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Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World

Belgian Royal Wedding Jewels

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Yesterday in Rome, Prince Amedeo of Belgium married his longtime girlfriend, Elisabetta Rosboch von Wolkenstein. Amedeo is the son of Princess Astrid of Belgium (daughter of King Albert II and Queen Paola) and her husband, Archduke Lorenz of Austria-Este. Lili, as the bride is known, is the daughter of Ettore Rosboch von Wolkenstein and Countess Lilia de Smecchia.

Although Lili is related to several Italian noble families, she chose to borrow a bridal tiara from her new husband’s grandmother. The diamond tiara, made in the Art Deco style, originally belonged to Queen Elisabeth of Belgium. She passed the tiara along to her daughter-in-law, Queen Astrid; after Astrid’s death, it was worn by King Leopold III’s second wife, Princess Lilian. Queen Paola, who now owns the tiara, began wearing it in the 1960s. And this isn’t the first time it’s been used as a bridal tiara.

It was also worn by the groom’s aunt, Queen Mathilde, on her wedding day in 1999.

The media revealed during the ceremony that Lili’s wedding gown was made by Valentino.

She also added a set of pearl and diamond pendant earrings to her bridal ensemble, which was topped off by a veil edged in lace.

Princess Astrid, the mother of the groom, is known for her sometimes-kooky outfits and hats. For her son’s wedding, though, she wisely kept things rather toned down, though she added a whimsical pearl necklace and pearl earrings to her soft blue dress and headpiece.

Amedeo’s uncle and aunt, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of the Belgians, posed with three of their four children outside the basilica.

Mathilde wore the diamond and pearl earrings she wore at her own royal wedding, plus a diamond bracelet and a burlap bag wrapped ’round her head.

Mathilde’s elder daughter, the Duchess of Brabant, also attended the wedding. You can’t see Elisabeth clearly in this photograph, but she was among the bridesmaids in the wedding party, as was her cousin, Princess Louise. (Here’s a clearer picture of Elisabeth in her bridesmaid attire.)

The groom’s grandmother, the Italian-born Queen Paola, wore a necklace of five strands of pearls, plus pearl and diamond earrings and a really interesting dragonfly brooch.

Another of Amedeo’s aunts-in-law, Princess Claire, kept her jewelry simple for the occasion, choosing a pair of small earrings and a wristwatch.

The eldest of Prince Amedeo’s three sisters, Princess Maria Laura, went with a monochrome look for her older brother’s wedding. I love the dramatic silver and green earrings she added to her green lace dress and green floral headpiece.

Like his new wife, both of Amedeo’s grandmothers were born in Italy. His paternal grandmother, Archduchess Margherita of Austria-Este, was born a Savoyard princess. Most of her elaborate jewels are worn today by Princess Astrid, and she appears to have gone jewel-free to her grandson’s wedding. No matter, though — that rather amazing walking stick adds a good bit of shine!

Through his great-aunt, the late Grand Duchess Josephine Charlotte, Amedeo is related to the royal family of Luxembourg, too. Two of his Luxembourgish cousins, Prince Guillaume (on the right) and Prince Jean, both attended the wedding, as did Jean’s wife, Countess Diane de Nassau (who wore very dramatic earrings).

Princess Margaretha, Jean and Guillaume’s sister, attended the wedding with her husband, Prince Nikolaos of Liechtenstein. She wore golden earrings, a bracelet, and a simple necklace; I’m not sure if the piece on the front of her blouse is a brooch or a part of the garment itself.

Also on the guest list from Liechtenstein were Prince Philipp and Princess Isabelle, who wore a pair of earrings that I’d love to get a better look at, plus a hat that doubles as the prow of various ships.

Another Luxembourgish princes, Marie Astrid, is related to Amedeo through the Belgian royals; Marie Astrid’s husband, Archduke Carl Christian, is a Habsburg like Prince Lorenz. Like many of her fellow attendees, Marie Astrid selected pearls for the day, wearing pearl earrings, a pearl necklace, and a lovely pearl bracelet.

Carl Christian and Marie Astrid also brought along their children and their spouses, increasing the cousin total considerably.

Carl Christian’s sister, Archduchess Maria Constanza, attended with her husband, Franz Josef von Auersperg. Love the necklace.

And finally, there was a surprise Yorkie appearance at the wedding! Not sure whether Princess Beatrice knows the couple personally or was there representing another member of the Windsor clan, but she was a rather low-key guest either way. A bit of jewelry would have helped to spice up this blush-colored dress, but alas, there doesn’t seem to be any piece of visible bling here. Help, British jewelry industry: can’t any of you please recruit this British princess to be your spokesperson? She needs sparkle!

The Order of Leopold

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King Leopold I of Belgium (ca. 1845)

As far as royal families go, Belgium’s is fairly new. The nation has only been an independent country since 1830, and because there was no previous Belgian royal family from which to choose a monarch, a member of a German princely family was selected as the country’s first king.

King Albert II wears the Order of Leopold (2005)

King Leopold I was born Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. He was the uncle of Britain’s Prince Albert (and of Queen Victoria, too). For a time, he’d also been expected to become the prince consort in Britain; his first wife was Princess Charlotte, the only child of King George IV. She died, along with the couple’s only child, in 1817. In the ensuing years, he turned down the offer of the Greek throne before finally consenting to become the first King of the Belgians.

King Philippe wears the Order of Leopold (2013)

The highest-ranking order of chivalry in Belgium is named after Leopold I. It was established in 1832, shortly after Leopold became king. The order was the brainchild of Count Felix de Mérode, a Belgian minister of state (and a nobleman who had once been suggested as a possible Belgian king). Originally, Mérode wanted to call the order the “Order of the Union.” Even though that name was scrapped in favor of a name that honored the nation’s new king, it lives on in the order’s motto: “L’Union fait la Force” (in French) or “Eendracht maakt Macht” (in Dutch). The motto loosely translates to “united we stand, divided we fall,” a phrase that holds great meaning in Belgium, a country that unites two distinct population groups, the Flemings and the Walloons.

Princess Claire wears the Order of Leopold (2008)

From the start, the order consisted of two divisions: a military division that honored those who had shown bravery in combat, and a civil division that honored those who had made significant contributions to the Belgian state. In the years since, a third (rarely awarded) division has been added: the maritime division, exclusively for members of the merchant navy. Today, there are five classes of the order: Grand Cordon, Grand Officer, Commander, Officer, and Knight. The Belgian king is the Grand Master of the order.

In a flipped photograph, King Baudouin wears the Order of Leopold (1984)

As with most chivalric orders, the insignia we’re used to seeing on royals (sashes, stars, etc.) are reserved for members of the order’s highest class. The Grand Cordon class that wears the most elaborate insignia is generally limited to a few specific groups of people: members of the Belgian royal family, foreign royals and heads of state, high-ranking government officials, and military generals. These people are entitled to wear the collar, badge, sash, and star of the order.

Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands wears the Order of Leopold (2006)

The sash is a distinct purple color; the badge can either be worn attached to the sash or to the collar, which is made of golden crowns, lions, and Leopold I’s monogram. The badge features a white enamel Maltese Cross set atop a bed of green laurel leaves and topped with a golden crown. In the center of the cross is a two-sided disc, which features a lion on one side and Leopold I’s monogram on the other. The star is eight-pointed and made of silver, with the same central disc of black enamel with a golden lion in is center.

King Philippe and Queen Mathilde wear the Order of Leopold (2014)

The Order of Leopold is awarded by royal decree. Generally, new appointments to the order are announced on specific days: April 8 (the birthday of King Albert I), November 15 (the King’s Feast holiday), and occasionally on July 21 (Belgium’s national day). Along with requiring certain kinds of contributions to the nation, the order has one more rather peculiar prerequisite: members must be at least 42.

Prince Lorenz and Princess Astrid wearing the sash, badge, and star of the order (2004)

Royals, however, are exempt from this age rule. King Philippe received the Leopold from his uncle, King Baudouin, on his thirtieth birthday. Queen Mathilde, who will not turn 42 until next January, is also already a member of the order, as are all of the other senior Belgian royals: King Albert II, Queen Paola, Queen Fabiola, Princess Astrid, Prince Lorenz, Prince Laurent, and Princess Claire.