The Court Jeweller

Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World

Royal Jewel Rewind: Pre-Wedding Gala in Luxembourg (Part 4)

by // Leave a Comment

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

Here it is: our final flashback post on the glittering pre-wedding gala held for Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume of Luxembourg and Countess Stephanie de Lannoy! This post features all of the non-reigning royals who sparkled at the gala. If you missed any of the three earlier posts, you can read part one here, part two here, and part three here!

Andreas Rentz/Getty Images

Margarita of Romania, daughter of the country’s last king, is also a family member of the groom. Margarita’s maternal grandfather, Prince Rene of Bourbon-Parma, was a brother of Grand Duke Henri’s paternal grandfather, Prince Felix of Bourbon-Parma. Margarita wore the only grand family tiara that has remained with her family: the diamond meander that once belonged to Grand Duchess Victoria Feodorovna of Russia. (More on that over here!) She paired it with dramatic pearl drop earrings and a fleur-de-lis brooch — which, appropriately, is a symbol of the House of Bourbon.

Andreas Rentz/Getty Images

Crafty Miriam of Bulgaria, daughter-in-law of the country’s last tsar, cobbled together a tiara for this gala using existing pieces of jewelry, including a bracelet, a brooch, and two pairs of earrings. You can see an image of the separate pieces over here!

Sean Gallup/Getty Images

The former royal family of Greece was well represented at the gala. Queen Anne-Marie wore the Khedive of Egypt Tiara, the traditional wedding tiara of Danish princesses. (More on that over here!) She paired it with more jewels from her own family, including a diamond necklace that belonged to her paternal grandmother, Queen Alexandrine of Denmark, and a heart-shaped aquamarine pendant that belonged to her maternal grandmother, Margaret of Connaught. She also pinned her large geometric aquamarine and diamond brooch to the waist of her gown.

Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

With small diamond earrings, Marie-Chantal of Greece wore the Miller Diamond Fringe Tiara. (More on that one over here!)

Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

Katherine of Serbia, the wife of Crown Prince Alexander, wore her go-to suite of jewels: a small tiara with sparkling earrings and a chain-style necklace. She’s worn this set at several gala occasions, including the wedding of Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden in 2010.

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

It was tough to spot her among the guests, but the Duchess of Braganza, wife of the pretender to the Portuguese throne, was also at the gala. She wore her small diamond bandeau. (More on that over here!)

Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

Representing one branch of the former royal family of Italy, Clotilde Courau (a famous French actress who is also the wife of Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy) wore a sparkling headband in lieu of a tiara.

Which jewels from this pre-wedding gala were your favorites?

This Week in Royal Jewels: October 6-12

by // Leave a Comment

October 6-12, 2017
Get ready for an extra sparkly week of royal jewels! Don’t forget to vote for your favorites in the poll below! (Also: please note that this post features some GIFs that include flash photography.)
ANDREJ ISAKOVIC/AFP/Getty Images
10. For her wedding to Philip of Serbia, son of Crown Prince Alexander, Danica Marinkovic wore a demi-parure of diamond and emerald jewels, plus scattered pearls in her hair. (Much more over here!)
ANDREJ ISAKOVIC/AFP/Getty Images
9. Pearls and her mother’s diamond and ruby pendant were Queen Sofia of Spain’s choice for the royal wedding in Serbia this weekend. (More over here!)
Wikimedia Commons
8. The Duchess of Segorbe, mother of Philip of Serbia, wore a diamond and emerald pendant that belonged to her late mother-in-law for her son’s wedding in Belgrade. (Much more over here!)
Embed from Getty Images
7. On the second night of the Dutch state visit to Portugal, Queen Maxima wore pieces from the family’s Mellerio Ruby Parure for a gala at the national theater.

JAVIER SORIANO/AFP/Getty Images

6. Queen Letizia surprised jewel lovers by debuting the Countess of Barcelona’s Pearl Drop Brooch on National Day on Thursday. (Much more over here!)

ANDRE KOSTERS/AFP/Getty Images
5. For her official welcome in Lisbon on Tuesday, Maxima glittered in diamonds, including a large diamond brooch. (More views over here!)
4. The family emeralds were Maxima’s choice for the state banquet in Lisbon on Tuesday evening. (See more of the jewels over here!)
3. The Earl and Countess of Wessex attended this weekend’s Golden Jubilee festivities in Brunei, and for a celebratory banquet, Sophie paired her convertible aquamarine tiara with a multigem suite that she’s had for several years. (More about the tiara over here!)
2. Queen Saleha, wife of the Sultan of Brunei, wore an astonishing suite of yellow and white diamonds for the jubilee banquet.
1. My top vote of the week goes to a surprise appearance from a set of royal heirloom diamonds: the Duchess of Braganza wore the King Luis Diamond Tiara with Queen Amelie’s Diamond Choker for the Dutch state banquet. (More over here!)

Royal Wedding Jewels in Serbia

by // Leave a Comment

ANDREJ ISAKOVIC/AFP/Getty Images

The former royal family of Yugoslavia (now Serbia) gathered this weekend for the wedding of Crown Prince Alexander’s son, Philip. Here’s a look at the jewels we saw worn at this almost-royal wedding!

ANDREJ ISAKOVIC/AFP/Getty Images

Philip is the second son of Crown Prince Alexander and, therefore, a grandson of Peter II, the last King of Yugoslavia. Although he is a member of a former reigning family, Philip has a heck of a royal pedigree. Beyond his Serbian royal roots, Philip’s paternal grandmother, Queen Alexandra, was the daughter of King Alexander of Greece. And his mother, Maria da Gloria, is descended from two major royal families. Her father, Prince Pedro Gastão of Orléans-Braganza, was a member of the Brazilian imperial family and a claimant of the (vacant) imperial throne. Maria da Gloria’s mother, Princess Maria de la Esperanza of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, was the sister of the late Countess of Barcelona.

ANDREJ ISAKOVIC/AFP/Getty Images

The bride, Danica Marinkovic, is a Serbian painter and sculptor. While she doesn’t have royal ancestry, she has major ties to Serbia’s artistic heritage. Her father, Milan Cile Marinkovic, is a famous Serbian painter. Danica didn’t wear a tiara for her wedding, but she did scatter pearls in her hair. She also wore earrings and a coordinating necklace set with diamonds and emeralds.

ANDREJ ISAKOVIC/AFP/Getty Images

Here’s a slightly better look at her diamond and emerald earrings.

ANDREJ ISAKOVIC/AFP/Getty Images

And here’s a view of the happy couple departing their wedding ceremony, which gives you a good look at the bride’s gown, made by Roksanda Ilincic, and flowers.

ANDREJ ISAKOVIC/AFP/Getty Images

Here’s a shot of the family and guests who attended the wedding. You’ll note a few familiar royal faces here.

ANDREJ ISAKOVIC/AFP/Getty Images

I’ve got closer views of a few key attendees. This is the groom’s mother. After her divorce from Crown Prince Alexander, Maria da Gloria married Ignacio de Medina y Fernández de Córdoba, 19th Duke de Segorbe. The necklace she wore for the wedding, including the large diamond and emerald pendant, reportedly came from the collection of her late mother-in-law, Victoria Eugenia Fernández de Córdoba, 18th Duchess of Medinaceli.

Wikimedia Commons

Here’s another view of the Duchess and her jewels.

ANDREJ ISAKOVIC/AFP/Getty Images

The groom’s stepmother, Crown Princess Katherine, kept her jewelry minimal, letting the sparkling embellishments on her clothing take center stage instead. I believe the woman standing beside Katherine, with the green jacket and lovely brooch, is the bride’s mother.

ANDREJ ISAKOVIC/AFP/Getty Images

Queen Sofia of Spain, the groom’s godmother, wore pearls with the ruby and diamond pendant that had belonged to her mother, Queen Friederike of Greece. (Sofia is connected to both of the groom’s parents. She’s a cousin of Crown Prince Alexander through their shared Greek royal ancestry, and Maria da Gloria is a first cousin of Sofia’s husband, King Juan Carlos of Spain.) Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden was one of the witnesses at the wedding, along with Philip’s older brother, Hereditary Prince Peter. Victoria wore earrings by Kreuger for the ceremony; she’s worn these for several family events, including Prince Alexander’s christening.

ANDREJ ISAKOVIC/AFP/Getty Images

Not a bad royal showing for an almost-royal wedding, no?