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Showing posts sorted by relevance for query Victoria. Sort by date Show all posts
Programming note: We'll be back on Monday!

Our recent festival of Fife tiaras continues with an updated post for Queen Victoria’s Emerald and Diamond Tiara:

Queen Victoria's Emerald and Diamond Tiara
Historic Royal Palaces
Queen Victoria and Prince Albert’s shared love of art and design resulted in many an exquisite treasure, including jewels like her Sapphire Coronet and the Oriental Circlet. “Albert has such taste and arranges everything for me about my jewels,” Victoria wrote. This Gothic-inspired emerald and diamond tiara is another example, a piece personally designed by Prince Albert and commissioned in 1845 from the London jeweler Joseph Kitching for £1,150.

Historic Royal Palaces
Historic Royal Palaces
The tiara, nearly a full circlet in shape, has a base of cushion-shaped diamonds and step-cut emeralds topped by a graduated row of 19 inverted pear-shaped emeralds; the largest emerald weighs in at 15 carats. The tiara completed a parure of emeralds and diamonds previously gifted to the Queen by her husband, including a necklace with 9 clusters of emeralds surrounded by cushion-shaped diamonds, a pair of pendant earrings, and a brooch featuring a 20-carat emerald.

The parure: Necklace, earrings, brooch
Historic Royal Palaces
Queen Victoria was thrilled with her emerald tiara gift, referring to it as a “lovely Diadem of diamonds and emeralds designed by my beloved Albert” and writing of her husband’s “wonderful taste” in her journal.

The Royal Family in 1846, by Franz Xaver Winterhalter
Royal Collection
She chose to wear the emerald tiara in the family portrait she commissioned from Franz Xaver Winterhalter the following year, entitled The Royal Family in 1846. For that family portrait, she paired the tiara with a different set of brooches and earrings.

With the emerald parure 
Royal Collection
She was later painted wearing the tiara with the parure that exists today.

Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine
Queen Victoria loaned the emerald and diamond tiara to her granddaughter Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine in the 1880s; on that occasion, it was worn around a cap likely as part of a costume.

The Duchess of Fife, 1960 
British Pathé
The tiara ultimately ended up in the possession of another granddaughter, Louise, the Princess Royal and Duchess of Fife, daughter of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra. The parure has since remained with the Fife family. It was worn to the State Opening of Parliament in 1960 by the then-Duchess of Fife, one of the only examples of the diadem in use.

Historic Royal Palaces
The family has allowed the tiara to be shown on exhibition – and, of course, has just now loaned it on a long-term basis to the Victoria Revealed exhibition at Kensington Palace alongside the Fife Tiara and the Fife Fringe Tiara. The rest of the emerald parure is also on show, ready and waiting for your admiration. It already has mine; this is one of my absolute favorite pieces. Magnificent.

Have the new pictures (or an in-person view, perhaps) changed your view of this tiara?
April 12, 2018
We updated the status of the Fife Tiara back in January here, after news broke in 2017 that the tiara had been given to the U.K. government in lieu of inheritance tax and was scheduled to be displayed at Kensington Palace. That display - part of the reopened Victoria Revealed exhibition - opens today (March 30) and includes not just the big diamond Fife Tiara but two other Fife family tiaras. And, well:


BE STILL MY HEART. You can check out our entry on the Fife Tiara's history here.

Historic Royal Palaces. Click to enlarge.

Here's what the exhibition press release has to say about it:
"The majestic Fife tiara, given to Queen Victoria’s granddaughter Princess Louise on her wedding day, is today considered one of the finest works produced by celebrated Parisian jeweller Oscar Massin, and represents the very zenith of tiara design. A gift from Louise’s husband the Duke of Fife, it comprises hundreds of diamonds ranging in weight from one to ten carats, and features a spectacular row of pear shaped ‘swing set’ diamonds, which would have dazzled onlookers when worn."
We also now have an opportunity to see those diamonds move:


But wait, there's more! As was also previously announced, the Fife estate has loaned Queen Victoria's Emerald and Diamond Tiara to the Victoria Revealed exhibit - plus its accompanying parure of a necklace, earrings, and brooch!

Historic Royal Palaces. Click to enlarge.
Historic Royal Palaces. Click to enlarge.

You can check out our last entry on the tiara here. And this is what the exhibition has to say:
"Comprising a magnificent diamond and emerald diadem, emerald necklace, earrings and brooch, this parure – or matching suite of jewels – showcases both the exquisite workmanship of nineteenth century goldsmiths, and Prince Albert’s own flair for design. Albert was fascinated by jewellery, and personally designed this dazzling headpiece for his wife. Created by the Queen’s Jeweller, Joseph Kitching, the tiara is set with cushion-shaped diamonds and step-cut emeralds, and surmounted by a graduated row of 19 inverted pear-shaped emeralds, the largest of which weighs an astonishing 15 carats. As a testament to Albert’s own creative talents, the pieces he designed for Victoria now constitute the only known examples of a tiara design by a consort for his Queen. Victoria, clearly delighted with the gift, wrote in her journal of her husband’s ‘wonderful taste’, and her delight at wearing this ‘lovely Diadem of diamonds and emeralds designed by my beloved Albert’.
Presented to Victoria in 1845, the tiara provided both the centrepiece and finishing touch to an existing emerald suite. It was created to complement a necklace formed of 9 oval emerald clusters, each set within a border of cushion-shaped diamonds, its accompanying pendant earrings and an impressive 20ct emerald and diamond brooch, all of which were gifts from Albert, and also go on display at Kensington Palace. Victoria would select these gems for Franz Xavier Winterhalter’s intimate 1846 painting of the royal family, for her son Prince Alfred’s christening (when she paired them with the lace from her wedding dress) and again for a striking Winterhalter portrait of 1859, which depicts the pieces in stunning detail."
A little glimpse of this tiara's sparkle, from The Jewellery Editor:


The way the light shines through those emeralds is absolutely magnificent.

And there's still more!

Historic Royal Palaces. Click to enlarge.

You can also see a classic diamond fringe from the Fife family, another piece that belonged to Princess Louise and was a gift from her parents on her marriage. Here's the press release description:
"Another of Louise’s jewels, a remarkable kokoshnik style tiara with graduated pavé-set rays of diamonds in white and yellow gold, takes inspiration from the cockscomb style headdresses of the Romanov court, and reflects the familial web created by Queen Victoria’s descendants throughout Europe; Louise could count the Emperor and Empress of Russia as cousins, while among her aunts were both the Dowager Empress and a Grand Duchess. A gift from her parents the Prince and Princess of Wales (later King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra), its clever construction means it could be worn as a tiara or converted into a necklace, and it became one of Louise’s favourite pieces of jewellery."
Princess Louise wears the fringe tiara

Both the fringe and the emerald tiara are on long-term loan from the estate of the 3rd Duke of Fife. Victoria Revealed runs at Kensington Palace throughout 2018.
March 30, 2018
Hey, what's Victoria been up to lately?

Crown Princess Victoria attended an event focused on food waste.
Wearing her hair down, that's what! This is BREAKING NEWS from like LAST WEEK OR WHATEVER but STILL. Big news. I don't even think you'd need both hands to count the number of times Victoria's worn her hair down during this site's existence. Three cheers for variety!

The Crown Princess attended the Nordic Museum and Skansen's Friends annual meeting in commemoration of their 100th anniversary yesterday.
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Thoughts on these puffy sleeves? My thoughts on the dress were pretty much yay! until I paid closer attention. And my thoughts may still be yay! after that, I am currently undecided.

Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel attended a wedding over the weekend. 
A post shared by @europeroyal on
This was a private event, but I also felt like finding one of these flowery, tiered Erdem dresses that actually works with a sash was an achievement worth mentioning, you know? Margot Robbie wore this one last year on the red carpet, too.

Erdem Resort 2018
(The model is styled with bug brooches. Nobody alert Máxima.)
May 15, 2018
The Swedish royal family squeezed in a little official trip and dumped a bunch of new photos on us recently. For this summer kindness, we shall give them a post all their own.

Kungahuset.se
Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel visited Estonia to mark the country's 100th anniversary of independence. Victoria showed up looking, well, not unlike the Estonian flag in a repeated Dolce & Gabbana dress first worn during the celebrations for King Carl Gustaf's 70th birthday. I miss the big hat she wore it with that time around, honestly.

Kungahuset.se
The Dolce & Gabbana wasn't the only prior special occasion dress that made the cut for the trip; Victoria also repeated the Elie Saab dress from Prince Alexander's christening. (Queen Máxima owns this one, too.) A speedy visit, but worthy of a trip through her special occasion wardrobe. (See a few more pics here.)

Now: portraits! First up, Princess Madeleine's family wasn't the only one to get some new summer pictures taken. [These photos: Anna-Lena Ahlström, Kungahuset.se]




Additionally, the crown princess family shared some personal photos taken around Sweden this summer. The first five were taken by Crown Princess Victoria, the last taken by Prince Daniel. Bask in the outdoorsy Swedish summer fun!






August 21, 2018
You know the equation: birthday + one of the Scandinavian monarchies = new birthday portrait!

Linda Broström/Kungahuset.se
Crown Princess Victoria's portrait for her 41st birthday is a bit of a blank canvas all around. Using a blank canvas to showcase the delicate diamond floral brooch she received from Princess Lilian's not a bad idea, though.

When you're Crown Princess Victoria, your birthday equation also means a full day of public festivities, first greeting well wishers outside Solliden Palace, the royal family's summer home on the island of Öland, and then a public concert.

Embed from Getty Images
You can add in a dress fresh from the prairie to your birthday celebrations, if you must. It's your birthday, be as trendy as you want.

Kungahuset.se
Princess Estelle's first dress would be the lone non-floral pattern of the day, as it turned out.

SVT screencap
At the evening concert, Queen Silvia and Crown Princess Victoria wore the folk dress of the region, as they always do (and as we just saw them do earlier this month), while everyone else went floral and flowy. (Except the men. They wore suits.)

Embed from Getty Images
Princess Madeleine came prepared to prevent dangerous upper arm overheating, with what I like to imagine is an itsy bitsy picnic basket at the side. Toss in some minibar-sized drinks, and your summer concert experience just improved exponentially.

Embed from Getty Images
If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Princess Sofia was paying direct homage to her sister-in-law on her birthday. Victoria wore this same print (by the brand & Other Stories) on a different style of dress back in April. Sofia's version leaves a little more room to breathe, so I think she got the upper hand of this floral double act.
July 18, 2018
Princess Madeleine and Chris O’Neill celebrated their fifth wedding anniversary today by christening their third child, Princess Adrienne. Check out our open post here, with a link to watch the service.

SVT screencap
Princess Adrienne wore the royal christening gown we’ve seen several times in the past century, especially in the past few years. The heirloom details, from the royal court:
The christening gown worn by Princess Adrienne during the ceremony was first worn by Prince Gustaf Adolf when he was christened in 1906. The gown was also worn by Gustaf Adolf's siblings (Sigvard, Queen Ingrid, Prince Bertil and Carl Johan) and by Prince Gustaf Adolf and Princess Sibylla's children, namely the Princesses Margaretha, Birgitta, Desirée and Christina, as well as The King.
The gown was also worn by Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Carl Philip, Princess Madeleine, Princess Estelle, Princess Leonore, Prince Nicolas, Prince Oscar, Prins Alexander and Prince Gabriel.
At the christening of Princess Margaretha in 1935, a cape and a cap made from cream-coloured silk satin were added. The names and dates of all the children christened have been embroidered in the lining of the cape.

The christening gown is made of cotton batiste and Valenciennes lace (bobbin lace) with a petticoat of satin woven silk. The gown has lace linings around the armholes. The gown is accompanied by a bodice of Valenciennes lace.
The christening gown also has a christening towel made of cotton batiste with Valenciennes lace.
Wee Adrienne grabbed right on to her baby sash of the Order of the Seraphim as soon as King Grandpa tucked it into place, because she knows what’s up.

SVT

The rest of the family presented a united front with a gentle color scheme and a trio of floral frocks – all right on season and right on trend. Let’s hand out our awards:


Best in Floral and Best in Jewel Debuts
Princess Madeleine
Embed from Getty Images
I had no expectations of any major jewel debuts from a christening, which made this even better: Princess Madeleine wore pieces of the Cameo Parure for the first time today! She used the bracelet and the earrings. As a card-carrying member of the Cameo Tiara Fan Club, I now have my fingers crossed for more, because that what’s happens when you give me a little bit. Madeleine and the royal ladies wore their portrait brooches of the King, as usual.

SVT
The cameo pieces were perfect complements to the cream and gentle pinks of her floral dress by Giambattista Valli (h/t to Heaven). To my surprise, I even enjoyed the touch of flower power in her floral headband...or maybe that's just a little bit of carryover from my cameo delight.

SVT
Princess Leonore joined the floral dress brigade led by her mother. She chose to de-accessorize by taking off her shoes. The Swedes let the kids be kids at these events (bless ‘em for allowing the antics), so go ahead and get comfy, girl. Leonore was without a partner in crime today; Princess Estelle was sick at the last minute and could not attend.


Runner Up in Florals
Princess Sofia
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My second favorite floral dress of the day belonged to Princess Sofia, interpreting the day’s pink color scheme in a bolder and sleeker fashion with this Ida Lanto dress. Little wrinkled after sitting through the service, but eh, that's life.

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If I quibble (and I will), I would have loved to see some more colorful accessories beyond the purse and perhaps more of an actual hat. A big ask of any Swedish royal lady at these events, I know.


Most at Home on the Prairie
Crown Princess Victoria
Embed from Getty Images
Crown Princess Victoria could have used a dose of Sofia’s color contrast; on the broadcast especially, the colors in her dress blended together to muddy effect. It’s the only dress here that’s gonna make me say it: too Little House on the Prairie. (Only one prairie reference in a post full of florals, such restraint! Way to go, me.)

SVT
I didn’t really understand her hat pairing, either; then again, I don’t understand her affection for these pile of embroidery hoop hats to start with. This is another version of the hat type she wore to Princess Leonore’s christening, at the time a nod to the headpiece Queen Silvia wore to Prince Carl Philip’s baptism (not the same hat, however).


Best in Standards
Queen Silvia
Embed from Getty Images
As for Queen Silvia herself, well, she did her Silvia thing, and this faux wrap dress detail looks fantastic on her. Both grandmothers were operating at peak elegance. (Splendid brooch on Mrs. O'Neill, by the way.)


Best in Hat Sculpture
Princess Christina
SVT
All four of King Carl Gustaf’s sisters were present at the christening; above from left to right behind the King and Queen, Princess Margaretha, Princess Birgitta, Princess Désirée, and Princess Christina. Only Princess Christina hatted up. (Lots of ladies didn’t and that’s par for the course at these events.) When Princess Christina hats up, she tends to hat up; this was sparkly and possibly capable of flight and I loved it. She had to make up for her sisters, after all. One hat to cover them all.


Who takes home your fashion awards for today’s christening?
 

UPDATE: The beautiful official photographs have been released. It's impressive, how they can always find the perfect corner of the palace to match their outfits. [All: Erika Gerdemark, Kungahuset.se]



 
June 08, 2018
Let's go:

--A promising announcement from last week: King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima will make a state visit to the United Kingdom, visiting the British royal family on October 23 and 24! Bring on the bling. Interested in what past Dutch/U.K. visits have brought in the sparkle department? Check out them out at the Jewel Vault: Britain visits the Netherlands in 1958, the Netherlands visits Britain in 1972 and again in 1982, and a couple official visits from Britain to the Netherlands.

--Crown Princess Victoria was named Öland Inhabitant of the Year in a ceremony at Solliden Palace, the Swedish royal family's summer home on the island. Victoria and her mother wore the folk dress of the area, which we also see them wear during Victoria's annual birthday celebrations.
Kungahuset.se

--Wimbledon is underway and the daily watch of the royal box is ongoing. Here's an interview with the Duchess of Kent, who presented the trophies for many years. Among the Wimbledon memories shared are her thoughts on the moment she famously comforted Jana Novotná in 1993.

--Just a lovely picture of the Princess Royal at the Highland Theological College Graduation Ceremony and Foundation Day, that's all. Nice when one's robes work out to match one's dress.

--And finally, it was Holyrood Week over at the Jewel Vault. Highlights included a garden party, a lovely repeat outfit, and the splendor of the Order of the Thistle Service.


Coming up this week: Prince Louis' christening is today and you know we'll have coverage of that, plus other stuff...


Tidbits is your spot for royal topics we haven't covered separately on the blog, all week long. Please mind the comment policy, and enjoy! 
July 09, 2018
We've got more goodies from the wedding of Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank!

Alex Bramall/Royal Family
The first is a picture of the happy couple heading to the private evening dinner held at Royal Lodge, the Yorks' home in Windsor. Here's what the press release has to say about the bride's dress:
"Princess Eugenie's evening dress was designed by Zac Posen. Mr Posen was inspired by the beauty of Windsor and the surrounding countryside. The choice of colour reflects the blush of an English rose. Mr Posen took his inspiration from the White Rose of York.

The pin-tucked plissé is cut on the bias and mixed with signature drapes. The White Rose of York is subtlety embroidered on both the shoulder and back which hold together the cape. The silk for the gown comes from Biddle Sawyer Silk."
Zac Posen is a friend of Princess Eugenie's and was one of the wedding guests. This is a very Zac Posen design and it seems supremely swishy and fun. I hope she got to twirl the night away with her handsome hubby.

Posen put a picture of what appears to be the embroidery on Instagram:
Instagram

The embroidery also hints at the bigger news here (if you're, say, someone who happens to also run a site about the Queen's jewels, for example): the jewelry. Eugenie wore her wedding earrings again, emerald and diamond drops that were a wedding gift from Jack. And even though you can't see it, she also had a sparkling hair ornament that the palace press release was kind enough to mention:
"Princess Eugenie also wore a hair slide belonging to Her Majesty The Queen. Queen Victoria’s Wheat-Ear Brooches were originally commissioned by William IV in 1830 for Queen Adelaide. They were passed down to Queen Victoria in 1837, and eventually to The Queen in 1952. Her Majesty has worn them as both hair slides and brooches."
One of Queen Victoria's Wheat-Ear Brooches is a BIG loan from Granny! These brooches (six in total) are heirlooms of the Crown and are some of the older pieces the Queen uses. I believe this is the first time she's loaned them out. The Queen has also worn the brooches in her hair. You can read more about them here. I wish we could see it in the picture, but I'm delighted they told us anyway.


Three official photographs from the wedding were also released, all by Alex Bramall:

Alex Bramall/Royal Family
"Princess Eugenie and Mr Jack Brooksbank are pictured in the White Drawing Room, Windsor Castle with (left-to-right):

Back row: Mr Thomas Brooksbank; Mrs Nicola Brooksbank; Mr George Brooksbank; Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice of York; Sarah, Duchess of York; His Royal Highness The Duke of York

Middle row: His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge; Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte of Cambridge; Her Majesty The Queen; His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh; Miss Maud Windsor; Master Louis De Givenchy;

Front row: Miss Theodora Williams; Miss Mia Tindall; Miss Isla Phillips; Miss Savannah Phillips"


Alex Bramall/Royal Family
"Princess Eugenie and Mr Jack Brooksbank are pictured in the White Drawing Room, Windsor Castle with (left-to-right)

Back row: His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge; Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte of Cambridge; Miss Theodora Williams; Miss Isla Phillips; Master Louis De Givenchy

Front row: Miss Mia Tindall; Miss Savannah Phillips; Miss Maud Windsor"


Alex Bramall/Royal Family
"Princess Eugenie and Mr Brooksbank are pictured in the Scottish State Coach, upon its return to Windsor Castle following the Carriage Procession."

Cute! You can check out the rest of our wedding coverage here.
October 13, 2018
The UN General Assembly is running in New York City, so basically a whole bunch of royals are roaming the city and running into one another, which is convenient for our purposes. (Our purposes being, as always, considerably more frivolous.)

Instagram/mozabintnasser
Crown Princess Victoria's stateside visit saw her meet up with Sheikha Mozah! If anyone's going to appreciate a good monochrome look, it should be the Sheikha. Her metallic shoes are exactly the contrasting touch her own green look needed, though.

Also on Victoria's list of friends to see in NYC: Crown Prince Haakon, who surely conveyed this prairie dress sighting to certain interested parties back home. This is a repeat from Princess Adrienne's christening this summer.

Belgian Monarchy
A new floral dress accompanied the Crown Princess as she met up with a vibrantly pink-clad Queen Mathilde, who...

Belgian Monarchy
...naturally brought along her own supply of florals. (Don't leave home without 'em!) This Natan dress a repeat from the Australian state visit earlier this summer. As I suspected at the time, it is indeed improved without the hat.

This is far from all! Queen Máxima is expected, Crown Princess Mary's already there (we'll check in with her separately), and maybe more, I don't know. So New Yorkers, I guess you should keep your eyes peeled.
September 25, 2018
A couple trips, a birthday, and some purple! Let's see what these three Scandinavian princesses have been up to:

The Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Norway visited Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia, marking the 100th anniversaries of their declarations of independence.
Office of the President of the Republic of Lithuania
I'm picking two of my faves from Haakon and Mette-Marit's trip, and they both happened in Lithuania. First of all, a simple white coat on Mette-Marit will nearly always get me, so that one's in...
Office of the President of the Republic of Lithuania
 ...and second of all, her love of a floral always serves her best with these By Ti Mo dresses, so this one's in too. Bonus points for baby blue heels and the kind of coat that actually does work well when draped over the shoulders.

Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel visited Latvia. 
President of Latvia
Their Swedish counterparts are doing the Baltic swing, too. Victoria's Ida Sjöstedt dress is a repeat from the Cambridge/Sweden visit earlier this year. I didn't notice the detail on the hem last time, so that's nice; alas, I didn't notice it before because of the neck bow, which is still strangling away.


In Sweden, King Carl Gustaf celebrated his 72nd birthday.
Henrik Garlöv/Kungahuset.se
Back home, Victoria took a back seat to an enthusiastic Estelle, a thoroughly unimpressed Oscar, a birthday king, and a vibrant Silvia - Queen Margrethe is out there coveting those turquoise earrings, guaranteed - as King CG celebrated his birthday. (He also recently became the longest-reigning Swedish monarch, passing a record previously set in the 1300s on April 26 with a reign of 44 years and 223 days.)

Princess Marie attended a concert in Copenhagen last week.
We just checked in with the Danish crown princess last week, so we'll hit Marie instead in this round up: PURPLE! It should come as no surprise to you that I covet this dress. And those shoes. And maybe even that bouquet, which totally seems to be playing along with the color scheme.
May 02, 2018