Year in Review: 2018's Royal Wedding Gowns

2018 loaded us up on royal wedding gowns, with two big headliners from Britain and others beyond. It's all leading to the inevitable year-end question: which one was your favorite?

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Alessandra de Osma wore an embellished gown from Jorge Vázquez to marry Prince Christian of Hanover in Peru in March. I think it's fair to say she claimed the title of Biggest Wedding Tiara of the Year by topping her look with the Hanover Floral Tiara.

Alexi Lubomirski/Royal Family

Meghan Markle turned to Clare Waight Keller of Givenchy for her May wedding to Prince Harry. She took home the Longest Wedding Veil of the (Royal) Year prize with her Commonwealth floral-embroidered veil anchored with Queen Mary's Diamond Bandeau Tiara.

Alex Bramall/Royal Family

Princess Eugenie made a touching statement at her October wedding to Jack Brooksbank by asking Peter Pilotto to make her a veil-free gown that showcased the scoliosis surgery scar on her back. She grabbed the Most Colorful Wedding Tiara of the Year award by becoming the first (known) member of the royal family to wear the Greville Emerald Kokoshnik Tiara.

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Princess Ayako claimed the Most Colorful Wedding Ensemble title with her array of traditional looks for her October wedding to Kei Moriya. Pictured is just one of her looks - and she even managed to squeeze in one final tiara appearance.

This isn't all of 2018's wedding treasures, mind you; we covered a couple more in Tidbits mentions and there were a bunch of noble weddings we didn't cover. We've got enough here to pose the question, though:

Which royal wedding gown of 2018 was your favorite?

Vote in the poll below!

Tiara Thursday: Princess Ayako's Tiara (and Wedding!)

Princess Ayako's Tiara

The princesses of the Japanese imperial family are all presented with tiaras when they officially come of age at 20 years old. These tiaras are often newly made (Mikimoto is a regular jeweler), are always completed in white jewels (diamonds, sometimes with pearls), and are accompanied by a complete parure (matched set) with a necklace and other jewels. The tiara of Princess Ayako follows these guidelines, with a few design twists to set it apart.

Princess Ayako

Princess Ayako of Takamado (as she is now formerly known) is the daughter of the late Prince Takamado, a first cousin of Emperor Akihito, and Princess Hisako. She came of age in 2010 and received a diamond tiara designed in stalks of a floral motif.

Princess Ayako (far right) at the New Year Reception, 2016, with her mother Princess Hisako (in green) and sister Princess Tsuguko (in ivory), and Princesses Akiko (pink) and Yōko (blue) of Mikasa

Whereas many of the imperial family tiaras avoid using motifs from nature and are almost overwhelmingly symmetrical - including many with necklaces that are near-perfect mirrors of the tiara - Ayako's parure sets itself apart with an asymmetrical floral design, a different format for the necklace, and even a fuller interpretation of the motif in her earrings. Her sister, Princess Noriko (now known as Noriko Senge), also had a parure that dipped into an asymmetrical nature design: Princess Noriko's Wave Tiara.

Ayako at the Choken-no-Gi

In accordance with Imperial Household Law, Princess Ayako renounced her title and her official place in the imperial family when she married a commoner, Kei Moriya. (Only officially - she isn't being cut off from her family - and the government gives a lump sum payment to departing princesses. Ayako received $950,000.) She wore this tiara for the last time on October 26, 2018, when she visited the Emperor and Empress for her official farewell, the Choken-no-Gi ceremony.

The tiaras of princesses that leave the family revert back to the imperial household. They may occasionally reappear as a second option for another person, or may be reconfigured. Princess Ayako's Tiara may not be seen again, or if it is, probably not for some time.

For Ayako, though, she still had another tiara appearance to go.

The couple arrive for their wedding

The happy couple married on October 29 at the Meiji Jingu Shrine in Tokyo. Ayako Moriya, as she will now be known, arrived in a light yellow uchiki kimono with floral embroidery and changed into a red kouchiki robe. Kei Moriya carried a top hat that belonged to the late Prince Takamado with his morning dress. "I am awed by how blessed I am," the bride said, noting how happy she was to hold the wedding at the shrine where her great-grandfather is worshiped. "I feel so happy." For his part, the groom said his new wife looked "beautiful" and said, "I would like to support her firmly and, hand in hand, build a happy family with lots of laughter."

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A wedding banquet was held later with Crown Prince Naruhito, Crown Princess Masako, and other members of the imperial family in attendance. Ayako surprised by wearing a tiara! It's a necklace that belongs to her mother, actually; you can see Princess Hisako wearing it here.

It's not a very successful necklace/tiara conversion, to be honest, but it's just lovely to see her enjoy a bejeweled bridal moment anyway. Her dress is quite a conversation piece, too - you can see more in the video above. She seemed to enjoy letting her hair down (literally and figuratively) from the strict dress code of the imperial family, and I say more power to her.

Royal Trip of the Day: The Sussexes, Continued

After our lovely tiara-filled break last week, we'll catch up with Harry and Meghan and their ongoing mega tour of Australia, Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand. Let's just run through the evening highlights:

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex attended a dinner in Fiji.
Kensington Palace

Notable because it was, well, a color ("Fijian blue"), this Safiyaa dress is caped and therefore A-OK with me. I found this appearance notable for another reason:

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The earrings. Per Emily Andrews, the palace said they were borrowed by wouldn't say from whom, which is unusual. When things are borrowed from the Queen (as usual), they say (and they were happy to note the provenance of other pieces, such as a bracelet she was wearing earlier from Prince Charles). That leads me to believe they're from someone else or a jeweler. We shall have to see if they are ever worn again.

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The couple also attended a dinner in Tonga hosted by the King and Queen of Tonga. 

Sleek and white by Theia, this feels squarely in Meghan's wheelhouse. There's some jewel interest here, too; with her Birks diamond earrings, she wore a diamond bracelet that many have pointed out looks to be one from Diana, Princess of Wales' collection.

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Back in Australia, they attended the Australian Geographic Society Awards.

This might be the first thing Meghan's picked that truly surprised me. In a good way. It's a much-needed dash of fairy princess courtesy of Oscar de la Renta. My only quibble? Harry needed to get on his wife's level. It wasn't a tuxedo occasion, but his standard blue suit with suede shoes just isn't cutting it.

On to New Zealand, and a reception with the Governor-General and Prime Minister.
Kensington Palace

Good dress (by Gabriela Hearst), better speech. Watch it below.

While we're Sussexing, let's note that their wedding exhibition at Windsor Castle has opened. It will be on display until January 6, 2019, then move to the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh from June 13, 2019 to October 6, 2019. The display includes Queen Mary's Diamond Bandeau Tiara, plus the outfits worn by Prince George and Princess Charlotte.

Royal Collection Trust

The couple provided commentary for the exhibition. In their comments, they revealed a bit about something countless people have wondered: how exactly are the tiaras chosen? Meghan said:

"When it came to the tiara on the day I was very fortunate to be able to choose this very gorgeous Art Deco-style bandeau tiara. Harry and I had gone to Buckingham Palace to meet with Her Majesty the Queen to select one of the options that were there, which was an incredibly surreal day, as you can imagine. That was the one that I think, as we tried them on, stood out. I think it was just perfect because it was so clean and simple, and I think also at that point an extension to what Clare and I had been trying to do with the dress, which was have something that could be so incredibly timeless but still feel modern."

Harry added that it was "every girl's dream to be able to try on a tiara and funnily enough the one that suited the best, the one that looked the best on you without question. I shouldn’t have really been there; it was such an incredible loan by my grandmother."

I think they're really the first that have commented on how that choice is made - apart from many articles dealing in speculation. How many tiaras and what else she might have been picking from...well, that remains a mystery.

Princess Eugenie & Jack's Wedding: Evening Dinner & Official Photos

We've got more goodies from the wedding of Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank!

Alex Bramall/Royal Family

The first is a picture of the happy couple heading to the private evening dinner held at Royal Lodge, the Yorks' home in Windsor. Here's what the press release has to say about the bride's dress:

"Princess Eugenie's evening dress was designed by Zac Posen. Mr Posen was inspired by the beauty of Windsor and the surrounding countryside. The choice of colour reflects the blush of an English rose. Mr Posen took his inspiration from the White Rose of York.

The pin-tucked plissé is cut on the bias and mixed with signature drapes. The White Rose of York is subtlety embroidered on both the shoulder and back which hold together the cape. The silk for the gown comes from Biddle Sawyer Silk."

Zac Posen is a friend of Princess Eugenie's and was one of the wedding guests. This is a very Zac Posen design and it seems supremely swishy and fun. I hope she got to twirl the night away with her handsome hubby.

Posen put a picture of what appears to be the embroidery on Instagram:

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The embroidery also hints at the bigger news here (if you're, say, someone who happens to also run a site about the Queen's jewels, for example): the jewelry. Eugenie wore her wedding earrings again, emerald and diamond drops that were a wedding gift from Jack. And even though you can't see it, she also had a sparkling hair ornament that the palace press release was kind enough to mention:

"Princess Eugenie also wore a hair slide belonging to Her Majesty The Queen. Queen Victoria’s Wheat-Ear Brooches were originally commissioned by William IV in 1830 for Queen Adelaide. They were passed down to Queen Victoria in 1837, and eventually to The Queen in 1952. Her Majesty has worn them as both hair slides and brooches."

One of Queen Victoria's Wheat-Ear Brooches is a BIG loan from Granny! These brooches (six in total) are heirlooms of the Crown and are some of the older pieces the Queen uses. I believe this is the first time she's loaned them out. The Queen has also worn the brooches in her hair. You can read more about them here. I wish we could see it in the picture, but I'm delighted they told us anyway.


Three official photographs from the wedding were also released, all by Alex Bramall:

Alex Bramall/Royal Family

"Princess Eugenie and Mr Jack Brooksbank are pictured in the White Drawing Room, Windsor Castle with (left-to-right):

Back row: Mr Thomas Brooksbank; Mrs Nicola Brooksbank; Mr George Brooksbank; Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice of York; Sarah, Duchess of York; His Royal Highness The Duke of York

Middle row: His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge; Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte of Cambridge; Her Majesty The Queen; His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh; Miss Maud Windsor; Master Louis De Givenchy;

Front row: Miss Theodora Williams; Miss Mia Tindall; Miss Isla Phillips; Miss Savannah Phillips"

Alex Bramall/Royal Family

"Princess Eugenie and Mr Jack Brooksbank are pictured in the White Drawing Room, Windsor Castle with (left-to-right)

Back row: His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge; Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte of Cambridge; Miss Theodora Williams; Miss Isla Phillips; Master Louis De Givenchy

Front row: Miss Mia Tindall; Miss Savannah Phillips; Miss Maud Windsor"

Alex Bramall/Royal Family

"Princess Eugenie and Mr Brooksbank are pictured in the Scottish State Coach, upon its return to Windsor Castle following the Carriage Procession."

Cute! You can check out the rest of our wedding coverage here.

Princess Eugenie & Jack’s Wedding: The Royal Guest Fashion

We’ve covered the bride and her bridal party (including sister and mother of the bride). We’ve taken on the tiara. So that leaves us with the guests, and I’m not sure this collective whole is really flipping my skirt up.

Part of that is not the guests’ fault, mind you, because their skirts were literally being flipped up by strong winds. The same wind that was simultaneously turning their hats into a game of fetch and flinging small children up the steps. How are they supposed to show us their lovely outfits while dealing with such chaos? Mother Nature’s got some nerve.

We shall investigate one family group at a time.

This Main Lot

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The Duuuuuuke! So delighted to see the Duke of Edinburgh turn up at his usual dapper best. (Seriously, other than the groom, he wins Best Dressed Dude.) The Queen’s aiming for quite a sophisticated color palette in blue, peach, and gold – just overshooting it slightly with those super shiny gold buttons. Speaking of super shiny: the Cullinan V Brooch, baby.

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This is another old-but-new Alexander McQueen for the Duchess of Cambridge: same style she wore for Trooping the Colour 2017, just ordered in a darker pink and paired with a Philip Treacy hat and the Diamond Pendant Earrings on loan from the Queen (which she also wore in 2017). This is an improvement in color from the other version. Thing is, though, the amount of interest I have in endless same-style-different-color bespoke McQueens is not an infinite resource. I’m all out.

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The Duchess of Sussex wore a navy Givenchy coat and dress with a hat by Noel Stewart. Perfectly lovely and appropriate and zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Sorry, fell asleep there.

The Duchess of Cornwall was unable to attend due to a previously scheduled engagement. A shame, really, because we could have used one of her feather ferris wheel hats to spice this up.

Anne’s Crew

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The potential topic of this conversation is the most interesting thing happening here. The Princess Royal has clearly pulled this repeat to the top of the rotation in order to jump on the green bandwagon, because if there’s one word to describe Anne, it’s TRENDY.

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Here’s that wind in action, trying to turn Anne’s kids into human bowling pins. Autumn Phillips and Zara Tindall are certainly on point for the wedding’s green and blue theme, Autumn in a dress by Suzannah with an Edwina Ibbotson hat and Zara in Claire Mischevani Couture with a Juliette Botterill hat. Autumn’s making my favorites list.

The Wessex Bunch

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I’m so glad I saw the Countess of Wessex arrive on video, because this Azzedine Alaïa navy dress had a sparkle in the sunshine that doesn’t come across in pictures. Fits like a dream. Don’t mind the Jane Taylor hat, either. Throw her on the faves list too. (Lady Louise was covered in our bridal party post.)

Let's Play Spot the Kent

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That back row is largely the Kent branch of the family, including Princess Michael in a cape and feather hat combo I think we’ve seen a bazillion times. (You can also play Spot the Greek Royal in the front row, we’ll get to them in a sec.)

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A simple coat (this one by Catherine Walker) plus a froofy hat is a bit of a special occasion routine for Lady Frederick Windsor, whose daughter was among the bridesmaids. Lady Helen Taylor sported a Temperley dress I had my eye on for royal or red carpet use, so that’s satisfying.

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Lady Gabriella Windsor – arriving with her new fiancé – turned up with some serious easy elegance. She wore a custom Claire Mischevani Italian crepe Raglan dress with a Philip Treacy hat.

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Can you spot her? A turquoise dress and deep blue hat is a surprising combo that is turning out to be my jam today. Fab turquoise color earrings, too. Let’s put her on top of that faves list.

Hey, Some Color Surprises

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I would have thought the Duchess of Gloucester would be first in line for the blue theme, owning several navy or light blue options (and being tremendously fond of repeats). Likewise, Lady Sarah Chatto operates in her own color coordinated world where things are only either white, gray, or blue. And yet here they are to brighten our horizons in red and purple with yellow. I welcome all surprises, ladies.

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Although the Countess of Snowdon certainly proves that one can take a color surprise too far. The teal tights really throw this into the HUH?! pile.

Also, Some Foreign Royal Representation

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Here we have Prince Christian of Hanover and Princess Alessandra, mixing the green trend with purple like a girl after my own heart. (Their wedding was earlier this year in Peru; the York sisters attended.) The blond in front with the bird about to take flight is Princess Ekaterina, who attended with Prince Ernst August, and let's get a front view of THAT:

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Honestly, I think she should get a standing ovation just for getting that hat through the wind in one piece. Camilla would be proud.

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The Greek royals were there: Crown Prince Pavlos, Princess Marie-Chantal, Princess Maria-Olympia (in Dolce & Gabbana), and Prince Philippos. This feels very tame for our friend M-C. Do I want to add her to my faves list anyway? I think I do.

Did I just add enough people to my favorites list that I have to take back my non-skirt-flippy-up statement? Maaaaayyyyyyybe.

Who made your faves list?

Princess Eugenie & Jack’s Wedding: The Bride and Bridal Party

We’ve done a deep dive on the tiara surprise at Princess Eugenie’s wedding to Jack Brooksbank; click here for all of the posts on this wedding.

The Bride

© MOD Crown copyright 2018

Princess Eugenie revealed in a pre-wedding interview that she was using a British-based designer for her wedding gown. British-based rather than just British set off a guessing game that was heavy on Erdem and very light on the actual correct answer: Peter Pilotto and Christopher De Vos, founders of the British-based label Peter Pilotto. (Pilotto is Austrian and Italian; De Vos is Belgian and Peruvian.)

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I associate Peter Pilotto with innovative use of prints in intriguing silhouettes, something brought to life in royal wedding gown format through complicated construction and a custom jacquard fabric. The fabric was designed by Pilotto and De Vos to include several meaningful motifs: thistles for Scotland because the couple is fond of Balmoral, shamrocks for Ireland as a nod to the Ferguson family, York roses, and ivy since the couple live in Ivy Cottage at Kensington Palace. Those symbols were crafted into “a garland of rope like motifs, woven into a jacquard of silk, cotton and viscose blend.” The design was then translated into a jacquard weave in Italy.

© MOD Crown copyright 2018

The silhouette was identified after the designers researched previous dresses worn by members of the royal family, with close involvement from Princess Eugenie. The dress is constructed in multiple layers, including a corset, a complex underskirt, a fitted bodice, and a full pleated skirt.

© MOD Crown copyright 2018

The neckline folds around the shoulders and dips into a low back. Eugenie specifically requested a low back because she wanted the scar from her scoliosis surgery at age 12 to be on full display. "I think you can change the way beauty is, and you can show people your scars and I think it's really special to stand up for that," she said in an interview before the wedding. She’s been very open about her battle with scoliosis; she’s patron of the hospital where she had her surgery. It’s a powerful statement. Quite a beautiful one as well.

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She went without a veil; a veil would have covered up the scar – and probably would have turned into a logistical nightmare, given the wind was snatching hats left and right today. The veil-free choice was all the better to display the best part of the gown: the full-length train. The back view was simply stunning, perfect for standing at the altar and walking down an aisle as grand as St. George’s Chapel. I didn’t love the neckline, but whatever it took to get to that low back is worth it.

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The wedding was the first time we’ve seen Princess Eugenie in a tiara and she certainly made a splash: the Greville Emerald Kokoshnik Tiara was a mystery before the wedding and hadn’t been previously worn by a member of the royal family. We’ve covered it in depth here. She paired the tiara with diamond and emerald earrings which were a gift from her new husband. Her wedding shoes were satin peep-toe heels by Charlotte Olympia.

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The bouquet was created by Patrice Van Helden Oakes, sister of Rob Van Helden, the main floral designer for the wedding. It included Lily of the Valley, Stephanotis pips, hints of baby blue thistles, white spray roses and trailing ivy, in addition to the traditional sprigs of myrtle from Osbourne House. That tradition goes back to Queen Victoria.

The Bridesmaids, Page Boys, and Special Attendant
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Blue and green were the big colors in this wedding, something emphasized by the outfits of the bridesmaids and page boys. These were designed by Amaia Arrieta of Amaia Kids. The colorful sashes around their waists are patterned with the same Mark Bradford artwork included in the Order of Service. A playful detail in action that I assume is also of some meaning to the couple.

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Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor was a special attendant in the bridal party, a.k.a. the designated wrangler of all the young ones. Unfortunately it's a bit difficult to find a decent pic of her (at the time I'm writing this), but she hit a nice note between grown up guest and color-coordinated bridal party member with her Claudie Pierlot dress Emily London hat.

The Maid of Honor and Mother of the Bride

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Princess Beatrice was named Maid of Honor. Rather than the position of train-wrangler in a matching gown you might have expected, it seems to have been more of a special designation for someone close to the bride. Beatrice wore a royal blue outfit from Ralph and Russo and a hat by Sarah Cant, plus a diamond buggy brooch on her side. Can we get MORE RALPH AND RUSSO for her, uh, right now?! She looked very sharp indeed.

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Sarah, Duchess of York was also quite sharp, I thought, in her green outfit by Emma Louise Design and a statement hat from Jess Collett Hats. She also had a meaningful touch in her outfit: her vintage Manolo Blahnik bag was carried by her own mother, the late Susan Barrantes, at Sarah and Andrew’s wedding in 1986. Sweet touches all over, just how it should be.

Princess Eugenie & Jack’s Wedding: The Greville Emerald Kokoshnik Tiara

Click here for all posts on this wedding!

I assumed that Princess Eugenie would wear her mother’s tiara, the York Diamond Tiara, when she married Jack Brooksbank; I’m happy to say I was completely wrong. The tiara that we got instead is sort of a deep cut from the royal vaults – one probably only known to those who dig deep into the unworn pieces of the Queen’s jewel collection. This tiara was suspected to be in the royal vaults, but since it hasn't been worn since it came into royal hands (just, oh, 76 years ago or so), you really couldn't be sure.

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The Greville Emerald Kokoshnik Tiara was made by Boucheron for the Hon. Mrs. Ronald Greville in 1919 and was bequeathed by Mrs. Greville to Queen Elizabeth, later the Queen Mother, in 1942. Mrs. Greville was a social climber regarded as a snob and a gossip by many ("a galumphing, greedy, snobbish old toad who watered her chops at the sight of royalty and the Prince of Wales’s set, and did nothing for anybody except the rich," in the eloquently savage words of Cecil Beaton) - but to the royals whose company she sought, she was a good friend.

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She was also a tremendous collector of jewelry and a frequent patron of Boucheron and Cartier. The extraordinary collection inherited by Queen Elizabeth is reported to have included over 60 pieces, many of which we still can’t identify today. The Greville bequest is such an important part of the jewelry collection of the Queen Mother (and now of the Queen's collection, since she inherited all her mother’s jewelry), I wrote a two-part series on it at the Jewel Vault: check out Part 1 here and Part 2 here.

The Greville Emerald Kokoshnik Tiara
Boucheron

But back to the Greville Emerald Kokoshnik Tiara. An archival photo from Boucheron was included in Boucheron: The Secret Archives by Vincent Meylan, which includes excellent information on the Greville pieces thanks to the Boucheron archives. However, the tiara itself hadn’t been seen on any member of the royal family since it was inherited, casting doubt on whether it still existed. (Mrs. Greville was fond of changing her jewels.) We can now obviously confirm that it was in the bequest the entire time. The Greville Emerald Kokoshnik Tiara was presumably inherited by the Queen on her mother’s death in 2002. The Queen loaned it to Princess Eugenie for her wedding to Jack Brooksbank.

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It’s a striking piece, isn’t it? Designed in the kokoshnik style popularized at the Russian imperial court, the tiara includes brilliant and rose cut diamonds pavé-set in platinum with a central emerald and emeralds on either side (the official press release lists six emeralds on either side; only four or five to a side are visible). According to Boucheron: The Secret Archives, the oval central emerald is a whopping 93.70 carats. (Worth noting: the same book, drawing from Boucheron’s own archives, states the piece was bought by Mrs. Greville in 1921.)

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It’s hard to imagine how such a piece could go unworn for more than 75 years. Things did tend to remain tucked away in the Queen Mother’s collection, though; she had her favorite pieces and rarely strayed from those. (She did wear other emerald pieces that were reportedly part of the bequest, such as the magnificent Greville Emerald Necklace.)

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As a wedding tiara, it went perfectly with the color scheme and with the diamond and emerald earrings the bride received from the groom. And of course with Princess Eugenie’s overall look, which we covered here.

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."

You can read the full story behind Queen Mary's Diamond Bandeau Tiara here.

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."

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.

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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.

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.

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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.

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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
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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.