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Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World

Royal Jewel Rewind: Monaco’s Princely Wedding, Part 1 (2011)

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Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene of Monaco (Photo: PATRICK KOVARIK/AFP/Getty Images)

Five years ago today, the tiny principality of Monaco saw their grandest, most glittering event in half a century: the wedding of Prince Albert II and his longtime girlfriend, South African swimmer Charlene Wittstock. Today, we’re looking back at the incredible jewels worn to their religious wedding ceremony. This post is the first of several — come back later today and tomorrow for the rest!

Photos (clockwise, L-R): Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images, Sean Gallup/Getty Images, Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images

All eyes at this wedding were, of course, on the bride. Charlene had originally intended to wear a tiara — it seems that the Ocean Tiara made for her by Van Cleef and Arpels was her initial choice. But, as she explained in an interview with Vogue, she ultimately decided to wear diamond floral hair ornaments instead: “I’m not wearing a tiara. Instead, Princess Caroline has lent me some beautiful diamond hair clips which belonged to her grandmother. I did have a tiara made by Van Cleef and Arpels but I decided to put it on display at the Oceanographic Museum, and I will wear it for my first official engagement.”

Charlene did have the tiara displayed at the museum; she also wore the tiara — in necklace form — at the Red Cross Ball held a month after the wedding. She has posed for portraits in the tiara, including one featured on the cover of Hola! magazine, but she has only so far worn it out in public in necklace form. The diamond floral clips (which once belonged to Princess Charlotte, Duchess of Valentinois) were the only major pieces of jewelry that Charlene wore to her wedding — she didn’t even wear a pair of earrings. The bride and groom exchanged wedding rings made of white gold and platinum by Cartier.

Photos (clockwise, L-R): Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images, Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images, DAMIEN MEYER/AFP/Getty Images, DAMIEN MEYER/AFP/Getty Images

Princess Caroline, who so kindly lent the diamond clips to her new sister-in-law, wore a few significant pieces of jewelry to the wedding. She wore a pair of earrings with a modern daisy-shaped drop — earrings she later wore again at the 2013 Rose Ball. She also wore a diamond-encrusted cross pendant, plus a major ring on her left hand.

Photos (clockwise, L-R): Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images, DAMIEN MEYER/AFP/Getty Images, Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

Prince Albert’s younger sister, Princess Stephanie, is not a major wearer of jewelry, but she did accessorize a bit for her big brother’s wedding. She wore three pairs of sparkling earrings: glittering pendant earrings made of three hearts, plus two simple diamond studs. In some photos it looks like she’s wearing a bracelet and ring on her right hand, but you can see above that both are tattoos, not jewels.

Photos (clockwise, L-R): Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images, Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images, Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Charlotte Casiraghi, elder daughter of Princess Caroline, wore some major sparkle with her Chanel ensemble. Her diamond stud earrings coordinated nicely with her diamond cluster ring, and she finished off the outfit with a diamond bracelet that featured leaf-shaped elements.

Photos (clockwise, L-R): Sean Gallup/Getty Images, Sean Gallup/Getty Images, VALERY HACHE/AFP/Getty Images

Caroline’s younger daughter, Alexandra of Hanover, was only eleven at her uncle’s wedding, but even she accessorized in an age-appropriate way. She wore small earrings and a delicate pendant necklace, plus a stack of jingly bracelets on her right wrist and a watch on her left.

Photos: DAMIEN MEYER/AFP/Getty Images, VALERY HACHE/AFP/Getty Images

Princess Stephanie’s elder daughter, Pauline Ducruet, wore small round pearl stud earrings with her blue outfit; she also wore a tiny hair ornament that looks to be set with pearl-esque beads.

Photos: PATRICK KOVARIK/AFP/Getty Images, VALERY HACHE/AFP/Getty Images

Pauline’s younger sister, Camille, wore a delicate pair of gold and pearl earrings at the wedding. (Camille has become one of the more interesting jewel-wearers of the Grimaldi clan in recent years, so it should be no surprise that she was already demonstrating a precocious love for jewelry at fourteen.)

Photos (clockwise, L-R): Sean Gallup/Getty Images, Dan Kitwood/Getty Images, Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

Two future members of the Grimaldi family were also in attendance at this wedding. Tatiana Santo Domingo, now the wife of Andrea Casiraghi, wore a lovely set of jewelry. The necklace and matching earrings feature violet-hued gemstone drops. She also wore a beaded bracelet on her left wrist, plus a gold ring.

Photos: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images, Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Pierre Casiraghi’s future wife, Beatrice Borromeo, was also at the wedding. With her blue lace dress, she wore a glittering pair of statement earrings.

Photos: DAMIEN MEYER/AFP/Getty Images

The royal guest list at this wedding was impressive — no wonder, as this was the marriage of a reigning sovereign prince. Belgium sent four royal ladies, including Queen Paola, who was then the country’s queen consort. She wore diamond earrings with yellow drops, her elaborate diamond necklace (which she has also worn as a tiara), a set of golden bangles, and her engagement and wedding rings.

Photos (clockwise, L-R): DAMIEN MEYER/AFP/Getty Images, Danny Martindale/Getty Images, Danny Martindale/Getty Images, Danny Martindale/Getty Images

Queen Mathilde — then the Duchess of Brabant — wore three lovely pieces of jewelry. She donned her own wedding earrings, which feature a diamond bow-shaped stud and a round pearl drop, plus a diamond bracelet with x-shaped elements. But the showstopper here was undoubtedly her brooch: the gorgeous, elaborate diamond waterfall brooch that once belonged to Queen Fabiola.

Photos: Andreas Rentz/Getty Images, Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

Princess Astrid of Belgium almost went incognito to this wedding — but you can just see pearl earrings peeking out from under her giant sunshade.

Photo: Andreas Rentz/Getty Images

Princess Claire of Belgium went for the big hat, too — and hers was so big that I don’t think many of the photographers even recognized her! You can’t really see it in the fuzzy shot above, but she’s wearing pearl earrings.

Photos (clockwise, L-R): Dan Kitwood/Getty Images, Danny Martindale/Getty Images, Danny Martindale/Getty Images, Danny Martindale/Getty Images, Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

Crown Princess Mary of Denmark wore bright teal and a hat that will be familiar to many of you, because she wore it a few weeks ago at Royal Ascot! Her accessories included round pearl stud earrings, a stacked ring, and a dual-sided bracelet, which featured long metal links on the back and round gemstones on the front.

Photos: Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Also attending from Denmark: Princess Marie. She wore an intriguing pair of earrings with a cluster stud and pearl drop, an intricate diamond necklace, and a bangle bracelet.

Stay tuned later today for many more throwback jewels from this princely wedding!

The Top Ten: Royal Pearl Tiaras

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Queen Elizabeth II wears the Vladimir Tiara (Photo: KIERAN DOHERTY/AFP/Getty Images)
As June winds down, it’s time to pay another tribute to this month’s birthstone, the elegant pearl. Today, I’m counting down my top ten tiaras that include pearls and are currently worn by royals. Let us know in the comments which tiaras make your top ten!

10. The Pearl Sunburst Tiara
One of the Japanese imperial family’s many tiaras set with “white” gemstones is this magnificent, modern diamond and pearl sunburst tiara. So far, it’s been worn by both Empress Michiko and Crown Princess Masako.
Photo: Chris Jackson/Getty Images
Now owned by Princess Benedikte, this nineteenth-century tiara features a dramatic set of alternating pearl and diamond-star toppers.
Photo: Ian Gavan/Getty Images
This pearly tiara may be a replica of the original, but it still packs a lot of sparkle into its convertible frame. Queen Sonja is usually the wearer of the full version, but she also shares the smaller version with Crown Princess Mette-Marit and Princess Martha Louise.

This pearl tiara was patterned after one owned by Princess Augusta, Duchess of Cambridge — and now it’s worn by the current Duchess of Cambridge. The most famous wearer of the tiara, however, will probably always be Diana, Princess of Wales.
Photo: Michel Porro/Getty Images

This tiara was designed to mimic the shape of one that belonged to Anna Pavlovna, wife of King Willem II; its pear-shaped pearls belonged to a seventeenth-century Dutch princess. The tiara resides in the Dutch royal family’s jewel foundation, which means that all of the royal ladies have handy access to it.

Princess Charlotte, Duchess of Valentinois — mother of Prince Rainier III of Monaco — ordered this pearl and diamond sparkler from Cartier in 1949. She famously wore it at her son’s pre-wedding gala in 1956, but today, it is more commonly worn by her granddaughter, Princess Caroline.

Photo: Chris Jackson/Getty Images
Queen Margrethe II of Denmark frequently wears this heirloom pearl tiara, which was made in 1825 for Princess Louise of the Netherlands. It meandered through the line of Louise’s descendants, through the Swedish and Danish royal family, before Queen Louise of Denmark placed it in a trust in 1926. Today, the tiara is worn exclusively by Queen Margrethe. 
Photo: GERO BRELOER/AFP/Getty Images
Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands wore this grand diamond and pearl tiara, which was made in 1897, at her wedding in 1966. The versatile tiara has multiple settings, and because it is in the family’s jewel foundation, it can also be worn by multiple royal women. Queen Maxima debuted the tiara in Japan in 2014.
Photo: DAVE CHAN/AFP/Getty Images
Likely made by Bolin for Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna (wife of Grand Duke Vladimir of Russia) in the late nineteenth-century, this tiara was rescued from post-revolution Russia by a British diplomat. Queen Mary later purchased it and had it adjusted so that it could also be worn with the Cambridge emerald drops. Today, Queen Elizabeth II wears it three different ways: with the original pearls, the emeralds, and “widowed” (i.e., with no drops at all).
Photo: ATTILA KISBENEDEK/AFP/Getty Images
One of my favorite tiaras of all time, this diamond and pearl sparkler was made by Cartier for Queen Ena of Spain — using gemstones from a tiara given to Ena by her mother-in-law! The tiara could originally also be worn with emeralds, but today, it’s worn only with pearls. After making its way through the Spanish royal family, it resides today in Queen Sofia’s jewelry box.

The Royal Brooch Dilemma: A Coiffeured Solution?

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Andra Day accessorizes with a brooch in her hair (Photo: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

We’ve spent a lot of time here at The Court Jeweller chatting about the extensive brooch collections of some of Europe’s royal ladies — but quite often, those discussions lead to questions about what the next generations of royal women will do with all of those bejeweled pins, especially now that traditional brooch-wearing has gone by the wayside.

Musician Andra Day reminded us of one possible solution this weekend at the BET Awards: a number of brooches make excellent, inventive hair ornaments. Today, let’s look at the way royals have used their brooches in their hair — plus some of the brooches I’d like to see royals try out in their tresses.

Portrait of Empress Elisabeth of Austria by Winterhalter (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

Royals have been wearing brooches in their hair for a long, long time. Above, Empress Elisabeth “Sisi” of Austria-Hungary famously wears her diamond stars scattered throughout her hair in a portrait by Winterhalter.

Photos: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

Today, the royals you’re most likely to see wearing brooches in their hair are the Bernadotte women in Sweden. The Swedes have some of the best hairdressers in royal Europe, and they regularly add brooches to their grand tiara hairstyles. Above, Crown Princess Victoria wears brooches in her hair at the Nobel Prize ceremonies in 2015, 2014, and 2012.

One of Victoria’s most romantic jeweled moments was her choice of the family’s diamond arrow brooch to complement her hairstyle at her pre-wedding concert. She wore a Cupid-esque arrow of love the night before her wedding, and on her wedding day, she wore a tiara complete with cameos depicting the love story of Cupid and Psyche.

Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

Princess Madeleine also wore a glittering diamond brooch in her hair for Victoria’s pre-wedding gala, using the family’s diamond floral brooch to gather her demi-chignon.

Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

Back when Princess Sofia of Sweden was still Miss Sofia Hellqvist, she chose to make her Nobel ceremony debut wearing a brooch in her hair rather than a tiara. (Note: despite what some etiquette “experts” say, there are no rules that say you must be married to wear a tiara. You also don’t have to be royal. You just have to be a person attending an event where tiaras are dress-code appropriate. That said, lots of royal brides choose to make their tiara debuts after they acquire an HRH.)

Photo: Marc Piasecki/Getty Images

Sofia’s mother-in-law, Queen Silvia of Sweden, chose to wear a brooch in her hair during a recent state visit to France. The ornament was a nifty solution to the problem of the present-day state dinner in France, where the dress code is increasingly casual. A brooch still lets a queen have a regal bit of statement sparkle in her hair while following the host’s dress code. In this case, the brooch was especially well chosen, as it is a part of the Bernadotte family’s collection of French cameo jewelry.

Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

Queen Maxima of the Netherlands also went with the brooch-as-hair-ornament solution during the Dutch state visit to France. She wore one of the diamond elements from the Borneo suite. This piece actually was once part of a now-dismantled tiara.

Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

Other royals have used brooches to approximate a tiara. Above, Princess Michael of Kent uses the daisy brooches inherited from Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll as a “tiara” at the wedding reception of Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene of Monaco in 2011.

Even that venerable brooch-collector Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom has tried out brooches in her hair. Above, she wears one of Queen Victoria’s diamond wheat ear brooches during a visit to Spain in October 1988. Queen Maxima has also worn wheat ear brooches in her hair.

Photo: Sean Gallup/Getty Images

One of the most effective uses of brooches as a hair ornament was Princess Charlene of Monaco’s wedding day hairstyle in 2011. Charlene clarified her wedding hair ornament decision to Vogue Magazine: “I’m not wearing a tiara. Instead, Princess Caroline has lent me some beautiful diamond hair clips which belonged to her grandmother.” That grandmother is Princess Charlotte, Duchess of Valentinois — mother of Prince Rainier III of Monaco.

Queen Elizabeth II’s Russian Sapphire Brooch (Photo: Ernesto Ruscio/Getty Images)

So, ultimately, wearing brooches tucked into hairstyles can be a handy solution for royal women in multiple ways. It allows for greater use of a jewel that has increasingly fallen out of everyday fashionable wear. It lets women wear a bit of appropriate glitter at state events where tiara-wearing is no longer the norm. And it also gives some royal women options regarding jewel-wearing based on their status within the royal family. I’d love to see the Duchess of Cambridge, Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway, and even Queen Letizia of Spain embrace brooches in the hair, too. How about the gorgeous Russian Sapphire Brooch (see #79 here for more info) for Kate?

Which brooches would you like to see other royal ladies wear in their hair?