The Court Jeweller

Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World

The Processional Jewels

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Crown Princess Victoria wears the Processional Jewels (Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

Happy Victoriadagen, everyone! Today is Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden’s birthday, and to celebrate, we’re looking at one of my favorite pieces of Swedish royal jewelry: a necklace that the family calls the “Processional Jewels.”

Princess Madeleine wears the necklace (Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

In Swedish, this necklace’s precise name is intågssmycket, or “processional jewelry.” The piece’s unusual name is linked to its original purpose: it was a gift for a brand new Swedish crown princess, to celebrate her arrival in her new country. Close-ups of the necklace (see below) show that the piece includes little knotted ribbons of diamonds, almost like festoons. How appropriate is that for a jewel celebrating an arrival?

Close-up of the necklace (Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

The recipient of this astonishing necklace, which is made of gold, diamonds, pearls, and pale blue Ceylon sapphires, was Victoria of Baden. She was the daughter of Friedrich I, the Grand Duke of Baden, and Princess Louise of Prussia (who was a sister-in-law of Princess Vicky, the eldest child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert).

Close-up of the necklace (Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

But although she was a thoroughly German princess, Victoria of Baden also had Swedish roots. Her paternal grandmother was born Princess Sophie of Sweden, a daughter of King Gustaf IV Adolf of Sweden. When Victoria married Crown Prince Gustaf of Sweden in 1881, the Swedish people were thrilled about her links to the old Swedish royal dynasty, proclaiming her “the Vasa princess.”

Queen Silvia wears the necklace (Photo: Lex Lieshout/AFP/Getty Images)

Sweden’s newest princess needed a special piece of jewelry to welcome her into her new home country. After Gustaf and Victoria were married in Germany, she was given the intågssmycket to wear on her procession into Stockholm. Since then, the necklace has been an important part of the Bernadotte jewel collection. It’s been worn by both of the subsequent queens of Sweden, Louise and Silvia.

Crown Princess Madeleine wears the necklace (Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

But the necklace isn’t just reserved for queens. The piece has also been worn by other Swedish princesses, including Princess Christina, Princess Lilian, and Princess Madeleine, who memorably donned the necklace at her sister’s wedding in 2010, pairing it with the Connaught Diamond Tiara.

Crown Princess Victoria wears the necklace (Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

Crown Princess Victoria has also worn her namesake’s necklace. In one of her most memorable appearances in the necklace, Victoria paired it with another of Victoria of Baden’s jewels, the Baden Fringe Tiara, at the Nobel Prize ceremony in 2005.

Note: This is an updated version of an earlier post, with new text/images.

What are your favorite pieces of jewelry from the Bernadotte collection?


Jewels at the Patron’s Lunch

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Queen Elizabeth II at the Patrons’ Lunch (Photo: JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP/Getty Images)

The official celebrations for Queen Elizabeth II’s 90th birthday continued on Sunday with the Patrons’ Lunch, an event coordinated by her eldest grandchild, Peter Phillips.

Photo: JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP/Getty Images

The Queen wore one of Queen Victoria’s diamond bow brooches for her appearance at the event.

Photo: JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP/Getty Images

For the second day in a row, the Duchess of Cambridge wore her Mappin and Webb Empress pendant necklace, pairing it this time with the set’s coordinating earrings.

Photo: JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP/Getty Images

The York princesses attended the event, but again, no major jewelry. (Eugenie has a simple bracelet on her right wrist, it appears.)

The Countess of Wessex wore the same black and white pearl earrings that she wore on her wedding day.

Lady Louise continued her more visible appearances with the family this weekend, taking part in her very first walkabout on the Mall.

Princess Anne dressed casually, wearing simple, classic earrings.

Members of the extended family attended the event as well, although they didn’t do the same kind of walkabouts that the Queen’s children and grandchildren did. I spotted Peter and Autumn Phillips (appropriate as Peter helped organize the event!), the Tindalls, the Chattos, the Gloucesters, and Prince and Princess Michael of Kent. You can see them all in the family photo taken by the Duke of York at the event!

Photo: JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP/Getty Images

And wonder of wonders — someone snapped a photo in the royal box just at the right moment, so we finally got a look at Lady Sarah Chatto’s jewels this weekend! She wore a five-stranded pearl necklace, the same one she wore during her aunt’s 80th birthday celebrations. (Her mother had a magnificent necklace of a similar design, but that was auctioned off after her death.)

Jewels of Elizabeth II’s 90th Birthday Service of Thanksgiving

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The Duke of Edinburgh and Queen Elizabeth II attend a service of thanksgiving at St. Paul’s (Photo: JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP/Getty Images)

The Windsors descended on St. Paul’s Cathedral in London this morning to give thanks for the 90th birthday of Queen Elizabeth II. (Today also happens to be Prince Philip’s actual 95th birthday, so he got a couple of mentions here and there as well.) Let’s look at the jewels they wore, shall we?

Photo: Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images

The Queen selected one of the grandest brooches from her collection: the pearl and diamond Richmond Brooch, a legacy from Queen Mary. She wore it without its pearl pendant drop. You can read more about the brooch’s history over here!

Photo: Ben Stansall – WPA Pool/Getty Images

The Duchess of Cornwall wore her daytime jewelry uniform: pearl and diamond earrings, multi-stranded pearl necklace with diamond clasp, and brooch. The pair of brooches she selected were her diamond and sapphire dragonfly brooches, part of her collection of jewels by Van Cleef and Arpels.

Photo: BEN STANSALL/AFP/Getty Images

The Duchess of Cambridge wore one familiar piece of jewelry, her diamond and aquamarine drop earrings…

Photo: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images

…and one new piece, a silver-toned necklace with a cluster pendant. The pale blue stone looks like it may also be an aquamarine. Kate has shown that she likes sets of jewelry, but the necklace and earrings don’t look to be designed deliberately as companion pieces.

Photo: Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images

As per usual, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie of York went very light on the jewelry…

Photo: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images

…but Eugenie did wear some delicate bracelets, and we also got a good look at two of her rings.

Photo: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images

Sophie wore a lovely pair of earrings with a pale/clear stone. These aren’t familiar to me.

Photo: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images

And we even had some jewelry from Lady Louise! She wore a lovely, very age-appropriate necklace with a golden heart pendant.

Photo: BEN STANSALL/AFP/Getty Images

Princess Anne repeated the lovely diamond and pearl wild rose brooch that she wore at Thursday’s Founder’s Day Parade, pairing it with pearls and pearl and gold earrings.

Photo: Stefan Rousseau – WPA Pool/Getty Images

Zara Phillips Tindall wore a pair of earrings with a blue stone surrounded by a narrow border of smaller stones, possibly diamonds.

Photo: Stefan Rousseau – WPA Pool/Getty Images

Autumn Phillips looked absolutely fantastic — I don’t even hate the hairsplosion hat! — but very little jewelry; only her engagement and wedding rings were visible.

Photo: BEN STANSALL/AFP/Getty Images

The Duchess of Gloucester was elegant as usual, wearing pearls, glittering earrings, and a pair of her diamond clips. The clips belonged to her mother-in-law, Princess Alice; they can be worn as a part of a diamond bandeau tiara.

Photo: BEN STANSALL/AFP/Getty Images

The Duchess of Kent did not attend the service, so the senior Kent lady present was the Countess of St. Andrews, the Duke’s daughter-in-law (who also happens to be an accomplished academic, specializing in political theory). She wore classic pearls.

Photo: Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images

Lord and Lady St. Andrews’s daughters came to the service as well. On the left, Lady Marina Windsor wears earrings with a small insect motif, as well as a bracelet and two silver-toned rings. (I’m not sure if the daisy on her jacket is a brooch or a part of the outfit.) Her younger sister, Lady Amelia, wore delicate gold hoop earrings.

Photo: Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images

Princess Michael of Kent brought a show-stopping heirloom brooch to the service. The brooch/pendant originally belonged to Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll (a daughter of Queen Victoria). Louise left the brooch to Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent, who in turn bequeathed it to Prince Michael. Louise’s brooch had a smaller emerald in the center; Prince and Princess Michael later replaced it with a larger gemstone of uncertain provenance.

Photo: Stefan Rousseau – WPA Pool/Getty Images

Lady Gabriella Windsor, who is looking more like her grandmother and aunt with each passing day, wore large round pearl stud earrings.

Photo: Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images

And Lord Frederick Windsor’s wife, the actress Sophie Winkleman, sadly went without any visible jewelry at all. 🙁

And here’s two more Windsor women: Lady Sarah Chatto and Viscountess Linley. Unfortunately, this was the best angle I’ve found on their jewels — and it’s tough to make out which pieces they’re wearing. There are also several other members of the family, including Princess Alexandra and the Gloucester daughters/daughter-in-law, for whom I have no photos to include here.

Which jewels from today’s service were your favorites?