Can you identify the jewels worn by Marie José of Belgium, pictured here in 1939 as Crown Princess of Italy?
Belgian Royal Wedding Jewels
Yesterday in Rome, Prince Amedeo of Belgium married his longtime girlfriend, Elisabetta Rosboch von Wolkenstein. Amedeo is the son of Princess Astrid of Belgium (daughter of King Albert II and Queen Paola) and her husband, Archduke Lorenz of Austria-Este. Lili, as the bride is known, is the daughter of Ettore Rosboch von Wolkenstein and Countess Lilia de Smecchia.
Although Lili is related to several Italian noble families, she chose to borrow a bridal tiara from her new husband’s grandmother. The diamond tiara, made in the Art Deco style, originally belonged to Queen Elisabeth of Belgium. She passed the tiara along to her daughter-in-law, Queen Astrid; after Astrid’s death, it was worn by King Leopold III’s second wife, Princess Lilian. Queen Paola, who now owns the tiara, began wearing it in the 1960s. And this isn’t the first time it’s been used as a bridal tiara.
It was also worn by the groom’s aunt, Queen Mathilde, on her wedding day in 1999.
The media revealed during the ceremony that Lili’s wedding gown was made by Valentino.
She also added a set of pearl and diamond pendant earrings to her bridal ensemble, which was topped off by a veil edged in lace.
Princess Astrid, the mother of the groom, is known for her sometimes-kooky outfits and hats. For her son’s wedding, though, she wisely kept things rather toned down, though she added a whimsical pearl necklace and pearl earrings to her soft blue dress and headpiece.
Amedeo’s uncle and aunt, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of the Belgians, posed with three of their four children outside the basilica.
Mathilde wore the diamond and pearl earrings she wore at her own royal wedding, plus a diamond bracelet and a burlap bag wrapped ’round her head.
Mathilde’s elder daughter, the Duchess of Brabant, also attended the wedding. You can’t see Elisabeth clearly in this photograph, but she was among the bridesmaids in the wedding party, as was her cousin, Princess Louise. (Here’s a clearer picture of Elisabeth in her bridesmaid attire.)
The groom’s grandmother, the Italian-born Queen Paola, wore a necklace of five strands of pearls, plus pearl and diamond earrings and a really interesting dragonfly brooch.
Another of Amedeo’s aunts-in-law, Princess Claire, kept her jewelry simple for the occasion, choosing a pair of small earrings and a wristwatch.
The eldest of Prince Amedeo’s three sisters, Princess Maria Laura, went with a monochrome look for her older brother’s wedding. I love the dramatic silver and green earrings she added to her green lace dress and green floral headpiece.
Like his new wife, both of Amedeo’s grandmothers were born in Italy. His paternal grandmother, Archduchess Margherita of Austria-Este, was born a Savoyard princess. Most of her elaborate jewels are worn today by Princess Astrid, and she appears to have gone jewel-free to her grandson’s wedding. No matter, though — that rather amazing walking stick adds a good bit of shine!
Through his great-aunt, the late Grand Duchess Josephine Charlotte, Amedeo is related to the royal family of Luxembourg, too. Two of his Luxembourgish cousins, Prince Guillaume (on the right) and Prince Jean, both attended the wedding, as did Jean’s wife, Countess Diane de Nassau (who wore very dramatic earrings).
Princess Margaretha, Jean and Guillaume’s sister, attended the wedding with her husband, Prince Nikolaos of Liechtenstein. She wore golden earrings, a bracelet, and a simple necklace; I’m not sure if the piece on the front of her blouse is a brooch or a part of the garment itself.
Also on the guest list from Liechtenstein were Prince Philipp and Princess Isabelle, who wore a pair of earrings that I’d love to get a better look at, plus a hat that doubles as the prow of various ships.
Another Luxembourgish princes, Marie Astrid, is related to Amedeo through the Belgian royals; Marie Astrid’s husband, Archduke Carl Christian, is a Habsburg like Prince Lorenz. Like many of her fellow attendees, Marie Astrid selected pearls for the day, wearing pearl earrings, a pearl necklace, and a lovely pearl bracelet.
Carl Christian and Marie Astrid also brought along their children and their spouses, increasing the cousin total considerably.
Carl Christian’s sister, Archduchess Maria Constanza, attended with her husband, Franz Josef von Auersperg. Love the necklace.
And finally, there was a surprise Yorkie appearance at the wedding! Not sure whether Princess Beatrice knows the couple personally or was there representing another member of the Windsor clan, but she was a rather low-key guest either way. A bit of jewelry would have helped to spice up this blush-colored dress, but alas, there doesn’t seem to be any piece of visible bling here. Help, British jewelry industry: can’t any of you please recruit this British princess to be your spokesperson? She needs sparkle!
Saturday Sparkler: The Savoy-Aosta Tiara
Prince Amedeo of Belgium and Elisabetta Rosboch von Wolkenstein
Today in Rome, the world of European royalty is gaining a brand-new member. Prince Amedeo of Belgium, the nephew of the king, will marry his longtime girlfriend, Elisabetta Rosboch von Wolkenstein. But Amedeo isn’t just the son of a Belgian princess; his father, Prince Lorenz, is also the Archduke of Austria-Este, making him a member of the Italian branch of the Habsburg dynasty. And Amedeo’s royal ancestry goes even further than that, because Lorenz’s mother, Princess Margherita, was born a princess from the House of Savoy.
Princess Astrid at the state banquet for the President of Hungary in 2008
Today, we’re looking at the Savoy tiara that Amedeo’s mother, Princess Astrid, wears regularly at white-tie events. If I were a betting woman, and you all know that I am, I’d wager that if Lili chooses to wear a tiara on her wedding day, this might be the one: the diamond floral Savoy-Aosta tiara.
Prince Lorenz and Princess Astrid at a state dinner for the Grand Duke of Luxembourg in 2007
The tiara’s history traces back to a French princess, Anne of Orléans. She married her first cousin, Prince Amedeo of Savoy, in 1927. The first images of Anne wearing the tiara show her using it 1920s style, wearing it low across her forehead as a bandeau. The tiara is an all-diamond piece, likely set in platinum; it features floral and scroll motifs in its design.
Princess Astrid at a state dinner in Belgium in 2006
Amedeo became Duke of Aosta on his father’s death in 1931. He commanded the Italian forces in East Africa during World War II, and he died as a prisoner of war in Kenya in 1942. Because he and Anne had only daughters, the Aosta title passed to his younger brother. But the tiara stayed with the women of the family. Anne loaned the tiara to another Italian princess, Maria Beatrice of Savoy, for the wedding of Infante Juan Carlos of Spain and Princess Sophia of Greece and Denmark in 1962. Anne’s elder daughter, Princess Margherita, also borrowed the tiara for a significant royal wedding: the nuptials of King Baudouin and Queen Fabiola of Belgium in 1960.
Princess Astrid at the 2010 royal wedding in Sweden
Margherita would eventually inherit the tiara from her mother — and she would also find herself further connected with the Belgian royals. In 1953, she married Archduke Robert, one of the sons of last rulers of Austria-Hungary, Emperor Karl I and Empress Zita. In turn, Robert and Margherita’s son, Lorenz, married Princess Astrid of Belgium in 1984. Astrid is the only daughter of King Albert II and Queen Paola of Belgium, and as such, she regularly attends white-tie events. But we’ve talked at length about the relative tiara poverty of the Belgian royals, so perhaps it’s no surprise that Astrid turned to her husband’s family to find a suitable sparkler.
Princess Astrid and Prince Lorenz at the 2012 royal wedding in Luxembourg
Although the tiara could still technically belong to Archduchess Margherita, it seems to have been all but given to Princess Astrid. She wears the piece exclusively today, at events ranging from state visits to royal weddings. (It’s often erroneously said that Astrid’s sister-in-law, Archduchess Katharina, wore the Savoy-Aosta Tiara at her wedding, but that’s not the case. Katharina, who is the sister of Princess Sophie of Prussia, wore the Isenburg family’s floral tiara, which has a similar profile but a different design.) It only seems fair, really, that a tiara belonging to the Savoys would end up in Belgium, as other Belgian tiaras ended up with the Italian royals. Perhaps tiara turnabout is fair play?