January 31-February 6, 2014
As the royals begin to start amping up their engagements following the holidays, here are ten of the sparkliest royal stories of the week!
10. Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, who celebrated her birthday this week, wore a distinctive gold and pale pink pendant necklace to present awards to Danish scientists on Thursday in Copenhagen.
9. Queen Mathilde of the Belgians chose pearls and diamonds for the first day of an official visit to President Hollande in Paris.
8. At a concert held to give thanks for the years of service of Princess Beatrix to the Dutch people, Princess Carolina of Bourbon-Parma wore an impressive statement necklace; the event also served as an announcement of her pregnancy. (There’s a mini baby boom happening in the Dutch branch of the Bourbon-Parma family; Princess Viktoria, the wife of Prince Jaime, is also expecting.)
7. Shortly after stories circulated that Queen Elizabeth II had ordered the Duchess of Cambridge to wear more heirloom jewelry, the palace announced that the two will attend a reception for the dramatic arts at Buckingham Palace on February 17. Other members of the royal family (not yet announced) will also be in attendance.
6. There’s been some serious jewel detective work happening over at Luxarazzi. They’ve determined that nearly all of the pieces from the controversial cancelled auction of Grand Duchess Josephine-Charlotte’s jewels were sold anonymously in later auctions — some for only a few euros a piece. See their discussion of auctions from 2007, 2008, and 2009 for more.
5. Tiara lovers in New York City recently had the rare opportunity to see one of the diadems designed by Prince Albert for Queen Victoria in person. Her sapphire and diamond tiara was displayed at the annual Winter Antiques Show as a part of a special exhibit.
4. Queen Sofia chose a piece from her family’s archives — a pearl necklace with a diamond and cabochon ruby pendant — for a diplomatic reception in Madrid. She inherited the pendant from her mother, Queen Friederike of the Hellenes.
3. At a church service in King’s Lynn, Queen Elizabeth II debuted the diamond and tourmaline brooch presented to her last year by the Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan.
2. For the concert celebrating her mother-in-law, Queen Maxima wore for the first time the large sapphire and diamond bow brooch made for Queen Wilhelmina. See John’s excellent site about the Dutch royal jewels for much more information about the piece.
1. Shocking royal watchers all over the world, Tatiana Santo Domingo wore a diamond fringe tiara to marry Andrea Casiraghi, the elder son of Princess Caroline of Monaco, in a Catholic ceremony in Gstaad. You can read more about the diamond fringes worn by Grimaldi princesses here.
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