The Court Jeweller

Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World

Royals Remember the Duke of Westminster

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The Duchess of Cambridge arrives at a memorial service for the Duke of Westminster (Photo: Nigel Roddis/Getty Images)

Several members of the royal family joined the Grosvenor family today at Chester Cathedral for a memorial service celebrating the life of the late 6th Duke of Westminster, who died in August.

Photo: Nigel Roddis/Getty Images

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall were the most senior royals in attendance. Camilla wore familiar pieces of jewelry, including her diamond and pearl earrings and one of her pearl choker necklaces with a diamond clasp.

Photo: Nigel Roddis/Getty Images

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were also at the service. The Cambridges are closely connected to the family: Natalia, Duchess of Westminster is William’s godmother, and the 7th Duke of Westminster is one of Prince George’s godparents. Kate wore the petite diamond and pearl earrings that are on loan to her from the Queen.

Photo: Nigel Roddis/Getty Images

The three royal Kent siblings — the Duke of Kent, Princess Alexandra, and Prince Michael — arrived together at the cathedral. Alexandra wore diamond floral stud earrings with her diamond floral brooch.

Photo: Nigel Roddis/Getty Images

Princess Eugenie was also in attendance; it’s not visible in this photo, but she wore a ring on the middle finger of her left hand.

Photo: Nigel Roddis/Getty Images

The late Duke’s widow, Natalia, wore diamond and pearl earrings with a lovely diamond brooch. She arrived at the service with her son, who is now the 7th Duke of Westminster.

In Memoriam: Countess Gunnila Bernadotte af Wisborg

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Count Carl Johan and Countess Gunnila Bernadotte af Wisborg (Photo: MAJA SUSLIN/AFP/GettyImages)

On Tuesday, the Swedish court announced the death of Countess Gunnila Bernadotte af Wisborg. Gunnila was the widow of Count Carl Johan Bernadotte, who was the youngest son of King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden and Princess Margaret of Connaught. By marriage, Gunnila was an aunt to (among others) King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, and Queen Anne-Marie of Greece.

Gunnila was the daughter of two Swedish aristocrats, Count Nils Wachtmeister af Johannishus and Baroness Märta de Geer af Leufsta. Her first husband was Carl-Herman Bussler; after his death, she married Count Carl Johan, who was also a widower. Carl Johan died in 2012.

King Carl XVI Gustaf released the following statement: “Gunnila Bernadotte was married to my uncle, Count Carl Johan. She was a very much valued, close, and faithful friend to our family, and her passing is a great loss.” Today, to remember Gunnila, I’ve got a few bejeweled pictures of her to share.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Gunnila attends Crown Princess Victoria’s pre-wedding concert in June 2010, wearing an intriguing necklace
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Another view of Gunnila’s jewels, including a glittering ring, from the pre-wedding concert
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Here’s a close-up of Gunnila’s pearl and diamond aigrette. I’ve seen some describe the piece as being dragonfly-shaped, but I think the elements at the base of the tiara are just abstracted leaf elements. The central element of the tiara can reportedly be worn as a brooch. It’s apparently a legacy from Gunnila’s own aristocratic family, not a royal piece
Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
Gunnila wore the tiara at Crown Princess Victoria’s wedding in 2010
Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
Here’s an additional angle of Gunnila’s jewels from the wedding day, including a pearl necklace and diamond and pearl earrings
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Gunnila wore the same tiara and pearls at the wedding of Princess Madeleine in 2013

In Memoriam: Queen Anne of Romania

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Anne of Romania (Photo: DANIEL MIHAILESCU/AFP/Getty Images)

On Monday, the former royal family of Romania announced the death of their matriarch. Anne, the wife of Romania’s last king, died at the age of 92 in Switzerland.

Born a princess of Bourbon-Parma, Anne’s royal pedigree was impeccable even before she married a (former) monarch. Her father, Prince Rene of Bourbon-Parma, was a son of Robert, the last reigning Duke of Parma, and Infanta Maria Antonia of Portugal. Her paternal uncles and aunts included Queen Marie Louise of Bulgaria, Empress Zita of Austria-Hungary, and Prince Felix of Bourbon-Parma (husband of Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg).

Anne’s mother, Princess Margrethe of Denmark, was the daughter of Prince Valdemar of Denmark and Princess Marie of Orleans. Valdemar’s parents were King Christian IX and Queen Louise of Denmark — which means that Anne’s maternal great-aunts and great-uncles were King Frederik VIII of Denmark, Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom, King George I of Greece, Crown Princess Thyra of Hanover, and Empress Marie Feodorovna of Russia.

Anne’s long list of royal cousins includes the reigning monarchs of the United Kingdom, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Spain, and Luxembourg, plus the former kings of Bulgaria, Greece, and Romania. That last one — King Michael I of Romania — also happens to have been her husband. Anne was never Romania’s queen consort, because Michael was forced to abdicate a year before their marriage, but she was still often referred to as “Queen Anne of Romania” by courtesy.

Before her marriage, Anne studied at Parsons School of Design in New York and even worked behind the counter at Macy’s. She also served as an ambulance driver during World War II, earning the Croix de guerre for her service. She met her husband in London during the celebrations surrounding the wedding of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip in November 1947. Michael and Anne were married for nearly 70 years, and they had five daughters: Margarita, Elena, Irina, Sophie, and Maria.

To celebrate Anne’s life, here’s a selection of images, including a few where you can see a bit of royal jewelry. Enjoy!

Photo: OFF/AFP/Getty Images
Michael and Anne stroll through the Bois de Boulogne in Paris in March 1948, a few months before their wedding. Anne is wearing a simple string of pearls
Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Michael and Anne in Athens on their wedding day: June 10, 1948. Anne wore the Romanian Greek Key Tiara as her bridal diadem, plus Queen Marie’s diamond sautoir. Anne’s parents did not attend the wedding; they were Catholics, and Michael was Orthodox. There were complicated questions about the marriage, to the point that the pope was consulted. Rene and Margrethe were advised to stay away by Rene’s brother, Prince Xavier (head of the house of Parma at that time). They agreed, and the family was represented at the wedding by Prince Erik, Count of Rosenborg, Anne’s uncle
Photo: OFF/AFP/Getty Images
Anne in Lausanne, Switzerland, in 1951; note the rings on her left hand

Michael and Anne in exile in England with their eldest daughters, Margarita and Elena, in 1952

Wearing the Romanian Greek Key Tiara, Anne chats with Princess Lilian of Belgium during the wedding celebrations of King Baudouin and Queen Fabiola of Belgium in 1960

Michael and Anne with Constantine and Anne-Marie of Greece at a service celebrating the 100th birthday of the Queen Mother at St. Paul’s Cathedral in 2000

Michael and Anne attend a gala reception for their daughter Margarita’s charitable foundation in December 2003
Photo: DANIEL MIHAILESCU/AFP/Getty Images
Anne arrives at the National Opera in Bucharest for a concert celebrating Michael’s 90th birthday in 2011