Later this week, one of the biggest royal gatherings of the year will be held in Norway—and we can expect more than one princess to make her tiara debut at the event!
Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway, second in line to the throne, celebrated her milestone eighteenth birthday earlier this year. The biggest and most glamorous part of the celebrations, a grand gala dinner given by her grandparents at the Royal Palace in Oslo, had to be postponed because of the pandemic. It was rescheduled for June 17—this Friday! The event is widely expected to be an occasion when tiaras are worn, and it will give the future Queen Ingrid Alexandra of Norway her first chance to wear a tiara in public.
Earlier this year, royal historian Trond Norén Isaksen reported that Princess Ingrid Alexandra had been given a family heirloom tiara as an eighteenth-birthday present. She received the Boucheron Pearl Circle Tiara, which originally belonged to her great-great-grandmother, Princess Ingeborg of Sweden, as one of her gifts. The tiara was made around the year 1900.
The pearl and diamond tiara was most recently worn by the late Princess Ragnhild, and Isaksen shares that Ragnhild’s children decided to give the tiara to Ingrid Alexandra to mark her important birthday. It would make sense, then, if Ingrid Alexandra wore the Boucheron tiara for her birthday gala on Friday. (Although I know many are hoping that additional tiaras were also included in the princess’s birthday gift haul!)
There will also be plenty of other opportunities to see tiaras on the other royal guests who have been confirmed to be attending the gala. The hosts for the evening will be Ingrid Alexandra’s grandparents, King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway. Sonja has numerous tiaras in her jewelry box, including the fantastic Norwegian Emerald Parure Tiara, pictured above.
She also frequently wears several other tiaras, including Queen Maud’s Pearl Tiara, Queen Josefina’s Diamond Tiara, and the Modern Gold Tiara. Since this is a family occasion rather than a diplomatic event, it wouldn’t surprise me to see Sonja wearing the tiara from the Modern Gold Parure.
Ingrid Alexandra’s parents, Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway, will be present at the gala dinner as well. (Her younger brother, Prince Sverre Magnus, is also on the official confirmation list. No word about whether her older brother, Marius, will be there as well.) Crown Princess Mette-Marit tends to rotate between just a couple of tiaras: primarily the Norwegian Amethyst Parure Tiara (worn above) and the Diamond Daisy Bandeau (her wedding tiara). I’d wager we’ll see the daisy bandeau on Friday.
Ingrid Alexandra’s great-aunt, Princess Astrid, is on the guest list as well. She’s one of the most seasoned jewelry wearers of the family, and she has numerous tiaras in her jewelry box. She tends to prefer Queen Alexandra’s Turquoise Circlet (worn above) and the Vasa Tiara. Astrid has a great sense of history, and either tiara would be a lovely nod to Ingrid Alexandra’s illustrious ancestors, but I’m going to guess that we might see her in the Vasa Tiara for the gala.
The Norwegian royal group at the gala also includes Ingrid Alexandra’s aunt, Princess Märtha Louise. She has one tiara in her personal jewelry box, King Olav’s Gift Tiara, which was her eighteenth-birthday present from her royal grandfather. It would be a lovely nod to see Märtha Louise wearing that tiara for her niece’s birthday celebrations.
A quick side note: Princess Märtha Louise recently announced her engagement to her longtime partner, Durek Verrett. The couple posed for an official photograph to accompany the announcement. In the image, Märtha Louise wears a rather spectacular diamond and emerald engagement ring, plus a coordinating pair of earrings. People writes that the ring was made by jeweler Joy Sangalang Smith, and the emerald was chosen as a tribute to Queen Sonja. Additional diamonds in the ring also reference Märtha Louise’s daughters, Maud, Leah, and Emma. The article also has some good close-up photos of the ring.
The engagement has sparked various reactions in Norway and abroad. Verrett is a controversial figure, especially in Norway, because of his self-styled shaman career and his previous statements about topics like cancer treatment. The Norwegian royal family has extended their congratulations to the couple. Märtha Louise is a member of the royal family, but she’s no longer a member of the royal house, and she is not permitted to use her royal title in her private business ventures. I’m not sure whether Verrett will accompany his fiancée at Friday’s gala, and I also don’t know whether Märtha Louise’s daughters will be there. (Maud Behn is 19, so she would at least be eligible to wear a tiara for the occasion if one were available.)
We’ve heard confirmation from two other royal courts about gala attendance as well. The Dutch royal court confirmed that King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands will attend the event. Máxima could choose from a rather incredible range of tiaras in the Dutch royal family collection. She’s worn quite a few tiaras during visits to Norway, including the Antique Pearl Tiara, the Dutch Star Tiara, and Queen Emma’s Sapphire Tiara (also pictured above here). Perhaps we’ll see a new-to-Norway tiara from Máxima on Friday: something like the Dutch Diamond Bandeau?
Even more exciting, though, was the news that the Princess of Orange will be accompanying her parents to the gala! Princess Amalia, who is also 18, will likely also be making her very first tiara appearance at the event. There are lots of pieces for her to choose from in the Dutch royal vaults. And, as we learned during her birthday celebrations last December, she is a huge fan of tiaras, so she’ll likely relish the chance to finally wear one in public.
I’ve got two possible guesses. One is the Dutch Laurel Wreath Tiara, which was the first tiara worn by her grandmother, Princess Beatrix. It’s one of the few royal tiaras that Queen Máxima has not worn, and I’ve wondered in the past if it’s been sort of quietly earmarked for Amalia’s use. My other long-shot guess is the Dutch Aquamarine Parure Tiara. Amalia has worn the coordinating earrings from the set in public on at least one occasion, so I have a feeling she might have an interest in the tiara, too.
As of Saturday afternoon (when I’m writing this article), the most recent guest confirmation we’ve received comes from Sweden. Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel will be in attendance at the dinner. (No big surprise there, as Victoria is one of Ingrid Alexandra’s godparents.) Their daughter, Princess Estelle, is still a little too young for big royal gala occasions. But Victoria will be there, tiara and all.
Her recent favorite tiaras have included the Connaught Diamond Tiara (pictured above), the Sweden Aquamarine Kokoshnik, the Napoleonic Cut-Steel Tiara, the Boucheron Laurel Wreath Tiara, and the Baden Fringe Tiara, a perennial favorite. Perhaps this will be an occasion to wear one of her personally-owned pieces like the Laurel Wreath Tiara?
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.