Tomorrow, the Swedish royal family will gather for the annual distribution of the Nobel Prizes in Stockholm. (Except, of course, for the Peace Prize — the Norwegians award that one.) The Bernadottes always shine in their best jewels for the occasion. We’ve already had a look at the glitter worn five years ago at the Prize ceremony. Today, let’s look back to the Nobels of ten years ago.
Queen Silvia wore a set of jewelry we’ve talked about recently on the blog: the Leuchtenberg sapphires, which were made by Napoleon’s court jeweler, Nitot, in early nineteenth-century France. Check out the complicated and fascinating history of the parure here.
The sapphire set remains largely as it was when it was originally made, but with one exception: the earrings. The original pair of earrings from the parure were lost about a century ago, and a “new” pair was made by repurposing two hairpins from the set.
Silvia also wore the Order of the Seraphim and King Carl XVI Gustaf’s family order, which features an hand-painted portrait of the king surrounded by diamonds.
Intrepid photographers gave us a glimpse of Silvia’s bracelet: a diamond bracelet and a Cartier Love Bracelet.
Silvia’s tiara hair was particularly on point on this occasion, too.
Crown Princess Victoria also wore a tiara with ties to the imperial court of Napoleon: the larger of the family’s two cut steel tiaras. She paired the tiara with diamond and pearl jewelry.
The intricate way that the metal tiara is cut makes the piece sparkle as if it were embedded with gemstones — but no diamonds are involved.
Victoria wore a diamond necklace with a pearl drop, pearl drop earrings, and a round diamond brooch pinned to the sash of the Order of the Seraphim.
The crown princess is also wearing her father’s family order, plus a bracelet on her left wrist.
Princess Madeleine did not attend the 2004 Nobel ceremony, but another Swedish princess did: the late Princess Lilian, widow of the king’s uncle, Prince Bertil. Lilian was 89 at the 2004 Nobels, but she wore jewelry in a way that was totally ageless.
Lilian was decked in diamonds at the ceremony, including the diamond fringe tiara that belonged to Victoria of Baden. The fringe tiara is held in the family’s jewel foundation, and it’s worn quite often by Lilian’s great-niece, Crown Princess Victoria.
The diamond necklace is made from a stomacher that belonged to Josephine of Leuchtenberg. Lilian wore the piece pretty much exclusively from the 1980s until her death, but I don’t think it ever actually belonged to her personally. Crown Princess Victoria wore the necklace at Princess Madeleine’s wedding in 2013. Lilian also wears a diamond bow brooch, glittering earrings that may or may not be costume jewelry, the Order of the Seraphim, and her nephew’s family order.
The 2004 Nobels also included some sweet moments between Queen Silvia and Princess Lilian, who were extremely close. The two were photographed holding hands as they waited for the ceremony to begin, and it’s one of my favorite photos of the Bernadotte family.
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