Can you identify the jewels worn here by Princess Caroline of Monaco at the 50th birthday celebrations for King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden in 1996?
Saturday Sparkler: Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s Daisy Bandeau
At the state banquet in Norway this week, Crown Princess Mette-Marit wore a tiara that has been her signature piece of jewelry since her wedding day more than a decade ago: a delicate bandeau tiara featuring daisy designs studded with diamonds.
Mette-Marit wears the tiara at the Danish royal wedding, 2004
The tiara, which fits in perfectly with Mette-Marit’s minimalist Nordic style, was made in 1910. Exactly how the family got their hands on the
sparkler has never been made clear. Some think they may have bought the
piece from Garrard in London, but the family has never released any
information on the maker or the means by which it was acquired. (I have always seen a major resemblance between this tiara and another Scandinavian sparkler: Queen Margrethe’s turquoise bandeau.)
sparkler has never been made clear. Some think they may have bought the
piece from Garrard in London, but the family has never released any
information on the maker or the means by which it was acquired. (I have always seen a major resemblance between this tiara and another Scandinavian sparkler: Queen Margrethe’s turquoise bandeau.)
Mette-Marit wears the tiara at Princess Martha Louise’s wedding, 2002
Some have speculated that the bandeau is actually the same tiara worn by Cate Blanchett in the 1999 film An Ideal Husband. It’s certainly possible that the pieces could be the same: film companies often borrow real jewels for productions. Either the film features an extremely similar piece (or a copy), or Cate’s movie tiara ended up on an actual princess shortly after the movie was released.
Mette-Marit on her wedding day, 2001
Regardless of the way that the tiara made it into the Norwegian vaults, we know for sure that it was a wedding gift to Mette-Marit from her
new in-laws, King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway, in 2001. She wore the tiara on her wedding day, and although she’s worn two other tiaras since (the family’s amethyst tiara and their copy of Queen Maud’s pearl tiara), this is the tiara that she’s worn most frequently since then.
new in-laws, King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway, in 2001. She wore the tiara on her wedding day, and although she’s worn two other tiaras since (the family’s amethyst tiara and their copy of Queen Maud’s pearl tiara), this is the tiara that she’s worn most frequently since then.
Mette-Marit wears the tiara at the Luxembourg royal wedding, 2012
The bandeau is undoubtedly easier to
wear than most grand tiaras, so comfort is probably a factor, along with
sentimental wedding/family reasons. It would not surprise me even a
little bit, though, if this tiara is eventually passed along to her
daughter, Princess Ingrid Alexandra. It seems like a perfect first tiara
for a future queen.
This Week in Royal Jewels: October 10-16
October 10-16, 2014
A state visit, a meeting between two monarchs, and a national celebration bring us plenty of sparkle this week. Enjoy!
10. With her work schedule back in full swing, Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh visited one of her palaces, the Tower of London, to tour the crypt and the Tower Poppies exhibit on Thursday. She wore a piece of heirloom jewelry for the day: a cabochon emerald and diamond brooch that was once part of a stomacher that belonged to the Duchess of Teck. Queen Mary had the brooch created in 1897; it’s usually worn with a cabochon emerald drop, also taken from the Teck stomacher.
9. Queen Mathilde of the Belgians is really pushing the envelope where “large earrings” are concerned. This is the floral pair that she wore to a concert at the palace in Brussels on Wednesday!
8. For a visit to the Barbara Sinatra Children’s Center on Saturday, Princess Charlene went with slightly smaller earrings: a pair of diamond stud earrings by Cartier.
7. On Sunday, the Spanish royals attended a military parade to mark the country’s national day. Queen Letizia wore a pair of colorful drop earrings — possibly with cabochon gemstones? — that coordinated with her outfit.
6. Turquoise was the Duchess of Cornwall’s gemstone of choice for a day of engagements in Kent on Wednesday. With her usual diamond and pearl earrings, she wore a pair of turquoise, diamond, and gold bird brooches and a turquoise bracelet.
5. On Tuesday, Queen Elizabeth II wore one of her grandest brooches — the Cullinan V — to award the insignia of a Dame Grand Cross of the Order of St. Michael and St. George to the new Governor General of the Bahamas, Dame Marguerite Pindling. (More on the various mountings of the Cullinan stones here.)
4. On Wednesday, King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain paid an official visit to the Netherlands. Letizia’s theme of the day was red: red suit, red lips, and a lovely pair of ruby and diamond earrings.
3. Queen Maxima went with an even more dramatic look for the Spanish visit. Her diamond earrings are the studs from Queen Wilhelmina’s diamond pendant earrings, created in 1889. Her necklace is a supplemental royal security measure.
2. The Norwegian royals welcomed the President of India for a state visit on Monday. Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s jewelry at the welcome ceremony was limited to a large pair of diamond earrings, but at the state banquet that evening, she donned her diamond daisy bandeau, a pair of earrings with green stones (possibly small emeralds?), a small ruby brooch, King Harald’s family order, and the insignia of the Order of St. Olav. (Also props to Princess Astrid, who wore her diamond and ruby aigrette to the banquet! I just love her.)
1. Queen Sonja of Norway gets my top spot of the week — not only for her pearl-and-gold jewelry at the welcome ceremony on Monday but also for her jewels at the banquet that evening: the Norwegian emerald parure, plus a pearl bracelet with a diamond and emerald clasp, a gold bangle, King Harald’s family order, and the insignia of the Order of St. Olav.