In last week’s royal jewel news post, I referred to the golden wedding anniversary reception held for Constantine and Anne-Marie, the former king and queen of Greece, at the yacht club in Athens. Here’s a better look at the jewels worn by the couple and their royal guests at the celebration!
Royal Wedding Jewels: Maria Theresia of Thurn and Taxis
Get excited, everyone: it’s time to review the bridal garb of another just-married princess! On Saturday, Maria Theresia of Thurn and Taxis, a member of a German princely family, married British artist Hugo Wilson in Bavaria. Let’s have a gander at the jewels, shall we?
Although the Thurn and Taxis family sold off many of their most spectacular royal jewels after the death of Maria Theresia’s father, Prince Johannes, the family does still have some baubles in the vaults. But the bride chose not to attempt any of the skyscraper tiaras from the family’s collection, instead wearing a rather delicate floral headband.
The little flower crown encircled the bride’s head — you can see it here beneath her veil. It’s difficult to tell what it’s made of — possibly a light metal? No matter what the material is, the flower crown is a far cry from her mother’s bridal tiara a generation ago: the pearl and diamond tiara from the French crown jewels.
The TnT family is known for its eccentricities, and lest you think that Maria Theresia went wholly conservative with her bridal attire, have a glance at her Vivienne Westwood bridal gown! The skirt is made of an intriguing printed fabric. I’ve been wondering whether perhaps this is a screen printing of one of her new husband’s paintings on the gown? If anyone knows, please pipe up in the comments! (Here are some examples of his work, just for stylistic comparison.)
Maria Theresia’s mother, the larger-than-life Princess Gloria, has toned down her look considerably over the decades, though she still has a flair for the dramatic in her dressing. For her daughter’s wedding, Gloria wore a pink gingham dirndl, accessorizing with pearls, white gloves, and a white fur.
But check out the necklace worn by the bride’s sister, Elisabeth! I can’t help but love the incredible exaggeration of this piece, and I always like dark purple against icy blue. It’s ridiculous, but it’s so ridiculous that it’s kind of chic.
The whole Thurn and Taxis clan was adorably excited at the wedding. The tall, phone-wielding man in the center of the photo is Maria Theresia’s brother, Albert. He’s the 12th Prince of Thurn and Taxis. Trivia fact: the TnT family got their princely title from a Holy Roman Emperor, Leopold I, because they were the Postmasters General of part of the Holy Roman Empire! Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night…
A good semi-royal wedding always brings tons of familiar faces out of the woodwork. Tatiana Casiraghi, daughter-in-law of Princess Caroline of Monaco, wore purple satin and an absolutely ENORMOUS pair of earrings.
The Casiraghis are linked to German royalty via Princess Caroline’s (estranged) marriage to Ernst August of Hanover. His two sons attended the wedding with their mother, Chantal. She wore a jacket that came with its own accessories, but she also added a couple of large rings and an oversized wristwatch.
The bride’s mother was born into a Bavarian noble family, the Schönburg-Glachaus. Gloria’s sister, Countess Maya of Schönburg-Glachau, paired pearls with her striped dress. Her daughter, Pilar Flick, also wore a single-stranded necklace.
Gloria’s brother, Count Alexander of Schönburg-Glachau, attended his niece’s wedding with his wife, Irina. She’s the one wearing the coral and gold jacket, and she appears to have gotten the big-earring memo from the Casiraghi camp.
The groom’s family may not be from noble or royal lineage, but they certainly fit the bill sartorially at the wedding. The groom’s mother paired a pendant necklace with her yellow dress. I can’t quite decide if his sister is wearing a separate necklace or if the piece is an embellishment on her dress, but I like it. (Her hat, unfortunately … not so much.)
Back to the nobles, then. This is Alexander, the Hereditary Prince of Isenburg and his wife, Sarah. You might be more familiar with two of Alexander’s sisters: Sophie, who is married to Georg Friedrich of Prussia, and Katharina, who is married to Martin of Austria-Este (brother of Prince Lorenz of Belgium). Sarah has apparently gone light on the jewels, but I can understand why: her coat does all the talking here.
One more noble guest for our post today, this time from Italy. Alessandra Borghese is a close friend of Gloria of Thurn and Taxis; both princesses are passionate about their Catholic faith. It looks like there may be the hint of a pearl necklace beneath her optical-illusion ensemble, but who can tell?
So, readers: what are your feelings on the jewels and frocks at this particular princely wedding?
Jewel History: The Royal Wedding (1889)
The Earl of Fife and Princess Louise of Wales on their wedding day (source) |
LONDON, July 27 — Her Royal Highness the Princess Louise Victoria Alexandra Dagmar, eldest daughter of the Prince of Wales, was married at noon today to Alexander William George, Earl of Fife, Knight of the Thistle [1]. The weather was unpropitious, as rain was falling. The ceremony took place in the private chapel of Buckingham Palace. This was the first marriage that ever took place in the chapel, which is small, and the number of guests was therefore limited.
The bride and groom arrived privately. The Princess of Wales [2], the Crown Prince of Denmark [3], the King of Greece [4], Prince Albert Victor [5], and Prince George of Wales [6] assembled in the Bow Library of Buckingham Palace at 11:45 o’clock, and there awaited the arrival of the Queen [7] from her private apartments.
The Prince of Wales and Princess Louise on her wedding day (source) |
The bridal party, consisting of the Prince of Wales, Princess Louise, and Princesses Victoria and Maud of Wales [8], left Marlborough House, the residence of the Prince of Wales, at 11:40 o’clock for Buckingham palace. Notwithstanding the rain, the route to the palace was crowded with spectators. There was a vast concourse of people opposite the palace. The Prince of Wales was enthusiastically cheered.
On the arrival in the Bow Library of the Queen, who was accompanied by the Grand Duke of Hesse [9], the procession to the chapel was formed. It comprised the Queen, the members of the royal family, who had gathered in the library, the King of Greece, the Crown Prince of Denmark, and other guests, and the officers of the royal household. The procession, on its way to the chapel, passed through several royal apartments, in which many of the guests who had found it impossible to enter the chapel were seated. Upon reaching the chapel, the Queen was escorted to the seat prepared for her, while the other royal personages took seats on either side of the altar.
The Earl of Fife, who was attired in a Highland costume and wore the garter of the Duffs, accompanied by his groomsman, Mr. Horace Farquhar, took his position at the altar rails and awaited the coming of his bride.
The Earl of Fife, Princess Louise, and the bridal party (source) |
The Prince of Wales, with the bride and Princesses Victoria and Maud of Wales and the members of the royal household, arrived at the palace just before noon. They were received by the Lord Steward and the Vice-Chamberlain and conducted to the Bow Library, where the bride was joined by the bridesmaids, who were Princesses Victoria and Maud of Wales, Princess Louise of Schleswig-Holstein, Princess Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein [10], Princess Victoria of Teck [11], Countess Feodore Gleichen, Countess Victoria Gleichen, and Countess Helena Gleichen [12]. The bridal party then proceeded to the chapel.
The bride wore a Duchesse dress of white satin, with a flowing train. It was trimmed with orange blossoms. She also wore a wreath of orange blossoms and a point de gaze veil. The bridesmaids wore dresses of blush-pink faille and carried bouquets of pink roses.
The clergymen officiating were the Archbishop of Canterbury; the Bishop of London; the Dean of Windsor, Domestic Chaplain to the Queen; the Rev. F.A.J. Hervey, Domestic Chaplain to the Prince of Wales; and the Rev. T. Teignmouth Shore.
Photograph of the wedding of the Earl of Fife and Princess Louise of Wales; the Prince of Wales stands to the bride’s left, and Queen Victoria and the Princess of Wales are both visible on the left side of the image (source) |
A choral service was sung by the choir of the Chapel Royal, St. James. A feature of the service was the singing of a special anthem entitled “Oh, Perfect Love,” composed by Mr. Joseph Barnaby.
Many of the Ministers were present. Mr. Gladstone [13] was also among the guests.
The Princess of Wales on her daughter’s wedding day (source) |
The Queen wore a dress of black brocade. The Princess of Wales was attired in pearl gray satin brocaded with silver. Her Royal Highness also wore a tiara of diamonds [14]. After the benediction had been pronounced, the Queen kissed the bride and cordially greeted the groom.
After the wedding there were two breakfast parties in separate chambers in Buckingham Palace. One party consisted of the bride and groom, the Queen, and other royal personages, and the other of guests. Toasts were given to the Queen and to the bride and groom. After breakfast the Earl and his bride, the Prince and Princess of Wales, the King of Greece, the Crown Prince of Denmark, and the bridesmaids returned to Marlborough House, the bride and bridegroom occupying the first carriage. Later in the afternoon, the newly-married couple departed for Sheen House, the suburban residence of the Earl of Fife, where a portion of the honeymoon is to be spent.
On arriving at Sheen House [15], the newly-wedded pair were enthusiastically welcomed. They passed between files of Venetian masts, decorated with floral festoons. The path was covered with carpet, upon which wildflowers were strewn by girls dressed in white. Tonight Mortlake and Richmond, in the vicinity of the Earl of Fife’s house, were illuminated.
The Prince of Wales gave a reception at Marlborough House this evening, which was attended by 1000 guests.
NOTES, LINKS, AND CREDITS
1. Alexander Duff was the 6th Earl of Fife when he married Princess Louise of Wales on July 27, 1889; however, two days later, Queen Victoria created him the 1st Duke of Fife.
2. The mother of the bride (later Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom).
3. The maternal uncle of the bride (later King Frederik VIII of Denmark).
4. The maternal uncle of the bride (King George I of Greece).
5. Eldest brother of the bride (later the Duke of Clarence and Avondale).
6. Elder brother of the bride (later King George V of the United Kingdom).
7. Queen Victoria, the bride’s paternal grandmother.
8. The bride’s younger sisters; Maud later became the Queen of Norway.
9. Grand Duke Louis IV of Hesse-Darmstadt was the widower of Princess Alice of the United Kingdom, and therefore the son-in-law of Queen Victoria (and the uncle of the bride).
10. Princesses Louise and Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein were the bride’s first cousins; they were the daughters of Queen Victoria’s third daughter, Princess Helena, and they were better known by the names “Helena Victoria” and “Marie Louise.”
11. Princess Victoria of Teck, better known by her nickname, “May,” would later become the sister-in-law of the bride when she married Louise’s brother, George. She also, of course, would later become Queen Mary of the United Kingdom.
12. The Gleichens were relatives of the British royal family via their descent from Queen Victoria’s half-sister, Princess Feodora of Leiningen. Her son, Prince Victor of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, married Laura Seymour; because the marriage was morganatic (which meant the spouses were not of equal rank, and the wife/children do not inherit the husband’s rank or titles), she was created Countess von Gleichen. All three of the Gleichen daughters became artists: Feodora was a noted sculptor, Helena was a painter, and Victoria was a singer.
13. In 1889, William Ewart Gladstone was the former British prime minister; three years later, he would become PM once more.
14. The tiara that Alexandra wore to her daughter’s wedding was the diamond and amethyst tiara that she was given by her brother-in-law, Tsar Alexander III of Russia; she later bequeathed the tiara to Princess Louise, but it was sold by Louise’s descendants in 1946.
15. The Fife residence was actually East Sheen Lodge; in 1889, Sheen House was being rented by the exiled Count of Paris.