The Bernadottes gathered in Stockholm on Tuesday for the start of the year’s parliamentary session, wearing their traditional diamond and pearl jewelry–and for the first time in many years, they were joined by Princess Madeleine and Christopher O’Neill.
The King and Queen of Sweden arrived at Parliament House in Stockholm on Tuesday for the opening of the Riksdag session. Along with their children and their spouses, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia had attended a traditional church service at Stockholm’s cathedral before arriving for the opening of parliament in a carriage procession.
The King and Queen posed with the Speaker of the Riksdag, Andreas Norlén, and the crown princely couple ahead of the opening session. For the event, the men of the royal family wear business suits, while the women wear day dresses and hats with a strict black-and-white color palette.
Why all the black and white? It’s a nod to the colors of Swedish court dress, which was traditionally worn for the opening of parliament until reforms were instituted in the 1970s. Above, the King’s mother, Princess Sibylla, is pictured arriving for the opening of the Riksdag session in 1957. She wears traditional court dress, including ermine-trimmed velvet robes and a lace veil, plus the Connaught Diamond Tiara and the Bernadotte Emeralds.
Because the attire for the event is black and white, you’ll most often see the women of the family accessorizing with diamonds and pearls. Queen Silvia wore spectacular examples of both for the Riksdag opening on Tuesday, pairing antique pearl drop earrings with a diamond and pearl necklace, bracelet, and brooch. She has chosen this particular pearl drop brooch several times for the event in recent years, wearing it at the Riksdag in 2019 and in 2022.
Silvia will have to forgive me for including this photograph, which shows her concentrating intensely during part of the opening session, because it offers us the best view of her gorgeous necklace and its diamond floral clasp.
Crown Princess Victoria also wore elegant pearls for the opening session, reaching for her pearl drop earrings from Kreuger. These feature little silver butterflies resting on the pearls.
Even more exciting was the brooch that Victoria wore for the event. The details of the diamond brooch were a little difficult to discern against the bold pattern of the dress, but this close-up shows that it’s a vintage diamond clip brooch. The style was popularized by jewelers like Cartier in the 1930s and 1940s, and several royals still have examples of these clips in their collections.
For the first time in many years, the entire contingent of senior Swedish royals was present for the Riksdag opening. Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia (who recently announced that they’re expecting their fourth child in February) were joined by Princess Madeleine and Christopher O’Neill. Madeleine and Chris have recently moved back to Sweden with their three children.
Princess Sofia wore subtle diamond jewelry with her dotted dress, including pavé-set diamond hoop earrings and a delicate necklace with tiny diamond drops.
Princess Madeleine, on the other hand, went bold with her earrings for the session opening. These faux pearl statement earrings, per UFO No More, come from Zara.
On Tuesday evening, the royals headed to the Royal Opera in Stockholm for a concert to wrap up the day of parliamentary celebrations. King Carl XVI Gustaf was joined by Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Daniel, Prince Carl Philip, Princess Sofia, Princess Madeleine, and Christopher O’Neill for the performance. (Queen Silvia was initially also scheduled to attend. She’s had to cancel on a few more engagements this week, so I’d guess she’s not feeling well.)
There’s no requirement to wear black and white at this concert event, but Crown Princess Victoria decided to carry the theme through anyway. With her black and white dress, she wore a pair of diamond jacket earrings from LWL Jewelry. She wore the same pair this year on Victoriadagen.
Princess Sofia wore a dress in an autumnal shade of deep red for the concert, paired with lacy floral statement earrings. Per UFO No More, the golden earrings come from Caroline Svedbom.
Princess Madeleine reached for a second pair of statement earrings for the day’s evening event as well. These heart-shaped earrings, set with crystals, come from the high-street brand Mango.
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