31 August 2018

Royal Exhibition of the Day: The Sussex Wedding on Display

The Royal Collection Trust confirmed reports of a planned exhibition for the Duchess of Sussex's wedding gown this week! They announced that A Royal Wedding: The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will go on display at Windsor Castle from October 26, 2018 to January 6, 2019 and then at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh from June 13, 2019 to October 6, 2019.

Exhibition highlights will include the Duchess' wedding gown, veil, and tiara; an identical uniform to the one Prince Harry wore on his wedding day will also be included.

Like many of you, I've been hoping for a better look at some of the details of Meghan's wedding veil. The announcement was accompanied by a few display shots, so let's spend our Friday gazing at some prettiness. (And/or doing some travel planning, if you're suddenly feeling the need...)

Wedding dress, by Clare Waight Keller for Givenchy
Royal Collection Trust
"The dress is made from an exclusive double-bonded silk cady, developed by Ms Waight Keller following extensive research in fabric mills throughout Europe. True to the heritage of the House of Givenchy, the graceful lines of the dress were achieved using six meticulously placed seams. These extend towards the back of the dress, where the train flows in soft round folds cushioned by an underskirt in triple silk organza. One of the main features of the dress is the boat neckline bodice."

Veil, silk tulle
Royal Collection Trust
"The five-metre-long veil is made from silk tulle and embroidered with the flora of the 53 countries of the Commonwealth, a reference to an important part of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's official work following His Royal Highness’s appointment as Commonwealth Youth Ambassador."

Royal Collection Trust
 "The Duchess added two of her favourite flowers to the embroidered decoration: Wintersweet (Chimonanthus praecox), which grows in the grounds of Kensington Palace in front of Nottingham Cottage, and the California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica), the State flower of The Duchess's place of birth, California. Embroidered ears of wheat, symbolising love and charity, are symmetrically placed at the front of the veil, which is edged with embroidered organza flowers.

It took the team of embroiderers hundreds of hours to create the design, washing their hands every 30 minutes to keep the tulle and threads pristine."

Diamond and platinum bandeau tiara, 1932
Royal Collection Trust
"This diamond and platinum bandeau tiara, lent to the Duchess by Her Majesty The Queen, held the veil in place. On public display for the first time, the tiara is formed as a flexible band of eleven sections, pavé set with large and small brilliant diamonds in a geometric design. The centre is set with a detachable brooch of ten brilliant diamonds. The bandeau was made in 1932 for Her Majesty's grandmother, Queen Mary, and specifically designed to accommodate the centre brooch. This brooch was given to the then Princess Mary in 1893 by the County of Lincoln on her marriage to Prince George, Duke of York (the future King George V). The bandeau and the brooch were bequeathed to Her Majesty by Queen Mary in 1953."


Frockcoat uniform, by Dege & Skinner
Owen Cooban/MOD Crown copyright 2018
"The Duke of Sussex's wedding outfit was the frockcoat uniform of the Household Cavalry (the 'Blues and Royals'), made by tailors at Dege & Skinner on Savile Row. As the uniform specially commissioned for the occasion is required for use by His Royal Highness, this is an identical uniform made for The Duke by Dege & Skinner a few years earlier.

The uniform's single-breasted blue doeskin jacket has figured braiding of Regimental pattern on the stand-up collar and sleeves. It is ranked to Major with large gold embroidered crowns on the epaulettes. The trousers, officially called 'overalls', are made from a blue and black wool barathea and are fastened by a leather strap and buckle underneath the boot."

30 August 2018

Royal Style Twins of the Day: Meghan and Letizia's Tuxedo Dresses

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex attended a gala performance of Hamilton in London last night, benefiting Sentebale.
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The Sussexes returned to the scene with a rare royal engagement that I would actually volunteer for: a special Hamilton performance! (Harry even got the crowd going by singing a bit of King George III's part in his speech after the show.)

Judith & Charles Digital dress
It was a tuxedo dress from Canadian label Judith & Charles for Meghan. That's a classic choice but an overall look that was missing some sort of finishing touch for me. (Don't ask me what finishing touch, I'm not a helpful person. Just...something? Yeah. That's clear.)

Never fear, though, we have another royal stab at the tuxedo dress just waiting in the archives for this comparison opportunity:

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Back in 2013, still in her Princess of Asturias days, Queen Letizia donned a dress much the same, which is no surprise at all since a tuxedo dress is an idea that's been done a million times. Letizia added some earring and shoe shine - maybe that's the elusive finishing touch - to pick up the shinier lapel of her Felipe Varela version.

What's interesting to me is that both designers used a similar length. I suppose Meghan's look will cause a bit of pearl-clutching for finishing above the knee, but I have to agree with the designers: this look really does need a shorter length. I'm no big fan of these dresses to start with because they give me late 80s/early 90s flashbacks (and, yes, Diana comparisons), so the shortness is key to keeping it fresh.

28 August 2018

Breaking Jewel News: A New Tiara for Princess Marie

Fall state visit season kicked off with a surprise! And from one of the people who needed some additional tiara variety the most, doubling the good news at hand here.

DR
That's right, tiaras were out in Denmark this evening as the Danish royal family hosted a state banquet for the President and First Lady of France during their state visit, and Princess Marie - French herself, you know - used it as an occasion to debut a NEW TIARA!!!! (Caps and exclamation points entirely necessary.) The tiara appears to be an intricate floral design with a central blue stone, looks like sapphire. I don't place it as one from the Danish vaults; perhaps it is a new acquisition (just speculation). Princess Marie and Prince Joachim did celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary earlier this year.

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Marie almost always wears her Diamond Floral Tiara, so a little variety is great news for her. (She supposedly has use of the Flora Danica Tiara as well, but she's only worn it once.) This is a winner of an appearance all around - that's the best gala dress she's worn in a long time, definitely best of the year level. Heaven at Princess Marie's Closet confirms it is from Rikke Gudnitz.

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No one else was slacking in the gem department for this state visit from the late Prince Henrik's home country, either. Queen Margrethe chose the Pearl Poire Tiara and picked up the red sash of France's Legion of Honor with a set of diamonds, rubies, and pearls (necklace, earrings, brooch) from the Danish crown jewels.

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Crown Princess Mary wore the Danish Ruby Parure Tiara, which is still a rare choice for her for a state visit, although she's been using it more frequently. Her dress is a revamped repeat; she added an over the shoulder sash to an existing Lasse Spagenberg dress. I love the tiara and I loved that dress the first time around, but together...this is not working for me. Combined with the blue of the French National Order of Merit, there's just too much going on.

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And finally, a floaty floral Princess Benedikte added her two sparkly cents with her own largest tiara option, the Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg Fringe Tiara. You know I never say no to a good fringe.

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Here's the arrival. Always such a comedown when I stick that after the gowns n' sparkle. Sorry, arrival looks. It's not your fault. This is interesting, though: Mary's dress is also owned by Crown Princess Mette-Marit. And maybe some more once word gets out, I can think of a number of royal ladies who go for this style right now.


UPDATE: Princess Marie's new tiara is a mystery no more! Heaven at Princess Marie's Closet discovered the details. Called the "Nuits Claires" Tiara, it was a collaboration between French jeweler Mauboussin, who wanted to make a royal tiara, and Princess Marie, who was a part of the design process. The tiara is made of palladium white gold and features a floral background of diamonds and sapphires, with a central pear-shaped 6.82 carat sapphire. Mauboussin owns the tiara and will loan it to Marie for gala occasions, similar to the arrangement behind the Midnight Tiara worn by Crown Princess Mary. Princess Marie also wore a matching ring on loan from Mauboussin. Her earrings are not part of the set; she has been wearing them for a few years now.



Royal Flashback of the Day: King Harald and Queen Sonja's Wedding

It took 9 years for Crown Prince Harald of Norway and Sonja Haraldsen to walk down the aisle, and now the King and Queen are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary.

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Harald's father, King Olav, and the government had objections to Harald marrying the commoner he met at a party in 1959 instead of making a royal match. So Harald eventually stood up to his father and said that he wouldn't marry anyone if he couldn't marry Sonja - a significant problem since Harald was the sole heir to the throne - and the King gave his consent. The couple finally tied the knot on August 29, 1968. As a show of acceptance and support for Sonja, whose father passed away some years before, King Olav walked her down the aisle. (That's right, the Duchess of Sussex was not the first royal bride to get a helping hand from her father-in-law on her big day.)

Queen Sonja's wedding gown was made by Norwegian brand Molstad & Co. It was a structured silk shape with simple pearl ornamentation on the collar and cuffs, with a long train extending from her shoulders. Although Sonja would soon have access to Norway's biggest tiaras - King Olav was a widower, so then-Crown Princess Sonja stepped right into a role as Norway's first lady - she opted for a simple floral-style headpiece to top her veil.

Sonja's dress is easily identified with the decade in which she married, yet five decades on, one of its closest royal comparisons may be something a little more recent: Queen Máxima's 2002 Valentino wedding gown. Does that make it timeless? Maybe so.

The golden couple isn't having a huge celebration, since the last couple years have seen them celebrate the Silver Jubilee and their 80th birthdays. There are a few things going on, though; they opened Queen Sonja's childhood home - where they spent a lot of time in the years before they could marry - as a museum and recreated a photo from their engagement while they were at it (click through the Instagram gallery above for the original). They'll also have a celebratory church service on their anniversary.

27 August 2018

Monday Tidbits for August 27: Traditional Visits and More

Things are picking up. But first:

--You want traditional dress? Here's your traditional dress: Crown Prince Frederik, Crown Princess Mary, and their children visited the Faroe Islands last week on the royal yacht. The visit was a mix of events in traditional Faroese dress, including a bit of traditional dancing, with some casual stuff thrown in. The Danish royal family explained that the national costumes and accompanying silver were gifts from the government and various municipalities, making them an extra appropriate choice. [ParisMatch, YouTube, Instagram]
Kongehuset
Hosting a reception on the royal yacht
Kongehuset

--Over in Sweden, another young one was on duty: Prince Alexander made his first official visit to his duchy, Södermanland, where he opened his christening gift of an accessibility-oriented lookout point in a nature reserve. He was joined by his entourage, a.k.a. his parents, Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia. Sofia's choice of white pants for this woodsy occasion reminds me, as ever, that it must be nice to probably not have to do your own laundry. [Svenskdam]
Kungahuset/prinsparet
 
--And finally, over at the Jewel Vault, the Cambridges joined the annual Balmoral fun.


Coming up this week: A golden anniversary, the Danes host the first state visit of the season, plus a Sussex event...


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!

22 August 2018

Wednesday Tidbits for August 22: Exhibition Firsts, School Firsts

Here we go:

--Looks like an exhibition of the Duchess of Sussex's wedding gown at Windsor Castle might be in the works. [Express]

--More from the Swedes! Yesterday was Princess Estelle's first day of school at Campus Manilla school in Stockholm, with her parents on hand to accompany her. [Photos: Raphael Stecksén/Kungahuset.se]



--It was National Day in Liechtenstein last week. Members of the princely family were of course on hand for the festivities, and Luxarazzi's got your content here and here.

--And finally, over at the Jewel Vault, the big Balmoral post now includes the season's first sighting of Prince Philip.

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!

21 August 2018

Royal Trip of the Day: Victoria in Estonia, Plus Portraits

The Swedish royal family squeezed in a little official trip and dumped a bunch of new photos on us recently. For this summer kindness, we shall give them a post all their own.

Kungahuset.se
Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel visited Estonia to mark the country's 100th anniversary of independence. Victoria showed up looking, well, not unlike the Estonian flag in a repeated Dolce & Gabbana dress first worn during the celebrations for King Carl Gustaf's 70th birthday. I miss the big hat she wore it with that time around, honestly.

Kungahuset.se
The Dolce & Gabbana wasn't the only prior special occasion dress that made the cut for the trip; Victoria also repeated the Elie Saab dress from Prince Alexander's christening. (Queen Máxima owns this one, too.) A speedy visit, but worthy of a trip through her special occasion wardrobe. (See a few more pics here.)

Now: portraits! First up, Princess Madeleine's family wasn't the only one to get some new summer pictures taken. [These photos: Anna-Lena Ahlström, Kungahuset.se]




Additionally, the crown princess family shared some personal photos taken around Sweden this summer. The first five were taken by Crown Princess Victoria, the last taken by Prince Daniel. Bask in the outdoorsy Swedish summer fun!






20 August 2018

Royal Dress of the Day: Monday Sparkle from Mary

Mary's back again with some sparkle n' swish to open your week.

Crown Princess Mary and Princess Benedikte attended a gala performance in honor of Tivoli's 175th anniversary last week.

Tory Burch silk chiffon dress (h/t to Heaven)
This pleasingly walks the line between a maxi dress for just, you know, kickin' around, and a serious blinged up gown, no? A teensy touch of sparkle in a sporty way. Perfect for the occasion. (Bonus points awarded for using the necktie as a belt. Because a necktie, really?)

15 August 2018

Royal Outfits of the Day: Crown Princess Mary's Return

Mary came back to work just to give us some outfits to chat about, wasn't that nice of her?

Crown Princess Mary met with the CEO of Women Deliver last week.
Kongehuset
Mary's outfit is a print, not little bits of stuff stuck all over. Yet even that knowledge does not stop me from wanting to take a lint roller to it.

Crown Princess Mary also attended Copenhagen Fashion Week last week.
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Gotta love a windy action shot. Gotta love a belt too, especially one that is single-handedly rescuing a look from nightgown territory. Might also love a different shoe here, something darker? Whatcha think?

Frieda Chiffon Dress from ArtFusion Copenhagen (h/t StyleofMary)

14 August 2018

Tuesday Tidbits for August 14: Engagements and Couture and More

Here we go:

--The engagement of Princess Ayako of Takamado, daughter of Princess Hisako and the late Prince Takamodo (a cousin of Emperor Akihito), with Kei Moriya is moving forward. The traditional official betrothal ceremony, called Nosai no Gi, was recently held. During the ceremony, a representative of the fiancé visited the Takamado residence and presented Ayako with traditional gifts including sea bream fish, sake, and rolls of silk. New photos of the couple were also released. [Japan Times, Imperial Family of Japan Blog]
Imperial Household Agency

--Meanwhile, I feel bad for Princess Mako. The status of the engagement between the Emperor's granddaughter and Kei Komuro is murky at best; after a delay reportedly caused by a financial dispute in his family, he's just left for law school in New York City and there are reports that the prospective groom has been told to present a "life plan" by Mako's parents. [Telegraph, Mainichi]

--Here's some cuteness: Princess Beatrix and wee King Willem-Alexander, pictured 50 years ago in the garden at Drakensteyn Castle.

--Ooh this is right up our alley, and an enjoyable read: "The Countess of Derby shows us her couture - and introduces us to her personal couturier." [Tatler]

--The picture in the article is the cherry on top of this hmm... sundae: "A French-born aristocrat is suing France for €351m (£313m) in damages, claiming it tricked his family out of inheriting the throne of Monaco." [Guardian]

--And finally, I very much dig this Garbo hat on Princess Beatrice, worn to accompany her grandmother to church this weekend. The Queen's brooch has been covered at the Jewel Vault, of course. [Sun]


Coming up this week: Mary gave us a couple things to discuss, at least...


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! 

13 August 2018

Royal Dress of the Day: Princess Mabel's Wedding Gown, Revisited

Princess Mabel of Orange-Nassau, wife of the late Prince Friso, one of King Willem-Alexander's brothers, celebrated her 50th birthday on Saturday. Seems like a perfect time to revisit her first big royal sartorial splash: her wedding gown. I can't think of another one that so accurately introduced a royal bride's style, because not only the designers but also the main motif and the general sense of quirkiness all became her signatures. That main motif is, of course, BOWS.

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Mabel Wisse Smit married Prince Johan Friso on April 24, 2004 in a gown by Dutch couturiers Viktor & Rolf. She requested something memorable and was interested in a three-dimensional train detail. They came up with a dress that featured 248 handmade crepe georgette bows, a favorite detail of the design duo: 128 bows on the skirt, 85 on the bodice, and 35 on the train.

Blauw Bloed screencap
The bows are graduated in size, beginning with tiny bows at the shoulders and growing to massive bows at the end of the 3.15 meter (10'4") train.

Blauw Bloed screencap
The bateau neckline and belted waist give the dress a flattering shape and it's a true piece of couture art, very cleverly made so that the ribbon lattice pattern behind the bows covers the seams. The gown is crafted from snow white double-faced duchesse satin and took more than 600 hours to make.

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The bride kept her veil short (wouldn't want to cover up any of those bows!), and topped it with a diamond tiara that borrows its larger stones from the top of the Dutch Sapphire Tiara. The tiara has an intriguingly two-dimensional look in a photo, with a lot of sparkle when seen in action. It has remained Mabel's top tiara pick in the years since.

The wedding dress was just the beginning of Princess Mabel's quirky royal sartorial statements, most also by Viktor & Rolf (and often featuring those beloved bows), but there's a lot more behind the fashion. Mabel herself is an accomplished and committed activist and philanthropist who has worked with organizations like The Elders and Girls Not Brides. Her marriage to Prince Friso began with controversy; the marriage was not submitted for the official parliament consent required for Prince Friso to retain his place in line to the throne because the couple were not entirely forthcoming in response to government inquiries about past contact between Mabel and Klaas Bruinsma, a drug lord and organized crime figure. Friso gave up his spot in the line of succession as well as his title as a Prince of the Netherlands when they married. He retained the Orange-Nassau title.

Sadly, tragedy was ahead: Prince Friso was trapped in an avalanche while skiing in Austria in 2012. He remained in a coma until he passed away the following year. Princess Mabel now continues her activist work while raising the couple's two daughters and seems to have a great support system in the Dutch royal family. She appears to be particularly close to her mother-in-law, Princess Beatrix.

Princess Mabel's wedding gown is currently on display in Rotterdam as part of an exhibition celebrating 25 years of Viktor & Rolf. As a premiere client (and a friend; she recently attended Rolf Snoeren's wedding), she opened the exhibition. She shared in her opening speech that Prince Friso, who was an engineer, had been fascinated by the construction of the gown.

On the left, the dress Princess Mabel wore to Prince Friso's memorial
Blauw Bloed screencap
The wedding dress is poignantly displayed at the exhibition alongside a dress of mourning, first worn by Mabel in a long length to King Willem-Alexander's inauguration and then made shorter for Friso's memorial service. It is another Viktor & Rolf design, the white sleeve and bow echoing the wedding dress that started it all.

Viktor & Rolf: Fashion Artists 25 Years is at The Kunsthal museum in Rotterdam through September 30, 2018.

08 August 2018

Royal Outfits of the Day: Letizia Goes Orange in Mallorca

The official engagements for the Spanish royals during their summer residence in Palma de Mallorca continued with a hefty dose of orange last week.

King Felipe, Queen Letizia, and Queen Sofia hosted a reception for the Balearic Islands.
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Yeah, that's one orange shirt. Kinda taking over the whole outfit. Picking a color from the Carolina Herrera skirt to use for the top was the obvious way to go, although I think this Hugo Boss top wasn't the right choice in color or in shape.

House of HM the King
Not that I don't sympathize, you know, because as glorious as a full skirt can be, figuring out what to pair it with can be the trickiest decision.

The King and Queen hosted the Prime Minister of Spain and his wife for lunch at Marivent Palace.
House of HM the King
Letizia also dipped into the coral side of her floral theme with a new dress from Adolfo Domínguez. Lacking the Letizia sass, I think, but serviceable all the same.

Adolfo Domínguez dress

07 August 2018

Tuesday Tidbits for August 7: Updates from Sweden

Welcome to the summer slow season, where the royal news and appearances slow waaaaaaaay down, and so does the blog. Posts may be a little sporadic until things pick back up, so don't worry if you don't see one every day and enjoy a little summer yourself!

The Swedish royal family kept the royal news mill running last week:

--Princess Madeleine provided the most surprising news, as the Swedish royal court announced that her family will be moving back to the United States! They'll move to Florida in the fall. According to the announcement, it's a good time for the family since the kids are still pre-school age, and Madeleine will be focusing on the World Childhood Foundation's United States work. They released a new family photo to go along with the news.
Anna-Lena Ahlström, Kungahuset.se

--Princess Christina, sister of King Carl Gustaf, also chimed in with some big news: she's retiring! In an interview for her 75th birthday (which was August 3rd), she said the milestone birthday will mark the end of her royal duties. She will be missed, but she deserves the rest. Some new pictures were taken in conjunction with that, too. [Instagram]

--In regular Swedish news, Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia shared a picture of their two boys enjoying the summer at Solliden. [Instagram]
prinsparet Instagram

--With the (as yet unsolved) mystery of the stolen Swedish royal regalia still swirling in my brain, I couldn't help but find this story fascinating: A Willem de Kooning painting worth an estimated $160 million was discovered some 30 years after it was stolen from an Arizona museum. The whys and hows of the situation remain an intriguing set of question marks. [Washington Post]

--And finally, a non-Swedish note: QEII has begun her Balmoral holiday (she's been there for a couple weeks), and we have our annual big Balmoral post up at the Jewel Vault, where you'll find all her appearances during her Scottish break.


Coming up this week: It's more of a working holiday in Spain...


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! 

06 August 2018

Royal Outfit of the Day: Meghan's Wedding Birthday

The Duchess of Sussex celebrated her birthday over the weekend by attending the wedding of Charlie van Straubenzee and Daisy Jenks with Prince Harry.

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That'll do! I know some people love to clutch those pearls about a darker color at a wedding, but...meh. This dress seems so lightweight - at least it has great movement through the pleated skirt in all the pictures - it's 100% summer to me. The color blocking does enough to keep the color light. Anyway, any day Harry leaves the butter yellow waistcoat behind is a good day.

Club Monaco

Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank were also there.

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And...that'll also do, I guess! Pretty basic there. I see we've got plenty of members of #TeamShades, that's always a plus. Even #TeamFunkyShades for Eugenie. (Funky only on a royal scale, mind you.)

02 August 2018

Tiara Thursday: Queen Margrethe’s Tiaras

Programming Note: As summer slows down, so does the blog. We'll be back on Monday.

As demonstrated in this week’s Tidbits post, Queen Margrethe is one of the most creative royals around. She selects and wears her jewels in creative ways, too, and she has a host of tiaras to play with. (As always, click the tiara name for more.)

Part of the Danish crown jewels, this tiara (and parure) is borrowed from public display at Rosenborg Castle when Queen Margrethe wants to use it. It’s only for use in Denmark and Margrethe has mainly stuck to using it for special events such as the New Year’s Court gala or big jubilee and birthday celebrations.

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I group the Danish emeralds and this tiara of dangling pearls and a diamond frame as Margrethe’s two “big gun” tiaras, based on how she uses them. This one appears at the aforementioned extra special occasions and also at events like state banquets with other monarchies.

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Because it comes apart in three pieces, the Floral Aigrette Tiara offers Queen Margrethe (and her hairdresser) ample opportunities for creativity. She usually wears the top piece in a more upright position and the two side pieces flat against her hair; at other times, she'll use just one or two pieces to adjust to the appropriate level of formality.

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The Baden Palmette's heart shapes have made it a natural choice for Queen Margrethe at a couple of royal weddings in addition to some state banquets and black tie tiara occasions.

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Margrethe has an eclectic mix of turquoise jewelry at her disposal, both older pieces that go with this petite bandeau and newer pieces she received as gifts from her late husband (the brooch, necklace, and earrings above are these gifts). This small tiara has come in handy for some of her less formal state banquet occasions.

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You can debate whether or not this falls in the tiara category, but no review of Queen Margrethe's headpieces would be complete without a mention of this...unique...item. It's perhaps the most Margrethe of all these pieces, since the Queen herself commissioned it from Danish artist Arje Griegst. The flowers can be worn individually as well.

Keld Navntoft/Kongehuset
This jubilee gift from Greenland, the newest tiara in the Queen's collection, is so perfectly suited to Margrethe's creative ways (see also: the Poppies above) that it's hard to imagine it worn by anyone else. It's still only been worn a few times.

New Zealand Governor-General Office
Before Princess Marie's Floral Tiara was, well, Princess Marie's, it was in Margrethe's jewel box (and before that, in Princess Dagmar's). It's hard to tell apart from the Floral Aigrette. Perhaps that's why it was chosen as the perfect piece to loan to her new daughter-in-law in 2008.

A former daughter-in-law was gifted Margrethe's 18th birthday tiara, and we still see it on Countess Alexandra when she attends big royal events.

One final tiara is also not in Margrethe's collection, yet it played a crucial part in her tiara-wearing history: the Khedive, worn on her wedding day, as has become the tradition for Queen Ingrid's female descendants. It now belongs to Queen Anne-Marie.

Which one do you like most on Queen Margrethe?

01 August 2018

Wednesday Tidbits for August 1: Stolen Crown Jewels and More

Interesting but sad news to start us off:

--A jewel heist! Unfortunately not for fun in a movie this time: Sweden is missing two crowns and an orb from their royal regalia after thieves stole them from a church yesterday. The funeral crowns of Karl IV and his wife Queen Kristina date from 1611 and were originally buried with the couple, before being exhumed for display. Those two crowns and an orb were on display at Strängnäs Cathedral when they were stolen from their glass case while the church was open to the public. The thieves are thought to have fled on motorboat. The search for these priceless items is ongoing as of this writing. [Sydney Morning Herald]
The stolen crowns at the top of the picture, the orb in the center
Police Handout

--Were it anyone else, I'd have to say the matching band around the hat was overkill. But it's Princess Alexandra (opening a new supported living service last week), so it just makes me smile.
Royal Family

--The Duchess of Cornwall continued to live her best life last week, eating ice cream and hanging with Dame Judi Dench on the Isle of Wight. [ITV]

--And finally, Queen Margrethe continues to live her best creative life, showing off the new antependium she embroidered for the Gråsten Palace church.


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!