royal wedding – Page 47

Jewels in Motion: The Norwegian Royal Wedding (1929)

03.21.2018 by The Court Jeweller // Leave a Comment

Crown Prince Olav of Norway and Princess Martha of Sweden marry in Oslo, 1929 (Wikimedia Commons)

89 years ago today, Norway celebrated the wedding of its future king, Crown Prince Olav. The bride was a Swedish princess, Martha, bringing together the new Norwegian royal family with its former royal dynasty. Today, we’ve got a look at the wedding in still photographs, plus moving images to help it come to life!

The wedding celebrations included multiple events, and newsreel footage from the festivities show the couple in various outfits and locations. Here, they wave to the crowd during a procession in daytime attire, part of Martha’s official arrival to Oslo.

Martha and Olav’s relationship was a love match, but it also had the added benefit of linking together two important strands of Norwegian royal history. Crown Prince Olav was the second generation of a new dynasty, which had been elected to reign over an independent Norway in 1905. Martha was a Bernadotte princess from Sweden; until the union between Norway and Sweden was dissolved in 1905, the Bernadottes had ruled over Norway, too.

The couple were also first cousins. Olav’s father, Haakon, was an elder brother of Martha’s mother, Princess Ingeborg; Haakon and Ingeborg’s parents were King Frederik VIII and Queen Lovisa of Denmark. Olav and Martha’s marriage, therefore, was a true union of the Scandinavian monarchies.

The people of Norway enthusiastically welcomed their new crown princess during the wedding festivities. A royal wedding was a novelty in Oslo; there hadn’t been one in Norway for 340 years. (The couple who married in Norway in 1589 probably isn’t one you might suspect: it was King James VI of Scotland and Princess Anne of Denmark! After a wedding by proxy in Denmark, Anne tried to sail to Scotland to meet up with her new royal husband, but various problems meant she couldn’t get any further than Norway. James hopped on a boat and went over to fetch his princess himself. They married in Oslo on November 23, 1589.)

Olav and Martha’s religious wedding ceremony at Oslo Cathedral went a bit more smoothly than James and Anne’s hurried wedding three centuries earlier. Footage from the wedding ceremony itself is a bit limited, but here’s a glimpse inside.

Afterward, the bride and groom hopped in a carriage for yet another royal procession. Oslo had plenty of royal wedding time to make up for, after all.

Crown Prince Olav and Princess Martha on their wedding day, 1929 (Wikimedia Commons)

Here’s a look at what the couple wore on their wedding day. Note that Martha chose not to wear a tiara with her bridal veil. Instead, she’s wearing a wreath of orange blossoms and a traditional Swedish bridal crown made of myrtle. Martha did receive several pieces of jewelry as wedding presents, including the lovely Vasa Tiara.

Crown Prince Olav and Princess Martha marry in Oslo, 1929 (Wikimedia Commons)

Here’s a bit of fun: a very hi-res version of a photograph from inside the royal wedding. Clicking here should bring up a much larger version, where you’ll be able to pick out a few interesting details, including Crown Princess Louise of Sweden wearing Queen Sofia’s Tiara and Queen Maud of Norway wearing the Maltese Circlet.

A Royal Wedding Tiara in Lima

03.19.2018 by The Court Jeweller // Leave a Comment

ERNESTO BENAVIDES/AFP/Getty Images

On Friday, Christian of Hanover, son of the pretender to the Hanoverian throne, married Alessandra de Osma in a religious ceremony at the San Pedro Basilica in Lima, Peru. The wedding may have been far from Germany, but the family brought one of their heirloom tiaras along for the occasion. Here’s a look at the jewels of this almost-royal wedding.

Leonardo Fernandez/Getty Images

Alessandra de Osma, a native of Peru, met Christian in 2005. The couple began dating in 2014, and they married in a civil ceremony in London in November 2017. Christian is the younger son of Ernst August of Hanover, who is the great-great-grandson of the last King of Hanover. Alessandra, who goes by the nickname “Sassa,” is a fashion designer.

Leonardo Fernandez/Getty Images

For her religious wedding ceremony, Alessandra wore a tiara from the Hanoverian vaults. This elaborate diamond tiara is made to resemble a floral spray, complete with blossoms, leaves, and berries. Not much is known about the tiara’s provenance, but I think those who have guessed that it’s a nineteenth-century creation are probably right.

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Here’s another close-up of the tiara on Alessandra. This angle shows the elaborate leaf designs of the piece, interspersed with diamond flowers and berries.

JULIAN STRATENSCHULTE/AFP/Getty Images

Over the last year, the tiara has become a favored bridal diadem for women marrying into the House of Hanover. In July 2017, Ekaterina Malysheva wore the tiara to marry Christian’s elder brother, Ernst August. Read our post on that wedding over here.

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And in 2004, the tiara was worn in Denmark by Princess Caroline of Monaco during the pre-wedding gala for Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary. Caroline has been married to Christian’s father, Ernst August, since 1999, but the couple have been estranged for about a decade. (Caroline did not attend this wedding.) There are also photos of Christian’s mother, Chantal Hochuli, wearing the tiara during her 16-year marriage to Ernst August.

Leonardo Fernandez/Getty Images

Caroline wore the tiara with floral earrings that appear to match the diadem, while Ekaterina chose to wear no earrings at all with the sparkler. On her wedding day, Alessandra wore small diamond stud earrings with the tiara, adding a bit of extra sparkle to her ensemble that didn’t compete with the immense wattage of the diadem.

Leonardo Fernandez/Getty Images

Here’s a look at Alessandra’s entire wedding ensemble, which was made of lace and featured a long train and veil. A Spanish designer, Jorge Vázquez, made the gown. She was accompanied by her father, Felipe, as she walked down the aisle of the basilica, and Christian’s younger sister, Alexandra of Hanover, was one of her attendants.

Leonardo Fernandez/Getty Images

Christian’s mother, Chantal, attended the wedding wearing a bright red dress and jacket, accessorizing with golden bangles and a large golden brooch.

RONNY HARTMANN/AFP/Getty Images

She wore a variation on the same outfit, including the same brooch, for Ernst August’s wedding in July.

Leonardo Fernandez/Getty Images

Ernst August escorted Alessandra’s mother, Elizabeth, to the ceremony. She wore large pearl earrings with diamond accents. Ernst August’s wife, Ekaterina, didn’t make the trip to Peru, but she had a very good excuse: she gave birth to the couple’s first child, a daughter named Elisabeth, in February.

Leonardo Fernandez/Getty Images

But there was one rather surprising member of the family who did make the trip to Peru: the elder Ernst August. He didn’t attend his eldest son’s wedding in July, following a very public family feud, but he was on the guest list for these nuptials.

Leonardo Fernandez/Getty Images

Alexandra, Christian’s sister, is eighteen, and she’s begun wearing large pieces of jewelry, including the diamond earrings she chose for her brother’s wedding. (The dress looks like one of the Chanel pieces favored by her mother, Princess Caroline.) For those keeping track of the relationships of the Hanoverian/Casiraghi kids, Alexandra attended the wedding with her boyfriend, German basketball player Ben-Sylvester Strautmann.

Raul Sifuentes/Getty Images

Two more princesses were also among the guests: Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie of York, granddaughters of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. As per usual, neither wore large pieces of jewelry, instead selecting delicate necklaces for the occasion. Princess Eugenie may have been especially attentive to the details of this wedding — don’t forget that she has a wedding of her own scheduled for this autumn.

I love it when the York sisters are a bit edgy with their style. (Pic: DM) pic.twitter.com/WgQ1rDtPKN

— Victoria Howard (@TheRoyalExpert) March 19, 2018

But look what the two of them wore for the reception! Both are wearing earrings — including Beatrice! How about that?

British Royal Wedding Tiaras

02.15.2018 by The Court Jeweller // Leave a Comment

STR/AFP/Getty Images

This week, I chatted with Town and Country Magazine about possible wedding tiaras for Meghan Markle, and in the interview, I mentioned that almost every British royal bride since the ’30s has worn a wedding tiara. Here’s a look at the bridal diadems of the Windsors!

Wikimedia Commons

Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark, 1934

The Greek princess borrowed a Russian imperial fringe tiara from her mother, Princess Nicholas, for her wedding to the Duke of Kent in November 1934

Lady Alice Montagu-Douglas-Scott, 1935

Alice wore a floral head ornament, not a tiara, for her wedding to the Duke of Gloucester in 1935. The ceremony was a somber occasion, because of the recent death of Alice’s father, but she did receive a boatload of bejeweled wedding presents

Keystone/Getty Images

Wallis Warfield Simpson, 1937

No tiara for Wallis, who married the Duke of Windsor, formerly King Edward VIII at a French chateau in June 1937, less than a year after his abdication

Princess Elizabeth, 1947

For her wedding in November 1947, Elizabeth borrowed Queen Mary’s Fringe Tiara from her mother — and then the frame snapped just before she left for the Abbey. Thankfully, the tiara was hastily repaired in time for the ceremony!

AFP/Getty Images

Princess Margaret, 1960

Margaret purchased her own wedding tiara, the Poltimore, at an auction before her wedding day in May 1960; almost half a century later, it fetched an astonishing price when it was sold again

Katharine Worsley, 1961

To marry the Duke of Kent in June 1961, Katharine wore a diamond bandeau that had once belonged to Queen Mary; many believe that the tiara was later remodeled, becoming a diamond and pearl fringe tiara

Princess Alexandra of Kent, 1963

Alexandra borrowed her mother’s diamond fringe tiara to wear for her wedding to the Hon. Angus Ogilvy in April 1963 at Westminster Abbey

Birgitte van Deurs, 1972

Birgitte, who never expected that she’d one day become Duchess of Gloucester, chose flowers rather than a tiara at her small, countryside wedding to Prince Richard of Gloucester in July 1972

Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Princess Anne, 1973

For her wedding to Mark Phillips in November 1973, Anne borrowed Queen Mary’s Fringe Tiara from her grandmother; it’s the same tiara worn by her mother on her wedding day in 1947

Image licensed to The Court Jeweller; DO NOT REPRODUCE.

Marie Christine von Reibnitz, 1978

Marie Christine did not wear a tiara for her wedding to Prince Michael of Kent, which was a civil ceremony in Vienna in June 1978, but she did wear her late mother-in-law’s diamond fringe tiara for the ball held afterward

Lady Diana Spencer, 1981

One of the most famous royal wedding tiaras of all time is undoubtedly the Spencer Tiara, borrowed by Diana from her father for her wedding to the Prince of Wales in July 1981

Sarah Ferguson, 1986

Sarah hid her diamond wedding tiara, a gift from her parents-in-law, under a wreath of flowers until after she was officially married to the Duke of York in July 1986

EPA/AFP/Getty Images

Princess Anne, 1992

For Anne’s second wedding to Tim Laurence in December 1992, she kept things very simple, choosing to wear flowers instead of a tiara

Image licensed to The Court Jeweller; DO NOT REPRODUCE.

The Hon. Serena Stanhope, 1993

Serena, who married Viscount Linley (now the Earl of Snowdon) in October 1993, wore the Lotus Flower Tiara with her bridal ensemble

ADRIAN CLACK/AFP/Getty Images

Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones, 1994

For her wedding to Daniel Chatto in July 1994, Sarah wore a floral tiara made of diamond brooches that her father gave to her mother, Princess Margaret

PHIL NOBLE/AFP/Getty Images

Sophie Rhys-Jones, 1999

Sophie received a new tiara from her parents-in-law when she married the Earl of Wessex in June 1999; many believe the tiara is composed of elements that were once part of Queen Victoria’s Regal Circlet