Wednesday Tidbits for September 5: Anniversaries and More

Here we go again:

--As noted last week, King Harald and Queen Sonja celebrated their golden wedding anniversary with a church service, plus a later private dinner. Crown Princess Mette-Marit wore an Emilia Wickstead dress also owned by the Countess of Wessex; Queen Sonja wore her gift from the King, a gold rose brooch. The royal ladies wore commemorative bow medallions designed by Sonja. [NRK]

Embed from Getty Images

--From an earlier Mette-Marit engagement, this made me laugh: How do those royal ladies cope with high heels on duty? By throwing a pair of UGG slides in the car for immediate relief. [Twitter]

--Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia released a new picture of little nugget Prince Gabriel for his first birthday!

Erika Gerdemark, Kungahuset.se

--This is devastating: Brazil's National Museum, one of the largest museums of natural history in the Americas, was gutted in a major fire on Sunday night. Officials say almost 90% of their priceless collection has been destroyed. The building itself is another big loss; its rich history includes use as a residence for the Portuguese royal family and later for the Brazilian imperial family. [Guardian, BBC]

--Over at the Jewel Vault, QEII enjoyed a giggly day out with Anne and Chaz, and brought one of her famous diamonds along for the summer holiday.

--And finally, a little respect for another kind of queen: The Band of the Welsh Guards played "Respect" during the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace on Friday, the day of Aretha Franklin's funeral.