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Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World

The Best Royal Jewels of 2020: #2 (Princess Beatrice’s Wedding Tiara)

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Benjamin Wheeler/Press Association

Our countdown of the best royal jewels of the year has almost reached the top! The runner-up moment of the year is an incredible one: the heirloom royal tiara worn by Princess Beatrice on her wedding day.

Benjamin Wheeler/Press Association

I know I’m not the only one who gasped a little when we first learned that the Queen had loaned a very special tiara to her granddaughter for her wedding to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in July. Princess Beatrice wore Queen Mary’s Fringe Tiara, a lightweight, streamlined diamond fringe made for Queen Mary more than a hundred years ago.
AFP via Getty Images

The tiara is extra special, of course, because it’s the same one that the Queen wore for her wedding to the Duke of Edinburgh in 1947. It was also worn by Princess Anne for her first wedding in 1973. The Queen inherited the tiara from the Queen Mother in 2002, and she’s worn it occasionally since. This was the first time the Queen has loaned it to another family member since inheriting it. (See even more history of the tiara over here!)
Benjamin Wheeler/Press Association

The tiara, of course, wasn’t the only thing that the Queen loaned to Beatrice for her wedding.
AFP via Getty Images

Beatrice’s wedding gown is a vintage dress from the Queen’s collection, made by Sir Norman Hartnell. The Queen wore it more than once during the 1960s; above, she wears it for the state opening of parliament in April 1966. The dress was originally sleeveless. Angela Kelly added gauzy cap sleeves to the dress for the wedding.
Benjamin Wheeler/Press Association

The loan of the important tiara and the vintage gown were certainly signs of the great affection that exists between grandmother and granddaughter. In recent years, Beatrice’s father has been rightfully removed from his working royal role, but moments like this demonstrate that the love that the Queen has for the York princesses remains unchanged.
Which royal jewelry moment will take the number one spot on our countdown? Stay tuned later today to find out!

The Best Royal Jewels of 2020: #5 (A Sparkling Nassau Wedding Tiara)

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Tatler/Instagram

Our countdown of the best royal jewels of 2020 has arrived at number four: a surprise royal wedding with a sparkling heirloom bridal tiara!

Tatler/Instagram

In September, Archduchess Gabriella of Austria, the younger daughter of Archduke Carl Christian of Austria and Princess Marie Astrid of Luxembourg, married her partner, Prince Henri of Bourbon-Parma, in an outdoor ceremony at Schloss Tratzberg in Austria. The couple had been engaged since October 2017, shortly before the birth of their daughter, Princess Victoria. 
Henri and Gabriella are second cousins: both of them are great-grandchildren of Princess Charlotte of Luxembourg and Prince Felix of Bourbon-Parma. (Marlene Koenig does a good job of tracing the multiple ways that the two are related in her blog post on the couple’s engagement and Princess Victoria’s birth.) In the image above, a screencapture from an Instagram story, the newlywed bride and groom pose with Gabriella’s parents and their daughter.
Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

Archduchess Gabriella anchored her veil with the Grand Duchess Adelade Tiara, an heirloom from her mother’s native Luxembourg. The tiara dates to the nineteenth century. It features a complicated leaf design that is studded with diamond berries, with a lovely central sapphire.
Albert Nieboer/Royal Press Europe/DPA/Alamy

The tiara is one of the most wearable pieces in Luxembourg’s grand ducal jewelry collection, and it’s been worn by numerous family members. Grand Duchess Maria Teresa has worn it often, as has Hereditary Grand Duchess Stephanie. Above, Princess Claire of Luxembourg wears the tiara during the National Day gala in 2018.
Pedro Bellido

Archduchess Gabriella is the second family member to wear the Grand Duchess Adelaide Tiara as a bridal diadem. In 2017, Princess Marie Gabrielle of Nassau, daughter of Prince Jean of Luxembourg, wore the tiara for her wedding to Antonius Willms.
Tatler/Instagram

Here’s one more peek at the couple on their wedding day, courtesy of another screencapture from Instagram stories. Gabriella paired the Adelaide tiara with classic pearl drop earrings for the day.
Our countdown will continue bright and early tomorrow morning!

The Best Royal Jewels of 2020: #7 (Princess Raiyah’s Wedding Tiara)

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Raiyah bint Al-Hussein

Even a pandemic can’t stop love. Our countdown of the best royal jewels of 2020 arrives at number seven: the modern wedding jewels worn by Princess Raiyah of Jordan on her wedding day.

Arabian Royal Agency

Princess Raiyah is a scholar of Japanese literature and the youngest daughter of Queen Noor of Jordan and the late King Hussein. In July, she married Ned Donovan, a journalist who is also the grandson of Roald Dahl and Patricia Neal. The very small, private ceremony was held on the grounds of Queen Noor’s home in Berkshire, Buckhurst Park, after a larger ceremony planned for April in Jordan had to be canceled.
Raiyah bint Al-Hussein

For her bridal tiara, Princess Raiyah borrowed a piece from her mother’s jewelry box. This diamond and sapphire bandeau features a gorgeous central element. That piece has been previously worn as a brooch by Queen Noor.
Raiyah bint Al-Hussein

Here’s a better look at Raiyah’s stunning wedding gown, as well as the beautiful red prayer beads she wore on her left wrist.
Look for the next post in our countdown bright and early tomorrow!