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Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World

State Visit Jewels: Elizabeth II in Germany (Part 1)

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I’m exhausted just thinking about the Queen’s work schedule, and I’m nearly sixty years younger than she is! After a jam-packed week of events in Britain, Elizabeth and Philip jetted off to Germany for a state visit. Let’s have a look at the jewels from their first two days on German soil.

When the Queen deplaned in Berlin, she arrived wearing a major British heirloom jewel that was a gift from a German prince. The Albert Brooch, which features a large sapphire ringed with diamonds, was given to Queen Victoria by her husband-to-be, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, as a wedding present in 1840. The Queen wears it frequently, including an outing last week at Royal Ascot.

For the official welcome ceremony on Wednesday morning, the Queen repeated an outfit and jewels that she wore during the state visit to France last June. (The coat was also worn during the Diamond Jubilee pageant on the Thames.) The brooch, which is a floral design set with diamonds and made, I believe, of various colors of gold, was actually worn for the first time during that French state visit.

The state banquet on Wednesday evening was a combination of expected jewels and surprises. Just as she did on the 2014 French state visit — and as she does almost always these days — the Queen selected the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara for the dinner. (Read more about the intriguing timeline of this tiara’s history over here.) The tiara is sort of fitting for the occasion, however, as it was a wedding gift to a German princess (Mary of Teck) who was marrying a British prince.

But along with that very expected tiara, she also wore the necklace, earrings, and brooch of the crown ruby parure. We also saw this brooch last week at Royal Ascot — in fact, that was the first time she’d ever worn it in public! (Maybe Ascot was a sort of trial run for this visit? Who knows!) The crown rubies were designed in part by a German prince — again, Prince Albert — and were originally made to coordinate with Queen Victoria’s Oriental Circlet. The entire suite was originally set with opals and later changed to rubies.

There was also a secret bonus jewel on display! The Queen used the Emperor of Austria Brooch to secure the back of the sash of her German order, the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. This brooch was also especially appropriate for the visit, as it was a gift from Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria to the Duchess of Teck, Queen Mary’s mother, on the occasion of the christening of Prince Francis of Teck in 1870. The brooch also has a collet chain and three pearl pendants, but that section is detachable, and the Queen is only wearing the large circular portion with its enormous central pearl.

The diamond “bracelet” on the Queen’s left wrist is actually her diamond evening wristwatch.

You can see above that her right wrist was bracelet-free. (You can also see the DoE’s impressive chest full of medals.)

He’s also wearing the star of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany and the neck ribbon and badge of the Order of Merit.

Carl Philip and Sofia’s Wedding: Pre-Wedding Dinner

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Hi, everybody! I’m slowly but surely getting caught up again here — in fact, as you read this, I’m probably somewhere over the Atlantic — but here’s the first of our catch-up posts on this weekend’s royal wedding!

Prince Carl Philip and Sofia Hellqvist celebrated on the night before their wedding with a pre-wedding dinner aboard a boat in Stockholm. Let’s have a look at the jewels, shall we?

The bride mostly let her blue gown do the sparkling, wearing very little jewelry.

You can catch a glimpse of her small hoop earrings above.

The groom’s mother, Queen Silvia of Sweden, shocked the internet by wearing trousers.

She paired the emerald-green jacket and trousers with gold jewelry.

Like Sofia, Crown Princess Victoria mostly kept the sparkle confined to her gorgeous dress.

However, Victoria did wear small earrings and a glittering pendant necklace.

Princess Madeleine wore sparkling earrings with her gown.

The king’s eldest sister, Princess Margaretha, wore a multi-stranded necklace and a large pair of stud earrings with her blue gown.

Princess Birgitta, the king’s second sister, was dripping in diamonds, from floral earrings to a cross pendant to bracelets and rings. (Sidenote: yes, this is what Birgitta looks like. There’s no need to dwell on it. Restrict your comments to her jewels, not her appearance.)

Birgitta’s daughter, Princess Desiree of Hohenzollern, wore a sparkling necklace of her own.

Vicky Magnuson, daughter-in-law of Princess Christina, chose dramatic drop earrings for the dinner.

Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway also wore a lovely pair of drop earrings with her floral gown.

Princess Martha Louise of Norway wore a dramatic pair of earrings, and her husband, Ari Behn, wore a rather dramatic sash of his own.

Princess Ursula of Bavaria wore a lovely strand of pearls, plus extremely dramatic drop earrings.

Royal Jewel Rewind: Princess Madeleine’s Wedding (2013)

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Note: From Friday, June 5 until Sunday, June 14, I will be traveling and will be away from my computer. For notes about how this will affect the blog, especially commenting, visit here!
Let’s get into the Swedish royal wedding spirit with a look back at the wedding of Princess Madeleine of Sweden, everybody! Madeleine married Christopher O’Neill two years ago this week, with white tie and tiaras galore. (If you missed yesterday’s look at their pre-wedding dinner, click here!)

On her wedding day, Princess Madeleine borrowed her mother’s Modern Fringe Tiara, wearing it with orange blossoms arranged at the tiara’s base. She also wore the Vasa earrings, historic pieces of Swedish royal heirloom jewelry.

On her left wrist, Madeleine wore one of the family’s diamond bracelets.

The gown was designed by Valentino. The groom also received a new bit of bling: the Order of the Polar Star, the second highest-ranking order of chivalry in Sweden.

The mother-of-the bride wore jewelry that reminded all gathered that she was, indeed, the Queen of Sweden. Silvia donned Queen Sofia’s Tiara (also sometimes called the “Nine-Prong”) with diamond earrings, a diamond riviere with a pendant stone, and the diamond floral brooch from the Brazilian parure. She also wore the Order of the Seraphim and her husband’s family order.

In memory of her late great-aunt, Princess Lilian, Crown Princess Victoria wore the tiara that Lilian bequeathed to her: the Boucheron Laurel Wreath Tiara, which was given to Crown Princess Margareta of Sweden as a wedding present by Queen Sofia. The tiara can also be worn as a necklace, but Victoria chose another heirloom necklace for the wedding: the one created by modifying a stomacher that had belonged to Joséphine of Leuchtenberg. Victoria also wore diamond earrings, diamond bracelets, a diamond rosette brooch, the Order of the Seraphim, and her father’s family order. Her best accessory, though, was probably the adorable Princess Estelle!

Royal girlfriend Sofia Hellqvist, who will become Princess Sofia of Sweden on Saturday, wore a pair of golden earrings with a leaf motif for the wedding.

The king’s sisters were all at the wedding as well. Princess Margaretha wore the Baden Fringe Tiara with diamond earrings and a diamond necklace, plus the Order of the Seraphim and her brother’s family order.

Princess Birgitta wore the Connaught Diamond Tiara, plus diamond earrings, diamond bracelets, and the sapphire and diamond necklace that belonged to her mother, Princess Sibylla. She’s also wearing the Order of the Seraphim and her brother’s family order.

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Princess Désirée, the king’s third sister, wore the Napoleonic Cut-Steel Tiara, pairing it with diamond earrings and a coordinating diamond (and pink topaz?) brooch. She also wore the Order of the Seraphim and her brother’s family order.

The king’s fourth sister, Princess Christina, wore the family’s Diamond Six-Button Tiara with pearl and diamond jewelry. She’s also wearing the Order of the Seraphim and her brother’s family order.

Princess Désirée of Hohenzollern, Princess Birgitta’s daughter, wore a diamond necklace with the pearl tiara that Birgitta received from her grandfather, King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden.

Vicky, the girlfriend (now wife) of Princess Christina’s son, Gustaf Magnuson, wore a gorgeous pair of pendant earrings.

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Countess Gunnila Bernadotte af Wisborg, the widow of Count Carl Johan Bernadotte af Wisborg, wore her diamond aigrette tiara with pearls.

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Countess Marianne Bernadotte af Wisborg, the widow of Count Sigvard Bernadotte af Wisborg, wore her amethyst and gold parure.

Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway wore her mother-in-law’s amethyst parure with the Order of the Polar Star.

Mette-Marit’s sister-in-law, Princess Märtha Louise of Norway, wore the small version of Queen Maud’s Pearl Tiara, plus a demi-parure set with either sapphires or tanzanites. She also wore the Order of the Polar Star.

Crown Princess Mary of Denmark donned the tiara from the Midnight Parure, a pair of diamond earrings, the Order of the Polar Star, and her mother-in-law’s family order.

Princess Marie of Denmark wore her usual sparkler: Princess Dagmar’s Floral Tiara. She also wore diamond earrings. She doesn’t have a Swedish order, so she wore her highest Danish order, the Order of the Elephant, plus her mother-in-law’s family order.

Princess Benedikte of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, one of Madeleine’s godparents, wore the star and pearl tiara that once belonged to Queen Sofia of Sweden. She also wore a set of diamond stars that belonged to Queen Victoria of Sweden, a diamond necklace that belonged to Queen Alexandrine of Denmark, and pearl earrings. She’s wearing the Order of the Polar Star, plus her father’s family order and the ribbon and badge of the Order of the Dannebrog. (Note: the man walking beside Benedikte isn’t her husband, Prince Richard; it’s Prince Andreas of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, first cousin of the Swedish king.)

Marie-Chantal of Greece and Denmark wore her daughter’s diamond fringe tiara, plus diamond earrings, a long delicate necklace, and the Order of Saints Olga and Sophia (her highest Greek order, as she doesn’t have a Swedish order).

Tatiana of Greece and Denmark borrowed her mother-in-law’s Antique Corsage Tiara, pairing it with her diamond wedding earrings, a small diamond brooch, and the Order of Saints Olga and Sophia.

Theodora of Greece and Denmark borrowed a diamond tiara from her sister, Alexia. She also wore diamond and pearl pendant earrings, a small diamond and pearl brooch, and the Order of Saints Olga and Sophia.

The Countess of Wessex borrowed an aquamarine tiara from her mother-in-law, Queen Elizabeth II. She paired it with diamond earrings, a round diamond and aquamarine brooch, the Royal Victorian Order (her highest British order, as she doesn’t have a Swedish order), and Elizabeth II’s family order.

Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie of Luxembourg wore the family’s suite of pearl and citrine jewelry for the first time at the wedding. Because she doesn’t have a Swedish order, she wore her highest Luxembourgish order, the Order of Adolphe of Nassau. (The citrines and the blue order sash also helpfully echoed the colors of the Swedish flag!)

Say it with me, everybody: Princess Charlene wore no jewelry. Maybe they forgot to pack her jewel case?

Princess Takamado, on the other hand, wore a delightful suite of matching pearl and diamond jewelry, including a tiara, a necklace, a pair of earrings, and two bracelets. Hisako doesn’t have a Swedish order, so she wore her highest Japanese order, the Order of the Precious Crown.

Princess Anna of Bavaria wore a tiara that reportedly belongs to her own family, the Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburgs, plus diamond earrings and a necklace with a vivid purple-pink gemstone.

Hereditary Princess Kelly of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha wore the family’s antique turquoise and diamond tiara at the wedding, plus small earrings and the Ducal Saxe-Coburg and Gotha House Order, which was revived by Kelly’s father-in-law in 2006.

The mother of the groom, Eva O’Neill, kept her jewelry simple, choosing a fascinator instead of a tiara and wearing (relatively) small diamond earrings.

Eva’s daughters, however, donned tiaras. Tatjana d’Abo wore a small diamond bandeau with a floral motif.

And Countess Natascha of Abensberg-Traun wore a delicate diamond meander bandeau with simple diamond earrings and an elaborate bracelet.



That’s it for our look back at Princess Madeleine’s wedding! Stay tuned for more Swedish jewels this week, and click here to read all of our posts about the upcoming royal wedding!