The Court Jeweller

Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World

Jewels in Motion: Karl and Zita’s Wedding (1911)

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Wikimedia Commons
Yesterday, we featured the classic tiara worn by Princess Zita of Bourbon-Parma, the last Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary, at her wedding in 1911. Today, I’ve got some fascinating newsreel footage from that wedding to share, including pictures of several tiara-clad guests. Put on your jewel detective hats, and enjoy seeing a piece of history in motion!

“The wedding day: the bride and groom and the wedding guests with Kaiser Franz Josef in the lead”
The groom, Archduke Karl of Austria (on the left), stands with other wedding guests, including (I believe) Don Jaime, Duke of Madrid
Uniformed guests, including the Duke of Madrid, walk together
Female guests, including at least two tiara wearers, process together
Tuxedoed wedding guests — Zita’s Bourbon-Parma brothers and relatives, I think — process through the crowd
Emperor Franz Josef stands beside the groom’s mother, Archduchess Maria Josepha, who wears her large diamond tiara from Kochert. The bride’s mother, the Duchess of Parma (on the left), wears the Bourbon-Parma Tiara that has since been lost (more on that tiara here)
Archduke Franz Ferdinand, then heir to the Austro-Hungarian thrones, steps in to take a bouquet of flowers from Emperor Franz Josef
On the left, you can see Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria wearing the Habsburg Fringe Tiara now worn by Hereditary Princess Sophie of Liechtenstein; more on that tiara over here
Maria Theresa was the sister-in-law of Emperor Franz Josef and the aunt of the bride; she was also the stepmother of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, who can be seen here in the background. The little boy in the foreground is Zita’s six-year-old brother, Prince Gaetano of Bourbon-Parma
The beaming bride and groom, with (I think) King Friedrich August III of Saxony in the background; read more about Zita’s wedding tiara over here!
Twilight of Empire
Also: for those of you who are also fascinated by the last years of the imperial House of Habsburg, you may be interested in a book I just pre-ordered: Greg King and Penny Wilson’s Twilight of Empire. I can’t speak to the quality of the content yet (because I obviously haven’t read it!), but I’m planning to review it soon. If you want to snag a copy right away, here’s a link. 
(The usual disclaimer: any time you purchase a book or something similar through one of the links on the blog, a small portion of the proceeds come back to me. I use that money to purchase more review and research materials for the blog.)

Royal Jewel Rewind: Luxembourg Royal Wedding (Part 2)

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Andreas Rentz/Getty Images

Our celebration of the royal wedding of Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stephanie of Luxembourg, which was held five years ago tomorrow, continues with more royal jewels! If you missed part one, you can catch up over here!

Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Queen Silvia of Sweden was elegant in diamonds and pearls for the wedding day, including a double-stranded pearl bracelet and an intriguing diamond and pearl brooch. Both the earrings and brooch are heirloom Bernadotte pieces.

Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden followed in her mother’s jewelry footsteps for the day, wearing pearl and diamond earrings and a brooch with a diamond and pearl cluster and a pearl drop. She wears the brooch often; in fact, she wore the same brooch without its pearl pendant for the Cambridge royal wedding in 2011.

Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Queen Sonja of Norway went for a bit of whimsy in an, uh, interesting hat and striped suit. She accessorized with a suite of jewelry in mixed metals, including a necklace, bracelet, and earrings.

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Taking her minimalist aesthetic almost to its limit was Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway, who wore teeny gold pyramid stud earrings and a delicate golden bracelet.

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Her sister-in-law, Princess Martha Louise, went for a heavier jewelry look, including pearl pieces and earrings set with blue gemstones, perhaps blue topaz or aquamarine.

Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

Here’s a better look at the earrings and her unusual pearl brooch.

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Queen Margrethe II of Denmark wore one of her most treasured jewels, her Diamond Daisy Brooch, for the wedding. (More on this sentimental piece over here!) She paired it with a four-stranded pearl necklace and modern pearl earrings.

Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Crown Princess Mary of Denmark wore one of the newer earring settings from the Danish Ruby Parure: the cluster studs with pearl drops. (More on this historic parure over here!)

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Representing the Monegasque princely family, Princess Caroline was elegant in neutrals with sparkling embellishments.

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She wore a large pair of stud earrings with an imposing gold bracelet.

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A closer look reveals that the bracelet features Caroline’s monogram, a pair of interlocked Cs (similar to the logo of her favorite fashion house) topped by a crown.

Sean Gallup/Getty Images

They missed the gala the night before, but King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain (who were then Prince and Princess of Asturias) made it for the wedding itself. Note that Letizia is wearing rings — an unusual sight these days — more specifically, her wedding ring and her Parentesi ring from Bulgari.

Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

Here’s a closer view of Letizia’s simple round stud earrings.

NICOLAS LAMBERT/AFP/Getty Images

Bring a bit more bling was Princess Lalla Salma of Morocco, who coordinated her diamond and sapphire jewels with her vibrant blue caftan.

Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Princess Sarvath of Jordan chose gold jewelry for the wedding, including bright earrings and a torque-style cuff bracelet.

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The Countess of Wessex made her diamond and pearl earrings the star of her jewelry show. These are the earrings, on loan from Queen Elizabeth II, now worn by the Duchess of Cambridge. (More over here!) Sophie also wore them at the gala the night before.

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A large pearl necklace and a matched suite of gem-set pieces, including earrings and a brooch, adorned Queen Anne-Marie of Greece.

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Her daughter-in-law, Marie-Chantal, wore diamond earrings by JAR.

Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

Alexandra of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, daughter of Princess Benedikte of Denmark, wore pearls with elaborate earrings featuring blue gemstone briolettes. I’m more interested, though, in her outfit — isn’t she basically wearing a slightly different version of the Natan ensemble worn by the mother of the groom? Fascinating.

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Margarita of Romania wore luminous pearls, but look closer — there’s also a set of diamond clips pinned to her jacket. They almost completely disappear against the pattern!

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A big sigh: no visible jewels for Clotilde Courau, wife of Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy.

Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

A bit more French glitter came courtesy of Philomena d’Orleans, daughter-in-law of the Count of Paris (one of the pretenders to the French throne). I’m digging these vivid diamond and sapphire earrings!

Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Margarita of Bulgaria, wife of the country’s last tsar, wore numerous pieces of jewelry, but I’m most interested in her pendant, which features both ribbon and cluster details and has an amber-colored central stone.

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Big sigh #2: no jewelry here for Miriam of Bulgaria, Margarita’s daughter-in-law.

Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

Wearing traditional pearls, the Duchess of Braganza (wife of the pretender to the Portuguese throne) looked every inch the elegant almost-royal lady.

Sean Gallup/Getty Images

And last but not least, Katherine of Serbia wore an interesting diamond bird brooch on her lapel, plus gem-set earrings and a lovely ring.

Which jewels from Guillaume and Stephanie’s wedding were your favorites?

Royal Jewel Rewind: Luxembourg Royal Wedding (Part 1)

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Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

Five years ago tomorrow, Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume of Luxembourg married his Belgian fiancee, Countess Stephanie de Lannoy, at the Cathedral of our Lady of Luxembourg. Royals from around the world attended the ceremony, and today, we’ve got a two-part flashback to all of the sparkle. Enjoy, and stop back here later today for part two!

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Stephanie wore jewels from her own family and her new husband’s family on her wedding day. Her bridal tiara is the Lannoy family’s diamond tiara, a delicate sparkler with a large pear-shaped diamond at its center. (Learn more about the tiara’s history, and see close-ups, over here!)

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Her diamond earrings are the same ones she wore for her pre-wedding gala the night before. They were reportedly a wedding gift to Grand Duchess Maria Teresa from her parents in 1981, and they’ve now been worn by three Luxembourgish royal brides: Maria Teresa, Stephanie, and Claire.

Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Stephanie did suffer a slight tiara malfunction on the day. The Lannoy Tiara, which was secured to her hair at each end. Because the base wasn’t anchored in the middle, the tiara was able to flip backward. Thankfully, putting it back into position wasn’t a difficult task.

Guy Wolff/Grand-Ducal Court of Luxembourg via Getty Images

As she did at the gala the night before, Stephanie also wore a necklace hidden under the neckline of her gown. The thin chain almost certainly supports Stephanie’s Miraculous Medal pendant. (You can read more about this religious medal over here.) Stephanie is rarely seen without the necklace.

Guy Wolff/Grand-Ducal Court of Luxembourg via Getty Images

Here’s a close-up view of the simple gold wedding bands that the couple exchanged, engraved with their names and their wedding date. As she did the night before, Stephanie also wore two diamond rings: her own engagement ring and the engagement ring that belonged to her late mother.

Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

Stephanie’s new mother-in-law, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, wore a brightly-colored ensemble by Natan for the wedding. The sparkling flower on her jacket is a part of the outfit, not a separate jewel.

Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

She did wear sparkling earrings for the wedding; the central stone here looks a bit like a brown diamond.

Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

Guillaume’s sister, Princess Alexandra of Luxembourg, served as one of the bridesmaids for her new sister-in-law. She kept her jewelry extremely minimal, wearing only a pair of pearl earrings.

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Another sister-in-law, Princess Tessy, wore gold and turquoise tassel earrings with her dove gray ensemble.

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Here’s a good view of the details of the earrings.

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Princess Sibilla of Luxembourg wore pearl and diamond sunburst cluster earrings with her bright red outfit.

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And Countess Diane de Nassau wore a vibrant set of jewels set with multicolored gemstones, including a heart pendant — appropriate for a wedding!

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Archduchess Marie-Astrid of Austria, who was born a princess of Luxembourg, wore elegant jewels, including a pearl choker with a gem-set clasp. Her earrings featured both pearl studs and pearl drops, and her insect brooch was also set with a pearl.

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Princess Margaretha of Liechtenstein, also born a princess of Luxembourg, chose diamonds and sapphires for the wedding, including a lovely pair of earrings and a whimsical brooch.

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Margaretha’s sister-in-law, Princess Marie Aglae of Liechtenstein, wore a fantastic four-stranded pearl choker with a diamond floral embellishment, plus classic diamond and pearl earrings.

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Queen Paola of Belgium, who is the groom’s great-aunt, glittered in diamonds and pearls. Her floral brooch featured a bright red central portion. You can also just spot a second brooch pinned to her hat.

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Queen Mathilde, who was then the Duchess of Brabant, really does excel at daytime glitter. For this wedding, she wore the white and yellow diamond earrings given to her by her husband, plus the beautiful diamond waterfall brooch given to her by Queen Fabiola.

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Diamond earrings with luminous pearl drops were Princess Astrid of Belgium’s main accessory — but don’t miss that enormous diamond ring on her finger!

Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

Simple pearl stud earrings were Princess Claire’s jewel selection for the day. The sequined flower on her lapel is part of the jacket — I suspect Natan here, too.

Grand-Ducal Court of Luxembourg via Getty Images

The always-elegant Queen Fabiola wore pearls for her great-nephew’s wedding, plus a very interesting headpiece!

Sean Gallup/Getty Images

From the Netherlands, Queen (now Princess) Beatrix piled on the diamonds, including diamond earrings, a diamond riviere, and a diamond circle brooch.

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And the ever inventive Queen (then Princess) Maxima wore pieces from Queen Wilhelmina’s fascinating Borneo Suite. The gold and diamond jewels were Wilhelmina’s coronation gift from the Sultan of Kutai in 1898. Note the earrings here, plus the brooch on Maxima’s belt.

Stay tuned later this morning for the second part of our flashback to the royal wedding in Luxembourg!