WEDDING FLOWERS: Sweden
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Showing posts with label Sweden. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sweden. Show all posts

Sunday Tidbits for June 7: All Your Royal Wedding Watching Details, Plus More

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First order of tidbits business: All the stuff you need to know for Prince Carl Philip and Sofia Hellqvist's wedding on Saturday. Stay tuned for more bits after we stop humming "Here Comes the Bride"...
The Royal Chapel, where the wedding will take place. (via Kungahuset.se)
--Here's what you need to know if you're interesting in watching the wedding:
  • The wedding is on Saturday, June 13th, at 16:30 - that's 4:30 pm - Stockholm time. Here's a time zone converter for you; it's 10:30 am Eastern time for my North American friends.
  • Sweden's SVT will broadcast the wedding all the way from guest arrivals through the cutting of the cake.
    • The broadcast begins at 15:00 with commentary and guest arrivals.
    • The cortege after the wedding is estimated to start at 17:30.
    • Dinner around 19:30.
    • The cake portion is estimated to happen around 22:30.
  • Here's the livestreaming link. SVT streams big events like this without geoblocking, much to the delight of royal fans around the world!
  • Yes, we will have a live blog up here for those that want to chat on the wedding day, and I'll be on Twitter as well.
--Here's what the guest list of international royals looks like so far. Remember, this is not the official list from the Swedish court yet, just those royal houses that have confirmed attendance on their own, so it's all subject to change. Oh, and don't forget the entire Swedish royal family...
  • Belgium: Queen Mathilde
  • Denmark: Queen Margrethe, Crown Prince Frederik, Crown Princess Mary, Prince Joachim, Princess Marie
  • Japan: Princess Hisako of Takamado
  • Netherlands: Queen Máxima
  • Norway: Queen Sonja, Crown Prince Haakon, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, Princess Märtha Louise, Ari Behn
  • United Kingdom: Earl and Countess of Wessex


Still with me? Superb. On to the other stuff:

--Hey, you know what else is happening this coming Saturday? Trooping the Colour in London, a.k.a. The Queen's Birthday Parade, that's what! BBC1 broadcasts that starting at 10:30 local time. You can look for coverage of the event over at the Jewel Vault on Saturday. [BBC]

--Princess Charlotte of Cambridge will be christened on July 5 at St. Mary Magdalene Church on the Sandringham Estate. Unless you've just emerged from under your cozy rock, it probably hasn't escaped you that the first photos of Prince George and his sister (taken by the Duchess of Cambridge) have been published. [BBC]

--New photos were also published of Prince Félix, Princess Claire, and Princess Amalia to mark the Luxembourg prince's 31st birthday. [Luxarazzi]

--The Royal Yacht Squadron celebrated its bicentenary in Cowes on Friday, drawing a whole boatload (heh) of royals: the Duke of Edinburgh, the Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Earl and Countess of Wessex, Viscount Linley, Prince Michael of Kent, King Harald of Norway, Prince Albert of Monaco, Prince Henrik of Denmark, King Constantine and Queen Anne-Marie of Greece, and Crown Prince Pavlos and Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece. As the ancient proverbs say, nothing brings people together quite like the love of a good yacht. [Royal Hats Blog]

--The Japanese imperial family also got in on the state visit action this week, hosting the President of the Philippines. Alas, they passed on the tiaras for their state dinner. [Imperial Family of Japan Blog]

--Prince Harry has been made a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order! Aww, baby's first order. We chatted about it over at the Jewel Vault, where I had (totally coincidentally) posted just the day before about the insignia worn for the same order by the Duchess of Cornwall. 

--Also over at the Jewel Vault: A day of racing for the royals at the Epsom Derby. Princess Michael is definitely coordinating her eyepatches to her clothes. Please please please, let her next outfit be rainbow striped.

Coming up this week: Traditions and trips in Sweden, beginner engagements and hats in Denmark, and more (something about a wedding, maybe?)...

Photos:  Kungahuset.se and via Twitter and Getty Images as indicated

Sunday Tidbits for May 31: Dressing Down and Dressing (Hair) Up

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More smart casual wear on the royal grind and a touch of something fancy, but first, a little more wedding info to kick off this week's tidbits:

--More additions for the guest list for Prince Carl Philip and Sofia Hellqvist's wedding: The Danish royal court confirms that Carl Philip's godmother Queen Margrethe will attend along with Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary, while Buckingham Palace confirms that the Earl and Countess of Wessex will represent Britain.

--It's a Benelux team up: Queen Mathilde was joined by Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie at the Queen Elisabeth Music Competition. Are you seeing these hairdos?? Mathilde even had a brooch in hers. Team Updo indeed. [Place Royale]

--Queen Letizia finished up her visit to El Salvador in true Miami Vice style. [Hola]

--Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel visited Gotland this week, and I am in LOVE with her outfit. Taking a page from the Letizia Book of Casual Tricks, she went all white with ballerina shoes to combat the walking and a white fedora for some sass. (She also dressed it up a touch with some heels while in the palace.) I haven't liked one of her everyday outfits this much in a looong time. [Expressen, Svenskdam]

--Also joining in on the semi-casual trend: Crown Princess Mary, visiting a new project for one of her patronages this week. [SN]

--On the un-casual end of the spectrum, look at how cute Queen Silvia is in her pink suit, attending The Childhood Day in Stockholm. Crisp and clean and bright. [Getty]

--I tweeted this earlier in the week, but I must pass on this terribly helpful piece yet again: Tips for Running a Stately Home on a Budget. You've got to buy your dinner gongs at an auction, people. Don't waste your money on a retail dinner gong, for heaven's sake. [Tatler]

--This investigation into who owns the most expensive private residence in London is a fascinating sort of whodunit. Or, more accurately, whospentit. [The New Yorker]

--And finally, it's been a busy week at the Jewel Vault, including a glittering State Opening of Parliament and an eye-patchy garden party. [Jewel Vault]

Stay tuned, state and official visit-y types of fun coming your way this week...

Photos: via Twitter and Getty Images as indicated

Place Your Tiara Bets: Prince Carl Philip and Sofia's Wedding

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We've had plenty of tiara guesses in the comments over the past few months concerning the diadems we are hoping to see at the upcoming Swedish royal wedding. and now it's time to do what we did for Princess Madeleine's wedding and make it official.

Which tiaras do you think we'll see on Sofia Hellqvist, Queen Silvia, Crown Princess Victoria, and Princess Madeleine? 

It should be noted that Princess Madeleine is expecting a baby in June, though the court seems to be holding out that she'll be present so far. The King's four sisters, Princesses Margaretha, Birgitta, Désirée, and Christina, will probably be present and tiara-wearing too. But we don't have much of an international guest list to play with in the tiara guessing game, at least not yet - although the Danish delegation has apparently confirmed that Queen Margrethe plus the Crown Prince and Crown Princess will be present in addition to the Japanese presence I mentioned on Sunday.

Some popular options geared toward a bridal selection (and remember, we've covered these all in the past, so click the bold tiara name to go to its post):

This tiara is usually worn by Queen Silvia, but it has also been worn in recent years by Princess Madeleine (who has worn it in tiara form and has used the drops separately; Crown Princess Victoria has just used the drops as a necklace). It was Princess Christina's choice for her own wedding tiara, in 1974, and it looks nice with a veil background. Also, I think the fact that it is not usually named as anyone's "favorite" or "usual" diadem right now could make it a nice choice for Sofia, something she could put her own mark on. This one gets my bet.

One of the most historical and unique pieces in the collection, the Cameo Tiara has a strong bridal history: Princess Birgitta and Princess Désirée used it, as did Queen Silvia and Crown Princess Victoria. Apart from wedding appearances, it is solely used by Queen Silvia. This one's polarizing, and I know many of you hate it. Personally, I happen to love it and I would love to see it again (I have my fingers crossed that Victoria will get to wear it again sometime before she becomes queen).

This is "Crown Princess Victoria's tiara," not in terms of property ownership, but in terms of association. It belongs to the family foundation but was left there with the intent that the crown princess would use it. But it is not solely Victoria's to use and has been worn by others, including Queen Silvia, Princess Lilian, and Princess Margaretha. That said, given that Carl Philip was born the crown prince and would still be so if legislation hadn't been passed to change the succession rules, I think this one as a bridal tiara for Sofia might not be the right statement. I would still love to see it on another family member at the wedding.

This one actually is Victoria's in terms of property: it has royal history (coming from Margaret of Connaught) but was in possession of the late Princess Lilian, who left it to Victoria in her will. I would be surprised if Sofia did not wear a tiara from the main royal vault, but someone wearing this tiara at the wedding would be a nice way to tie Lilian into the celebration, as she and Prince Bertil (her husband, the King's uncle) were close to Carl Philip too - he inherited their home, and will live there with Sofia.

Here's an option some of you have mentioned in the past. It hasn't been worn as a bridal tiara so far (that we know of) and it would make an interesting option for sure. It's become a favorite of Crown Princess Victoria in recent years, but is also worn by other ladies in the family. It's very light to wear, so it might be the smartest option from a practical standpoint...if not the prettiest (in my not-so-humble opinion).

This has always been Madeleine's favorite, and I (like many others) have a hunch that it has been gifted to her, since she wore it for her wedding and has worn it almost exclusively in the past few years. So it would be surprising to me to see it on anyone except Madeleine, though I am also hoping she gets to wear something a little different for a special event like this.

Listen, my dislike of the Buttons is well documented, so I don't have to go over it again. I'm sure we'll see one or both of these tiaras on some family members, but they don't seem as special of a choice as others do for such an occasion.

Speaking of choices that don't seem special...this has been used as a tiara, but certainly lacks the significance that a royal wedding deserves, I think.

Speaking of tiaras for which my dislike is well documented...the Pronger is usually kept for Queen Silvia, and hasn't been shared with either of her daughters to date. But others have worn it in the past, including Princess Birgitta at Victoria and Daniel's wedding.

You can be 99.9% sure that this is not a bridal option (Queen Silvia is the only one that wears it now) but it is my best bet for what the Queen herself will wear. She has three favorites among the bigger tiaras - the Braganza, the Nine Prong, and this one - and she's already worn the other two for Victoria and Madeleine's weddings. Fingers crossed she'll complete the set this time around.

There are more options than this, just take a look at the Jewel Central page and scroll down to "Tiaras from Sweden." And of course, it doesn't have to be a tiara we know and it doesn't have to be a tiara at all, as far as the bride is concerned! I would love to see a festival of the family's colored stone tiaras on display at the wedding, including Queen Josephine's Amethyst Tiara and the Aquamarine Kokoshnik Tiara!

Now that I have added way more than my two cents to the equation, let's get the game rolling...

Place your tiara bets!


Photos: via Getty Images as indicated; via Kungahuset and Anna-Lena Ahlström; and via Wikimedia Commons ("Crown Princess Victoria June 8, 2013 (cropped)" by Kronprinsessan_Victoria_och_prinsessan_Estelle_-3.jpg: Frankie Fouganthinderivative work: Elinnea - This file was derived from: Kronprinsessan Victoria och prinsessan Estelle -3.jpg: . Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.)

Royal Pre-Wedding Event of the Day: May 18

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Yesterday, a service was held for the marriage banns of Prince Carl Philip and Sofia Hellqvist, followed by a reception. Similar services were held prior to the weddings of Carl Philip's sisters, Crown Princess Victoria and Princess Madeleine, and they each yielded some interesting looks.
Group photo, with Sofia's family / Kungahuset.se
This time, around...we seem to be stuck in a sea of blergh, alas. (At least as far as the bride and ladies on the groom's side are concerned, that is.)

The bride and groom received gifts at the reception. Although I do like the thought of them just randomly posing with props.
This is a perfectly princess appropriate outfit on Sofia, which may just be my problem with it. It's appropriate-d itself (you know what I mean) all the way out of any sort of personality. But I'm also still a card-carrying member of Team Sofia, so I also kind of just want to pat her on the head for trying. (By the way, the court made it official: she'll be Princess Sofia, Duchess of Värmland after the wedding.)

Here are the King and Queen. Looking like they usually do. Silvia's outfit could be interchangeable with Sofia's, honestly.

I originally thought Victoria must have been wrangling Estelle at some point, resulting in a severely disheveled skirt and waist, but nope - the dress is indeed designed with that two level hem and loose pleats at the waist. Still, I'll take the dress any day if we could get rid of the forehead bolted Philip Treacy hat.
Dress by Filippa K
Also, Princess Estelle was in Marie-Chantal Children, the children's clothing line by Marie-Chantal of Greece. And Prince Daniel was in a suit.

Finally, Princess Madeleine (carrying Princess Leonore, also clad in Marie-Chantal). Not only does her Treacy hat mimic the curls of her hair in a fun way, she managed to keep it off her forehead, and thus is my default best dressed for the day.

Photos: via Kungahuset and Getty Images as indicated, and Filippa K

Sunday Tidbits for May 17: Some Dresses, Some Sparklies

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Lots coming up on the blog this week: pre-wedding business in Sweden, national stuff in Norway, happenings in Spain, etc. But first, a tidbit or two...

--Prince Carl Philip and Sofia Hellqvist have a service and reception today for their marriage banns and we'll be looking at that later. For now, they've released some new pictures, and Sofia's wearing a Reiss dress. Happy birthday to Prince CP, by the way - he turned 36 this week!
Foto Mattias Edwall, Kungahuset.se
--The Cannes Film Festival is in full swing, and French actress Clotilde Courau - also known as the Princess of Venice and Piedmont, though she doesn't use the title professionally - always turns up. Her dress is Valentino Couture, and I'm in sheer disbelief that we didn't see it on Crown Princess Mette-Marit first. Probably waiting patiently in that Norwegian closet.

--I'm also intrigued by her jewels, from Bulgari High Jewellery's Giardini Italiani collection. I love mixing stone colors in modern pieces.

--Also in Cannes, minus the evening gown: Prince Félix of Luxembourg. [Luxarazzi]

--Prince Harry continued his cuteness assault in New Zealand following my post earlier this week. Here he is trying his hand at a Maori Haka:


--I am intrigued by the Countess of Wessex's floral dress worn to a ballet performance this week, and am waiting to see it without the jacket. In her down time, she and Lady Louise have been having a blast at the Royal Windsor Horse Show, Savannah and Isla Phillips included. [Countess of Wessex Blog, Daily Mail]

--Over at the Jewel Vault this week, we talked about two of the Duchess of Cornwall's famous pearl chokers.

--And finally, here's a little something to drool over: stunning Cartier jewels auctioned at Sotheby's this past week. We'll be talking about some of the tiaras featured at that auction a bit later on. [YouTube]

Photos: via Getty Images and Kungahuset as indicated

Sunday Tidbits for May 10: Commemorations, an Enthronement, and Bonus Cuteness

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Lots going on out there! Tomorrow, we'll be attending to princely christening business; meanwhile, ceremonies marking the 70th anniversary of VE (Victory in Europe) Day are ongoing, and several royals in several countries have been participating in several ways. Just a few of those appearances kick off today's tidbits edition:

--Today's VE Day anniversary service in London is covered at the Jewel Vault, and so is Queen Elizabeth II kicking things off on Friday, together with a unique recording of her memories of that historic day. [Jewel Vault]

--The Countess of Wessex, looking stunning in a green dress from Suzannah, visited the Channel Islands to mark the 70th anniversary of their liberation. Here's a great entry at the Countess of Wessex blog, where eagle-eyed Anna gave me the heads up that Sophie was wearing earrings on loan from her mother-in-law. Her latest loan from the master jewel vault is a pair of ruby and diamond earrings I have previously covered at ye olde Vault blog. That red and green combo isn't any accident, by the way: green is for Guernsey, red for Jersey. [HRH Countess of Wessex Blog]

-- The Hereditary Grand Duke and Hereditary Grand Duchess of Luxembourg were in Paris for the VE Day anniversary events, and I like this color on Stéphanie. [Luxarazzi]

--In other news, the enthronement of the Sultan of Perak, hereditary ruler of one of the states of Malaysia, happened this week. The Sultan came to the throne last year. Below is a video of one of the ceremonies this week, featuring quite a nice tiara on the Sultan's wife, Tuanku Zara Salim. (You may recall that the Sultan of Johor, another Malaysian state, had a coronation earlier this year.) [YouTube]


--Gotta love it when royal hats join forces: Queen Sonja and Princess Beatrix jointly opened the exhibit Van Gogh+Munch at the Munch Museum in Oslo this week. [Dagbladet]
 See also this NRK video.

--And finally, spring greetings for you from Princess Estelle and Haga Palace! [Kungahuset]
Kate Gabor/Kungahuset.se

Stay tuned this week for Monaco and Harry and more...

Royal Outfit Grab Bag of the Day: May 7 (Plus a Programming Note!)

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I've got a big fat grab bag of outfits from our regulars for you today, and then we're off until Sunday. To the clothes!

Princess Elisabeth of Belgium christened a ship yesterday with her parents, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, in attendance. 
Is it, like, international week of ship christening for future sovereigns, or what? First Ingrid Alexandra, now Elisabeth. Anyway, I'm liking her little starter "hat" and her mother can't go wrong with that repeated Dior.

Crown Princess Mette-Marit opened the Nordic Pavilion at the Venice Biennale yesterday in a peony floral dress from the Pia Tjelta by Ti Mo collection.
I think this could just as easily have been worn by Princess Elisabeth above, and I'm not sure that's a good thing.

Queen Letizia held audiences at Zarzuela Palace last week wearing a Felipe Varela dress repeated from March's trip to France.
Is this one of those Magic Eye things? Is a dolphin going to leap out from the middle if I stare long enough?

Daniel wore a suit that wasn't black or blue! Write it on the calendar! It's so sad that that's worthy of note! But you take what you can get when it comes to the royal men! (Also, apropos of nothing: Victoria, Daniel, Haakon, and Mette-Marit went on a ski trip in Norway together recently. Which is super cute.)

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima attended a ceremony for Remembrance Day in Amsterdam this week.
I do not usually comment on things like this, but I can't help but note how lovely Máx looked here. I like it when events like this warrant a little extra effort.

They also attended the Liberation Day Concert.
And finally, if I focus hard enough on the emeralds - earrings and a butterfly brooch from the family collection - I can pretend that dress that stole feathers from a Big Bird gone goth didn't make a reappearance.

Photos: via Getty Images and Twitter as indicated; Kongehuset Facebook and By Ti Mo

Royal Birthday of the Week: May 5

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Sweden's King Carl Gustaf celebrated his 69th birthday last week as he usually does with music and military outside the palace, and he was quite dashing in his uniform (as was Prince Carl Philip). This year, because he's a grandpa and it's a classic grandparent move, he let his two squirmy granddaughters run the show. "Let" might not be precisely the right word. I trust he won't mind if we focus our attentions elsewhere too.
Princess Estelle couldn't resist displaying a few of her famous dance moves, but she was totally calm in comparison to her cousin Princess Leonore, who used up all her patience charming the pontiff earlier in the week and was good and DONE with sitting still, thankyouverymuch.
Kids will be kids, right? And coats will be coats, by which I mean they will be in beige and in mass at any royal gathering, guaranteed. A trio of Swedish brands for Sofia Hellqvist, Crown Princess Victoria, and Princess Estelle, while Princess Madeleine wore a beige version of the Seraphine coat worn by the Duchess of Cambridge in blue a few months ago. (Madeleine was also in Seraphine for her Vatican visit, a jacket she paired with a dress from another Kate favorite brand, ASOS.)
Coats from left to right: Sofia's from Tiger of Sweden, Madeleine's from Seraphine, Victoria's from Filippa K, and Estelle's from Livly
I can accept this sea of blergh as a background for Estelle's splash of blue and primarily for Queen Silvia's repeated purple cape. Anything to showcase a purple cape.

Since it's a day for grandfather/granddaughter outings:
Over in Norway, Princess Ingrid Alexandra christened the lifeboat Elias for the Norwegian Society of Sea Rescue with some support from her grandfather, King Harald. Throw in a fancy braid and some pretty purple flowers for them both, and you've got yourself a recipe for aww.

Photos: via Getty Images as indicated, SVT video screencaps, Tiger of Sweden, Seraphine, Filippa K, Livly, and Redningsselskapet via Creative Commons

Tiara Thursday: The Swedish Diamond Bandeau

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The Swedish Diamond Bandeau
We've featured a few tiaras here that have sparked debate as to whether they should even qualify as a "tiara" proper, and not just some kind of sparkly headband. The line between a bandeau tiara and a fancy headband can be a fine one, and today's tiara sits right on that line.
Victoria
Often referred to as the Swedish Diamond Bandeau, this is probably less of a tiara by design and more of a diamond rivière (a necklace, usually, of a strand of single round diamonds) repurposed as a hair ornament. The bandeau features two such strands across the head.
Silvia
The Swedish royal ladies do like to get creative with their tiara hair. They often take intricate hairstyles and add more jewels to them, such as brooches or strands of diamonds woven through (a strategy used by Queen Silvia for some of her Nobel Prize Awards hairstyles over the years, including the example above). Crown Princess Victoria has used rivières to further embellish the bases of both the Four and Six Button Tiaras (for Nobel 2011 and 2012). It's hard to differentiate between these, so it's hard to know how many rivières they have available for such experimentation, or just how many different uses each one has had.
Victoria
Victoria has worn the Diamond Bandeau on a few of the rare occasions when she's worn her hair down at formal events, and Princess Madeleine has also used it to great effect. Since this particular arrangement has been worn multiple times and has been worn to tiara events, seemingly classifying it as another tiara option from plentiful family collection, I'm calling it a tiara here. It's a baby sister to the Dutch Diamond Bandeau, giving you the impact of a tiara without the full weight of one, which seems handy. And I'm all for the dream of being able to play around with your spare diamond strands...

What say you: 
Yay for all gem creativity!
or 
Nay! Just put a proper tiara on already, why don't you?

Photos: Kungahuset and via Getty Images

Royal Visit of the Day: April 29

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Queen Silvia and Princess Madeleine, with her husband Chris O'Neill and daughter Princess Leonore, have been in Rome and Vatican City this week. They were there primarily to attend a conference focusing on child trafficking (below), organized in part by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. Queen Silvia has been an advocate on this subject for some time and opened the conference; Princess Madeleine is joining in her mother's work in this area and with the World Childhood Foundation.
It also happens to be an area of focus for Pope Francis, and Queen Silvia dropped by for an audience on Monday, and she brought the whole family too. Chris O'Neill is Catholic, no doubt a reason why he and little Leonore tagged along.
I was surprised to see the family put on one of the most formal papal visits we've seen in a while, dress code-wise. Both wearing traditional black, Queen Silvia stuck with a long skirt and heavy pearl jewels, while expectant Princess Madeleine wore a black dress and short jacket with a long single strand of pearls. The royal ladies wore heavy black mantillas and their portrait brooches.
Vatican dress code protocol has gotten much less rigid in recent years. We've gone from the days of tiaras and veils to optional head coverings and daywear; even the color code of white for those with privilège du blanc and black for others has been relaxed under Pope Francis. (The current pope has much more pressing concerns than dress code, like hanging out with his tiny new BFF.)
I always love a good mantilla appearance, but I love it even more as it becomes more of an optional thing, honestly. It's up to them and they chose to go fancy, and that's always a decision I can get behind.
Video: The audience

Photos: via Getty Images as indicated

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