The Swedish royal wedding is quickly approaching, and to get us all in the mood, I’ll be presenting special editions of Royal Jewel Rewind over the next two weeks, shining the spotlight on the most recent Bernadotte weddings. Today, we’re kicking things off with Crown Princess Victoria’s pre-wedding gala. This is part one of two — stay tuned at the same time tomorrow for more jewels from this event!
I think it’s only appropriate that we start off with the bride, right? Crown Princess Victoria’s dress and jewels for the pre-wedding government dinner and concert is one of my favorite looks of all time on the princess. Even though the gala was black tie (i.e., no tiaras), Victoria managed to wear some major Swedish royal jewels. Her earrings are pieces from the family’s jewel foundation: a pair of diamond epaulettes (shoulder elements from a dress military uniform) that were converted into a pair of earrings.
She also wore the Bernadotte family’s diamond arrow brooch. The piece was artfully placed in her chignon, as if Cupid himself had struck her with an arrow of love. Perfect!
She also wore an elaborate diamond bracelet on her left wrist. I think the choice to go without a necklace was a smart one — the earrings, brooch, and bracelet provided more than enough sparkle, and there was nothing to compete with the dramatic neckline of her one-shouldered gown.
The mother of the bride — Queen Silvia of Sweden — wore stunning diamond floral earrings, plus a large diamond collet necklace with a pendant drop.
Princess Madeleine delved into the Bernadotte jewels for the pre-wedding events. She borrowed her mother’s Modern Fringe Tiara, wearing it as a necklace.
She also wore the Vasa earrings, pieces of jewelry which may date to the late eighteenth-century, when the Vasa dynasty reigned in Sweden. (They’re also the same earrings she would wear three years later on her own wedding day.)
Like her sister, Madeleine also added a jeweled surprise to her hair: the floral brooch from the family’s Brazilian parure.
The king’s second sister, Princess Birgitta of Sweden and Hohenzollern, attended the pre-wedding dinner wearing long diamond earrings, a diamond necklace, and sparkling bracelets. I’m not sure if the king’s other three sisters attended — I haven’t seen photos of them entering or leaving, and I haven’t spotted them in any of the dinner photos.
Queen Sonja of Norway wore pearls, pearls, and more pearls at the pre-wedding events.
Crown Princess Mette-Marit wore a dress with a sparkly belt, plus a sparkly bracelet and a sparkly clutch…
…but it was her gorgeous diamond earrings, with their faceted red (ruby? garnet?) pendant stones, that stole the show. The earrings are versatile and can be worn with various pendants, including pearls.
Princess Märtha Louise completed the Norwegian contingent of royal ladies, wearing a demi-parure set with stones that I think are probably opals interspersed with diamonds.
Queen Margrethe II of Denmark also wore blue-toned jewels: pieces from her set of diamond and turquoise jewelry.
Crown Princess Mary of Denmark wore a suite of jewels from Ole Lynggaard (the maker of the Midnight Parure), with diamond floral elements and pale stones. I’ve never seen a positive ID on the gemstone included here; I’ve heard suggestions that they might be morganite, and they do seem to have a distinctive pinkish shade to me.
She also wore a diamond floral cuff that coordinates with the diamond floral stud of the earrings.
Princess Benedikte, sister of the Danish queen (and a first cousin of the Swedish king!) wore pearls to the pre-wedding events.
Benedikte’s son, Prince Gustav, brought his partner, Carina Axelsson, to the wedding; for the pre-wedding events, she wore a pearl necklace, plus earrings and a ring with colored gemstones.
Benedikte’s elder daughter, Princess Alexandra, wore a diamond necklace and delicate earrings.
Anne-Marie, the former Queen of Greece and the youngest sister of the Danish queen (which also makes her a first cousin of the Swedish king) wore a pearl necklace, diamond earrings, and a diamond brooch in the shape of a swan.
Anne-Marie’s elder daughter, Princess Alexia, wore long pendant earrings with her bright red gown at the pre-wedding dinner.
Tatiana Blatnik, then the fiancee of Prince Nikolaos of Greece and Denmark, wore bold, dramatic gold jewelry at the pre-wedding events.
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