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| The Khedive of Egypt Tiara (Photo: Grand Ladies Site) |
Crown Princess Margareta of Sweden wears the Khedive of Egypt Tiara in a portrait, ca. 1910
National Day Jewels in Monaco
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| Monaco’s National Day 2016 (Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images) |
The Grimaldis gathered today in Monaco to celebrate the principality’s National Day, and we’ve got all the details on the jewels worn at the daytime events. Stay tuned later on for all the glittering jewels from tonight’s opera gala, too!
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| Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images |
Princess Charlene went for a classic look today, pairing pearl stud earrings with a single-stranded pearl necklace. The pin on her lapel is the ribbon bar of Monaco’s highest order of chivalry, the Order of Saint-Charles. (Is it just me, or is the hat a little too twee for Charlene?)
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| Photo: VALERY HACHE/AFP/Getty Images |
Charlene wore the ribbon of the Order of Saint-Charles for most of the daytime events, including mass at the cathedral and the annual balcony appearance.
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| Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images |
On the balcony, we also got a glimpse of her engagement ring as she and Prince Albert showed off Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella.
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| Photo: VALERY HACHE/AFP/Getty Images |
Perhaps the most exciting jewel moment of the day came when Princess Caroline stepped out wearing a suite of gold and diamond jewels that belonged to the late Princess Grace. (See another view here as well.)
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| Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images |
Here’s a closer look at the clip earrings…
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| Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images |
…and the necklace…
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| Photo: VALERY HACHE/AFP/Getty Images |
…and the bracelet.
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| Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images |
Caroline also pinned a gold and diamond bow brooch to the collar of her Chanel jacket.
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| Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images |
And she wore the ribbons of two orders: the Order of Saint-Charles and the Order of Cultural Merit.
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| Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images |
I thought Princess Stephanie looked gorgeous and elegant today. She never wears much jewelry, but she did wear a pair of sparkling circle stud earrings, plus an extra diamond stud in her left ear. She’s also wearing the ribbon of the Order of Grimaldi. (Unfortunately, neither of Stephanie’s jewel-loving daughters were present at this year’s ceremonies.)
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| Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images |
Another family member who rarely wears jewels: Charlotte Casiraghi. She kept up her usual minimalist approach this year, wearing just a hint of a silver chain necklace. (Speaking of bad hats, though — wow. Whew. So much.)
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| Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images |
We did get a peek at a bracelet on Charlotte on the palace balcony when she appeared with her son, Raphael.
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| Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images |
Caroline’s younger daughter, Alexandra of Hanover, wore an age-appropriate pair of stud earrings.
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| Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images |
Princess Caroline’s daughters-in-law were a bit more prolific in the jewelry department today. Tatiana Santo Domingo (here with her daughter, India Casiraghi) wore diamond and pearl earrings.
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| Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images |
And Beatrice Borromeo — who is expecting her first child with Pierre Casiraghi — wore a major pair of earrings. She’s worn these before, most notably at the wedding of Prince Amedeo of Belgium in 2014. Here, she’s also wearing two delicate gold necklaces.
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| Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images |
We also got a good look at some of Beatrice’s rings.
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| Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images |
A few members of the extended family were also in attendance. Elisabeth-Anne de Massy, daughter of the late Princess Antoinette, wore sparkling earrings and a necklace with a cross pendant. She’s also wearing the ribbon of the Order of Grimaldi.
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| Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images |
You can see Elisabeth-Anne’s daughter, Melanie, standing behind Charlotte here. I wish we’d had a better look at her jewelry, which appears to be substantial.
See you later today for opera gala jewels!
The Dutch Diamond Bandeau
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| The Dutch Diamond Bandeau (Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images) |
It’s one of the most stunning bandeaux in a royal collection today, but the diamond bandeau belonging to the Dutch royals wasn’t always a tiara. Let’s delve into the history of this major diamond piece, shall we?
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| Photo: Sean Gallup/Getty Images |
The giant diamonds that make up this bandeau were originally a part of a necklace. (The diamonds are often mistakenly identified as rose-cut stones, but that’s apparently not the case.) In 1879, the necklace was given by the Dutch people to Princess Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont on the occasion of her marriage to King William III of the Netherlands. And she deserved major diamonds for marrying the old king; he was apparently quite the bon vivant. Several other princesses, including Emma’s sister Pauline, had turned him down, and he’d even tried to marry a French opera singer before settling down with Emma.
Emma’s daughter, Queen Wilhelmina, had her mother’s diamond necklace remade into this stunning bandeau tiara in 1937. She only wore the tiara in public once, and after her death, it was inherited by her daughter, Queen Juliana.
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| Photo: Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images |
Juliana loved a good diamond, and this tiara was right in her wheelhouse. The enormous diamonds that cascade across the bandeau weigh, in total, more than a hundred carats. And Juliana was one smart cookie when it came to royal jewels. She started a family trust, which ensured that the pieces left to the collection would not leave the family. Above, Juliana wears the tiara at the end of her reign, during a state visit from King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain.
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| Photo: ROBIN UTRECHT/AFP/Getty Images |
The bandeau is a part of the family collection today, and it’s worn regularly by both Princess Beatrix (whose hairstyle hides the piece a bit) and Queen Maxima. Above, Beatrix wears the tiara during a state visit from the Italian president in 2012, the year before her abdication.
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| Photo: Sean Gallup/Getty Images |
It’s been a particular favorite of Maxima’s, who even wore it on the night before she became queen consort. And I can see why: its profile makes it easy to wear with lots of different hairstyles, but it’s still got enough wattage to take anyone’s breath away.