wedding option, right? "No, no, gotta leave the brights to the Queen and the white and light green to Doria. NEXT!" This minty coat is trying to trick us into believing there's a blazer involved too.

Clarence House

We can't forget the birthday boy, can we? (Even though his birthday's not until November.) He likes his gray morning dress, and it works really well on him. Impeccable as ever.

Event Roundup: The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's Wedding

Relive the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, now the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, with all our wedding posts in one spot!

The official wedding photographs were taken by Alexi Lubomirski in the Green Drawing Room and East Terrace of Windsor Castle.

The Bride, Groom, and Bridal Party

All the details on that Clare Waight Keller for Givenchy wedding gown, the groom's uniform, the bridesmaids and page boys, and the mother of the bride

Queen Mary's Diamond Bandeau Tiara

Going in-depth on the tiara worn by Meghan on her wedding day

Evening Reception for the Bride and Groom

Featuring Stella McCartney and Diana's aquamarine ring

Royal Guest Fashion

A look at what the Windsors wore to the ceremony

More Guest Fashion

A spotlight on guests beyond the royal family

The Pre-Game:

The Big Wedding Open Post

Your Bridal Gown and Tiara Predictions

Your Guest Fashion Predictions

Tiara Thursday (on a Tuesday): Queen Mary’s Diamond Bandeau Tiara

As promised, here's an in-depth look at the tiara that made a surprise reappearance on the Duchess of Sussex on her wedding day. Plus, some clarification on the difference between this tiara and similar bandeaux from Queen Mary’s collection – they’re easy to get confused!

Queen Mary’s Diamond Bandeau Tiara

Royal Collection Trust

The story starts with the detachable brooch that sits at the center of Queen Mary’s Diamond Bandeau Tiara. It dates from 1893 and is the oldest part of the tiara. The brooch is a classic style with a large brilliant diamond at the center, surrounded by nine brilliant diamonds. It was a gift to Princess Victoria Mary of Teck (later Queen Mary) from the County of Lincoln for her 1893 wedding to the Duke of York (later King George V).

Royal Collection Trust

Mary received a staggering amount of jewelry as a bride, including more than 40 brooches and multiple tiaras. Her wedding gifts still play a large role in the jewel collection of her granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth II. The Queen demonstrated the depth of that 1893 haul by wearing another one of Mary’s wedding gifts, the Richmond Brooch, to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s wedding.

Royal Collection Trust

Queen Mary commissioned this Diamond Bandeau Tiara specifically to fit the County of Lincoln brooch in 1932. This English-made jewel is crafted from large and small brilliant diamonds pavé-set in platinum, in a design pierced with interlaced ovals. There are 11 different sections to the structure, giving the bandeau flexibility. The tiara also includes clusters of 7 larger diamonds to each side, somewhat echoing the basic design of the central brooch.

Queen Mary, 1950

The County of Lincoln brooch is detachable from the tiara. Examples of Queen Mary wearing the tiara are scarce; some have wondered if Mary might have used a different centerpiece, but it’s difficult to be certain. It would, however, have been a very Mary touch to swap out the center. She is, after all, the one behind the flexible pendants of the Grand Duchess Vladimir Tiara and the changing centerpiece of the Gloucester Honeysuckle Tiara, to name just two examples.

A comparison: Four bandeau tiaras that belonged to Queen Mary

Queen Mary’s Diamond Bandeau Tiara was among several small-ish bandeau tiaras in her collection, most seemingly created or acquired in the 1920s and 1930s. These pieces can be easily confused, but the designs are clearly different, as you can see from the comparison above. They are:

1. Queen Mary’s Diamond Bandeau Tiara, our topic here (created 1932). Some called this tiara the "filigree tiara" in the past, before any official information was available.
2. Marie Feodorovna’s Sapphire Bandeau, which has similar overall shape but different design. This was last worn by Princess Margaret.
3. A small bandeau Queen Mary acquired in the 1920s and later used as a base for emeralds borrowed from the Grand Duchess Vladimir Tiara; the bandeau was left to the Kent branch of the family and appears to have been reconfigured into the Kent Diamond and Pearl Fringe Tiara.
4. Queen Mary’s Lozenge Bandeau, used as a base for pearls borrowed from her Lover’s Knot Tiara, and later worn on its own by Princess Margaret.

(This is not a comprehensive list, just those that have been covered here.) It seems that these were a used by Queen Mary for gala performances and other such events in her later years; smaller options for smaller events, I suppose.

The Duchess of Sussex

Royal Family Channel screencap

Queen Mary’s Bandeau Tiara went unseen for decades after her death, its whereabouts unknown to the public. Until, that is, it reappeared on Meghan Markle as she married Prince Harry. Queen Mary bequeathed it to Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 and it only took around 65 years to find a new wearer.

Royal Family Channel screencap

The Queen loaned the tiara to the new Duchess of Sussex. It worked wonderfully well as a wedding tiara, a statement piece to anchor an impressive veil that was also low enough to look good underneath a blusher as she arrived at the chapel. The base of the tiara was nicely wrapped for her in dark velvet so that it disappeared into Meghan’s hair.

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Some have asked if Queen Mary’s Diamond Bandeau Tiara will be a lifetime loan to the Duchess, a question that can only be answered by waiting to see if she continues to wear it. (Many brides do end up using their wedding tiara regularly; the Duchess of Cambridge is a prime example of those who don’t.) We could be in for a bit of a wait for her next tiara opportunity, given that Prince Harry is not a regular attendee at state banquets (his first was in 2017) and he has not attended the annual Diplomatic Reception. It took two and a half years to see the Duchess of Cambridge in a tiara again after her wedding. Until then, we’ll just have to delight in a sparkly mystery solved once and for all!

How do you think this bandeau did as a wedding tiara?

Monday Tidbits for May 21: So, the Rest of the World...

I regret to inform those of you that are salty about the amount of royal wedding posts that we still have a tiara to cover and this week will also bring the first post-wedding appearance of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. But the big events move out of Britain by the end of the week, with the promise of some tiara action to pull you through. Check out the "Coming up this week" section at the end of Tidbits for more.

In the meantime, bits and bobs from elsewhere:

--The Norwegian royal family joined in the annual May 17 celebrations, and you know what that means: bunad time! And shades! And top hats! And dogs! [ParisMatch]

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NRK screencap

--Isn't this a cute dress for Queen Margrethe? Super breezy even with the addition of her order brooches (she's receiving credentials from ambassadors).

A post shared by DET DANSKE KONGEHUS (@detdanskekongehus) on May 18, 2018 at 7:37am PDT

--Spring greetings to you from Princess Estelle and Prince Oscar at Haga Palace! [Photos: Linda Broström / Kungahuset.se]

--And finally, the festivities for Crown Prince Frederik's 50th birthday are kicking off. He and Crown Princess Mary hosted a dinner Friday celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Crown Prince Frederik Fund. Mary repeated a Temperley gown. Speaking of Fred's bday...

Keld Navntoft/Kongehuset

Coming up this week: A lot! Coverage of the Netherlands/Luxembourg state visit (state banquet, yay!), British royal garden fun including the newlyweds, and hopefully another busy weekend ahead with Frederik's birthday on Saturday (a balcony appearance and a gala dinner with foreign royal friends are on the books).

Tidbits is your spot for royal topics we haven't covered separately on the blog, all week long. Please mind the comment policy, and enjoy! 

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Wedding: More Guest Fashion

How’s your royal wedding fever holding up? Still hanging in there? It’s like running a marathon, but on your couch, with snacks. We’ve already done the main stuff:

The bride, groom, and bridal party at the wedding ceremony

The royal guests at the wedding ceremony

The bride and groom at the evening reception

So let’s finish up the fashion business with a little look at what a few of the other guests - the ones that aren't members of the royal family - brought to the party.

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One of the first guests to catch my eye: Countess Spencer in Pamella Roland with a Rachel Trevor-Morgan hat. A purple outfit after my own heart! With a wee cape! She was terribly elegant back in 2011, too, I still remember her blush pink ensemble with a massive hat.

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Lady Kitty Spencer caught my eye too, in a green Dolce & Gabbana Alta Moda dress with a hand-painted floral design and a Philip Treacy hat. Fantastic use of orange velvet accessories to give it an extra splash of interest.

Royal Family Channel/Instagram

You give Oprah an invite to the royal wedding, she's not about to chicken out on the hat game. Her hat is Philip Treacy she's had since 2005, with new feathers for the occasion. I had quibbles on the dress until I checked Oprah's Instagram; Stella McCartney’s team made this for her overnight after she suddenly realized her planned beige outfit was going to photograph too white. All things considered? That’s a pretty good result. McCartney labels this a “blush, double tiered dress with lace trim made of sustainable viscose.”

Instagram

It’s hard to go wrong with a blush pink outfit for a royal wedding, isn’t it? Oprah would agree. This Versace dress on Serena Williams is just right, as is the fascinator that keeps clear of her long braids.

Instagram

Serena also posted her look for the evening reception, a Valentino gown. Not everyone could carry this print off, yet on Serena, it's pure fun.

RFC

Amal Clooney opted for a bold color choice for the ceremony with this honey yellow Stella McCartney midi dress with a side tie detail in silk Cady, accompanied by a custom Stephen Jones hat. I loved this ray of sunshine during the broadcast, but in the photos, I suddenly want a little color variation. Maybe not full yellow on the hat?

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Meghan’s good friend Priyanka Chopra posted just after midnight that she was still waiting for her outfit to arrive, but no problems here: this is Vivienne Westwood with a to-die-for suit silhouette. A Philip Treacy hat tops it off.

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Also to-die-for: Priyanka’s evening look from Christian Dior. That is one sparkly dream of a dress, no? Let's get this on a princess or something.

The whole crew from Suits rolled up with their partners to support their former costar. I was watching all the guests arrive, trying to think which outfit I'd claim as my own if I were invited (as you do), and I think I found it: Jacinda Barrett's merlot grape Emilia Wickstead, be mine.

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Let’s end with the ever-appropriately dressed Middleton crew. The only surprise comes when you realize that Pippa’s floral dress from The Fold actually looks startlingly like an Arizona Tea can…and once you see it, there’s no turning back.

Who else caught your eye at the royal wedding?