Battle of Waterloo Anniversary Commemorations

This week, royals from Europe have been remembering the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo, in which a coalition of soldiers from Britain, the Netherlands, and Germany defeated Napoleon Bonaparte’s French army. The battle took place in present-day Belgium, although at the time the land was Dutch territory.

On Wednesday, royals attended a re-opening ceremony at Hougoumont Farm, a key location in the battle. As she often does when attending military events, the Duchess of Cornwall wore the badge of the Lancers, the regiment that her father, Major Bruce Shand, fought with during World War II. Camilla paired the badge with her usual diamond and pearl earrings and a three-stranded pearl necklace.

The Belgian king was represented at Hougoumont by his sister, Princess Astrid. She wore a pair of coral-colored earrings with her pink tweed jacket.

Astrid’s cousin, the Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg, attended the ceremony with his wife, Stéphanie. Given the photographs from the event, though, I’m not completely sure that the photographers knew who they were. Courtesy Luxarazzi, we have a link to clearer photos of the pair, where you can see Stéphanie wearing a pendant necklace.

Guillaume and Stéphanie also visited Laeken Palace in Belgium on Wednesday, where they met with Prince Napoleon, a descendant of the family that lost the battle.

Prince Pieter-Christiaan, a cousin of the Dutch king, was also on hand to represent the Netherlands.

Here’s the entire group at Laeken with King Philippe and Queen Mathilde. Those pictured also include the Marquess and Marchioness of Douro and Lord Frederick Wellesley, descendants of the 1st Duke of Wellington, and descendants of Gerhard von Blücher.

On Thursday, the Brits attended a service at St. Paul’s commemorating the battle. Camilla wore her diamond and pearl earrings, her pearl choker with the round diamond clasp, and the cap badge of the Rifles.

One of the major heroes of Waterloo was the Duke of Wellington, and his descendant, the 9th Duke, was also on hand for the St. Paul’s service. His wife, the Duchess of Wellington, wore pearl earrings and a lovely, geometric diamond brooch.

The Duchess of Gloucester also attended the St. Paul’s service, but I’ve yet to find a clear image of her jewelry.

Back in Belgium, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde led the royal parade at the official government ceremony recognizing the anniversary.

Mathilde wore a pair of earrings that she’s had in her collection for sometime: a modern pair set with both white and yellow diamonds.

Queen Máxima of the Netherlands was elegant in gray, wearing a glittering pair of earrings with the long gray pearl brooch from the Dutch royal collection.

Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg also wore gray, accessorizing with pearl earrings and a long necklace studded with gray and white pearls.