Sunday Tidbits for November 30: Double Astrid Alerts and More

I'm not ready for Monday. Procrastinate with me, friends.

--The Dutch will pay a state visit to Denmark from March 17-19. I do love a state visit with tiaras on both sides. Polish up those big guns, ladies, polish 'em up. [Kongehuset]

--Astrid Alert #1: Princess Astrid of Belgium has been picking up the slack on the Belgian economic missions now that her brother Philippe is king, and I did love her splash of purple in Singapore this week. [Channel News Asia]

--Astrid Alert #2: I thought Princess Astrid of Norway looked cute this week, out and about to award the Princess Astrid Music Prize. [Adressa; Kongehuset video]

--Here's another dose of cute for you: Princess Madeleine wished everyone a happy Thanksgiving with a new official picture of herself and wee Leonore. [Kungahuset]

--And here's a dose of whaaaa? for you: Prince Henrik at the royal hunt, displaying the sort of sartorial splendor to which only he can aspire. [Berlingske]

--You know, I don't think Queen Mathilde is sorry at all that her shirt is hypnotizing everyone around her. Clearly some sort of diabolical plan at work. [Zimbio]

--Yesterday would have been the 80th wedding anniversary of the Duke and Duchess of Kent, Prince George and Princess Marina. Here's my original post on Marina's gown; below, a newsreel from the day. [British Pathé]

--And finally, Queen Elizabeth II got a new brooch this week. [Jewel Vault]

Stay tuned on Monday for a return to Sweden.

Photos:  Suhalmi Abdullah via Getty Images, Kongehuset video, Ewa-Marie Rundquist / Kungahuset.se, Twitter, Mark Renders via Getty Images

Royal Wedding of the Week: November 28

A little treat today, for the end of a holiday week. (Or a regular week, as your case may be. Either way, FRIDAY.)

One of the first royal wedding gowns covered here was that of Marie-Chantal Miller at her 1995 wedding to Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece. 
At that time, I wrote about my desire to see it on video once again, having seen it many years ago. So you can imagine the jumpy claps that occurred when, while searching around YouTube back in September for the golden wedding of Pavlos' parents, King Constantine and Queen Anne-Marie, I stumbled across a huge portion of the wedding broadcast.
Video, above
This is some goooood royal wedding watching, friends. Not only is Marie-Chantal's wedding look incredibly royal (it is a Valentino couture gown, with no expense spared, worn with the Antique Corsage Tiara borrowed from Queen Anne-Marie), this wedding was attended by pretty much everybody. It even features a rare appearance by Queen Elizabeth II, who seldom personally attends such foreign royal events (the wedding was in London and her ties to the Greek royal family are strong, hence the appearance).
The discussion back in that first entry centered on whether this heavily embellished dress was a bit too overwhelming for this particular bride, but seeing it motion once again is renewing my appreciation for the gown. It certainly is heavy, but it in the midst of that ornate wedding setting and ceremony, it seems to fit right in. In the years since we first covered the dress, it has been displayed - the photos in this entry are from the Valentino: Master of Couture exhibit at Somerset House in 2012 - and I've heard from some of you that saw it in person. So let's revisit my original question: too much dress or no?

Photos: Peter Macdiarmid via Getty Images

Tiara Thursday (on a Wednesday): The Greek Pearl and Diamond Necklace Tiara

Programming Note: Tomorrow is a holiday (Happy Thanksgiving!), so there will be no new post. But we won't go two weeks without a tiara feature, so enjoy this week's a day early. We'll return on Friday.

It's rare that I like a necklace tiara more in its necklace form - I'm a tiara girl, what can I say? - but I think that might be the case here. Or perhaps what I'm really after is the pendant that this piece once held...
The Greek Pearl and Diamond Necklace Tiara, in necklace form and in detail
Queen Frederika of Greece (1917-1981) had a necklace of pearls and diamonds featuring a large pointed center motif flanked by repeating motifs of a pearl surrounded by a fine diamond line. Not a lot is known about the piece, but Frederika was pictured wearing it fairly early on and continued to use it until late in her life. She used the necklace in its plain form but also swapped out the center motif for a large sapphire pendant from her collection.
Queen Frederika using the tiara as a necklace; Princess Irene using it as a tiara
And when I say "large" sapphire pendant, I mean LARGE. Large as in 478.68 carats in one stone. The sapphire in question has royal connections prior to Frederika: Queen Marie of Romania (1875-1938) wore it first. The cushion-cut sapphire was purchased from Cartier by Marie's husband, King Ferdinand. As you may remember from last time, Marie's jewels had been sent to Russia for safe keeping prior to the Bolshevik revolution and were sadly never returned to her. This sapphire was one of several jewel purchases she and her husband made to replenish her collection. Queen Marie wore the piece on a long diamond sautoir necklace and passed it down in the family, but by the marriage of her grandson King Michael in 1948, the family was in exile and the sapphire had been sold. It was subsequently purchased by a wealthy Greek citizen and presented to Queen Frederika as a private gift.
The sapphire; Queen Frederika using it as a pendant on this necklace
When it wasn't in use as an accessory to that mega sapphire, the pearl and diamond necklace could also be used as a tiara. Queen Frederika's daughter Princess Irene did so on a few occasions in her younger years, and the halo effect created by the side motifs worked well with her of-the-moment hairstyle.
Video, above: Queen Frederika wearing the necklace with sapphire pendant
Irene was the last person (to my knowledge) to be seen using the necklace as a tiara, and it has disappeared from public view. The sapphire also disappeared, only to resurface in a Christie's auction in 2003, where it was listed as the property of a noble family and sold for $1,482,089. It is one of the largest cut sapphires in existence.

Which would you pick: Tiara form, necklace form, or take-the-sapphire-and-run form?

Photos: Flickr/DR/Christie's

Royal Outfits of the Day: November 25

How about a grab bag of recent royal outfits today? A grab bag specifically from our new and new-ish group of queen consorts. Let's do it:

I've been thinking about it, and I've decided that Queen Mathilde might be the most Diane Lockhart-esque out of our new batch of queens. And this little number above has Diane written all over it. (It's possible that I've been catching up on The Good Wife and admiring all that expensive fancy lawyer work wear, yes.)
Queen Mathilde and King Philippe visited Cerfontaine last week.
Not all the time, mind you. Big color and big volume? Not so much.

Queen Máxima and King Willem-Alexander attended a concert on Friday.
I'm also going to give this one a not so much. Has potential, but the (lack of) finishing details are everything.

Queen Letizia attended a conference in Rome last week.
This passes muster, I think. It does, however, look like it used to be a crop top, and then someone realized that pope was going to be hanging around, and decided to fill in that middle section right quick.
He seems to dig it.

Letizia wasn't quite done with the red:
King Felipe and Queen Letizia celebrated the anniversary of the Spanish National Research Council yesterday.
The orange-ness of this red is testing my  love of Letizia in red. Never mind what I said about the ex-crop top, I'll take that one instead, thanks.

Photos: @MonarchieBe/Mark Renders, Michel Porro, Franco Origlia, Vatican Pool, and Europa Press via Getty Images

Royal Event of the Week: November 24

National Day in Monaco was last week, so let's catch up with the Monaco Bunch (they're a lot like the Brady Bunch, but with more Chanel).

The day includes a cathedral service, a ceremony in the palace courtyard, a bit of waving from the balcony, and an evening gala. I genuinely loved Princess Caroline's outfit for the day events - an elegant Chanel blazer and dress, a bit of a hat, some fab hair. Princess Stephanie also looked pretty sleek in her simple coat, though her choice of a scrunchie instead of a hat (she never wears hats, but still) removes any and all coat bonus points.
Tatiana went for the nutty professor look in her Dolce & Gabbana coat and mortarboard-looking hat, but I kind of like it. Not that anyone was looking much in that direction given the debut National Day appearance of little Sacha and his little knees, clinging to dad Andrea and grandma Caroline.
Also present at the cathedral were Monaco residents the Duke and Duchess of Castro. She's prone to dramatic outfits and this one certainly does have some flair, but you know the purple is right up my alley.

Princess Charlene skipped out on most of the day's events and I can't blame her, those twins are due next month and if she wants to shuffle around the palace in her bunny slippers all the time right about now, more power to her. But she did make a beaming balcony appearance in an Akris double faced cape with a jaunty beret. (That's the smile of a woman who's still wearing her bunny slippers, fancy outfit and all, right?)
Also on the balcony, Caroline's daughter Princess Alexandra showed off her dress which is adorned with CROWNS and that is the BEST.
"Stephanie, look. Look at allllll those people who remembered to leave their scrunchies at home." I think Sacha's on my side here.

At the evening gala, we weren't at risk for scrunchie infection, but we did catch a serious case of ADLD. Another Dang Lace Dress. No fault of Tatiana's that we've seen so.very.many. of these in a row, so I'll just decide she wanted to confirm those reports of her second pregnancy and leave it at that.
Caroline can be trusted to be different, at least, and her repeated coat is the rare piece that works both as an evening coat and also with your favorite pair of bunny slippers. I'm all for it. I hope she shares with Charlene.
Caroline's Chanel coat, Tatiana's Dolce & Gabbana coat, Charlene's Akris cape (runway version)

Photos: Pascal Le Segretain via Getty Images, Style.com, My Theresa

Sunday Tidbits for November 23: A Spanish Farewell, a Tiara Watch, and More

Just a few tidbits to get things rolling for the week - tiaras included:

--As you probably know by now, the Duchess of Alba died this week. We covered her wedding dresses a few years ago, when she was marrying for the third time, and it's always been one of the most popular posts on the blog. Infanta Elena represented the royal family at the funeral. [New York Times, Semana]

--Tiara Watch! Princess Margriet of the Netherlands and her husband Pieter van Vollenhoven attended the annual Peter Stuyvesant Ball in New York this week, and she wore the Pearl Button Tiara in its star tiara form, a.k.a. Máxima's wedding tiara. Margriet rounded out her look with another piece customized by Máx, the large bow brooch that usually features a sapphire center but was swapped for a citrine earlier in the year by the Queen. [Telegraaf video]

--The article linked above mentioned the unfortunate misunderstanding this week regarding Queen Máxima's father, Jorge Zorreguieta. If you heard the reports that he had passed away, I also hope you heard that those reports were incorrect. He is being treated for leukemia, but has apparently been released from the hospital. [NOS, Hello]

--Interesting cardigan/jacket thing sported by Crown Princess Mary for a school visit this week (see video below). Looks like something whipped up from assorted yarn leftovers...except, you know, without the free price tag. [Billed-Bladet video]


--Of general interest to fellow magpies: Sotheby's has been auctioning the collection of the late Rachel "Bunny" Lambert Mellon. The jewels included a blue diamond that went for more than $32 million. [New York Times, Sotheby's]

--In non-sparkly auction news, a hat worn by Napoleon (part of a collection being auctioned by the Prince of Monaco) sold for $2.4 million. [BBC]

--And finally, Prince Harry went to Oman and swords were involved. [Telegraph]

Stay tuned for Monday, when we'll catch up with the happenings in Monaco.

Photos: Telegraaf video

Royal Outfit of the Day: November 20, Plus a Programming Note

The blog will return on Sunday with another round of tidbits!

I leave you with the latest in our series of new sovereign introductory visits - Felipe and Letizia visiting Italy yesterday. The repeated Varela suit is not too bad, though I'd take an evening stroll in Rome over it any day.

Photo: Franco Origlia/WireImage

Tiara Watch of the Day: November 19

Tiaras always cheer me up. And YET...I'm feeling quite bored by last night's white tie official dinner held by the Swedish royal family. Hmmph. Perhaps Queen Máx can spare me some delicious Dutch cheese to go with my fine whine.

Links for galleries: Aftonbladet, Svenskdam, Expressen.
Okay. So let's break it down, one royal lady at a time. 

First up: Sofia Hellqvist, who sported a lined red lace gown by Tadashi Shoji. Colored lace is dubious to start, and - through no fault of her own - she's falling at the end of a long run of royal lace gowns. So this is not getting much love from me. She did not wear a tiara, which was to be expected since she's still in fiancée territory, but I was sad to see she didn't even get to practice tiara hair. You know I'm always on Team Updo to start with, but here I think it would have helped make up for the fact that she's the only one in the royal party without a little bling.

Next: Crown Princess Victoria. She repeated the long Escada gown she wore to the Dutch inauguration. It's definitely better with tiara and without the hat, and it probably sparkles something fierce, but it's a little blergh to stand on its own. She paired it with the Cut Steel Tiara, which is great and all - but I'm starting to miss the rest of the Swedish tiaras. It's been a long time since we've seen Victoria in anything but a cut steel piece. Wherefore art thou, Baden Fringe? Eh?

And finally, Queen Silvia, who took my best dressed for the night. Past outings of this dress include the Nobel Prize ceremony in 2010, where she masterfully paired this great green with the Leuchtenberg sapphires. I miss those luscious blues, even though the downsized Connaught Tiara is a more appropriate choice for the event.

Well, I did warn you about all the complaining. But I'll end on a hopeful note: Nobel festivities, less than a month away. Keep the fabulous tiara dreams alive.

Photos: Saks Fifth Avenue, Julian Parker/UK Press via Getty Images, Getty Images

Royal Outfits of the Day: November 18

Queen Letizia and Queen Rania both have a tendency to go simple and businesslike with their work wear. Sometimes a little too simple for my tastes, but these two recent examples are hitting just the right level of simple chic in my eyes.

For her part, Letizia attended an awards ceremony yesterday.
I never thought the day would come, but she's picked a basic gray suit that I can actually get on board with! It's like seeing a unicorn in person. This is from Nina Ricci, not one of her usual designers, and the peplum and shoulder details are taking that basic gray and kicking it up several notches.
Nina Ricci suit, Malababa clutch
I could do without the bag, honestly, but I guess I'm just the sort that prefers to leave the geology out of my handbags.

Meanwhile, Queen Rania met with the Jordan River Foundation.
So very chic. A soft color, but with some added texture panels to wake it up a bit (I think she's in an added panel mood lately).
The dress is from Roksanda Ilincic, and has been previously worn on the red carpet. That's not a silhouette that works on many people, but on Rania, it's perfect. Simple chic, times two.

Photos:Carlos Alvarez via Getty Images, Nina Ricci, Malababa, Instagram, Roksanda Ilincic

Royal Outfit of the Day: November 17

I basically never get this dressed up for anything. So the fact that Máxima gets this dressed up to, uh, cut some cheese is delightful from the start.
Last week, Queen Máxima had a day of engagements including opening a new building for a cheese company.
This is half of an outfit we've seen on her before, last time pairing the gold top with trousers as per the Natan model (left, below) and this time pairing it with a burgundy pencil skirt and burgundy and gold accessories, including brooches by an Argentine designer. And while it does still have the air of the Mad Men maternity department (maybe she was just planning on sampling as much as possible at the cheese place - can't blame her for that), I do find the skirt to be an improvement.
The hat, were it an actual pillbox, would have also constituted an improvement. Alas...
It's more of a life preserver than a donut this time, wouldn't you say? It's a safety measure, guys, jeez.


Photos: RVD video, Natan, Noordhollands Dagblad video

Sunday Tidbits for November 16: Royal Weddings, Royal Auction Results, Royal Etc.

Nothing like a Sunday of weddings and sparklies to get your week started on the right foot, right? Right.

--Royal Wedding Alert: Morocco has been celebrating the nuptials of Prince Moulay Rachid, brother of King Mohammed VI, and Oum Keltoum Boufares. The bride wore a rich green dress and veil for one ceremony followed by a white ensemble with tiara for another event. Sheikha Mozah was among the dignitaries in attendance. Some links for you: Video 1, Video 2, Video 3, Article and gallery. [YouTube and Hello]

--British Prince Update #1: Friday was Charles' birthday! This commemorative gallery features both penguins and awkward dancing pictures and I can't think of a better way to celebrate. [Express]

--British Prince Update #2: Harry, dressed in uniform, rescued a lady's hat which had blown off in the wind, because of course he did. [Express]

--British Prince Update #3: William stepped in for the Queen at an investiture on Friday and got to knight Oscar winner Daniel Day-Lewis. [British Monarchy Twitter]

--For your future viewing pleasure: Netflix is ordering a series based on Queen Elizabeth II called The Crown, debuting in 2016, and a biopic called Frederik's Young Years focusing on Crown Prince Frederik (spoiler alert: it's about his young years) is in the works in Denmark. [Deadline Hollywood, Hello]

--Breaking News: Crown Princess Mette-Marit wore a bright color. She and Haakon were hosting a dinner at their home. [VG]

--Two jewel auctions we've mentioned here in the past went down this week. Christie's sold Empress Eugénie's Feuilles de Groseillier Brooch for a cool $2,365,700. (Although that was far from the highest price brought at the auction - that honor went to a necklace containing a 392.52 carat sapphire which brought in more than $17.5 million.) Sotheby's sold Queen Josephine's pearl necklace for $3,426,669, and the aquamarine tiara previously worn by the Duchess of Kent went for $204,500. So if any of you get an extra special surprise in your stocking this Christmas, let me know. [Christie's, Sotheby's]

--The Princess Royal headed up to Canada after her stop in the U.S. and I think I might really like the dress she wore to a dinner during her trip. [Canadian Heritage Flickr]

--Bit of sad news: The funeral for Princess Kristine Bernadotte was held at the Royal Chapel at Drottningholm Palace and attended by members of the Swedish and Norwegian royal families. Princess Kristine was the widow of Prince Carl Bernadotte, son of Prince Carl, Duke of Västergötland and Princess Ingeborg of Denmark, and uncle of the present King of Norway as well as Belgian Kings Albert II and Baudouin. The late Bernadotte couple were particularly close to their Norwegian relatives. [Aftonbladet]

--Are you in or around Denver? You have a chance to see some serious jewels in action. Brilliant: Cartier in the 20th Century is at the Denver Art Museum today through March 15, 2015. [Denver Art Museum]

Photos: YouTube screencaps

Royal Gowns of the Week: November 14

Let's close the week on an elegant note, shall we? TWO elegant notes, in fact. Thursday was a good day for evening gowns.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge took on the task of attending the annual Royal Variety Performance, something that rotates between family members. Has anybody else noticed that William made the switch to loafers (in velvet or suede, looks like) with his tuxes now? I feel like we should talk about that. Subtle slipper style. Me likes. I shall await his debut of the McQueen beaded skull style.
I suspect you did not come here to talk about men's shoes, though. Fair enough. To Kate! She wore a new dress from Diane von Furstenberg in black lace. This is the second DVF lace gown we've seen this month, actually, the first being the plum number sported by Princess Stéphanie during Germany's state visit to Luxembourg. Put Stéphanie's color with Kate's neckline and sleeve length, and I'd be in heaven. I'm in heaven anyway because of a Kate Updo Sighting, mind you, but I'm quite greedy.
She also wore her Kiki McDonough blue topaz and diamond hoop earrings

The Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Denmark also had a night out, traveling to Germany where Mary was presented with a BAMBI Award for her charitable endeavors, particularly her work against domestic violence. Frederik tagged along, probably because he saw Mary's dress and jumped at the perfect opportunity to wear that navy tux he likes so much. (Or maybe just because he was proud of his wife, I'm not a mind reader.)
It's getting to that time when I start pondering the best looks of the year, and people, we have a serious contender for Mary's best. This is a Moment right here, capital M. That sparkly dress under all those lights, fabulous!
Mary's navy blue gown is from Jesper Høvring, worn with her aquamarine girandole earrings, a massive ring, and an Ole Lynggaard Flower bracelet. She's worn the matching Lynggaard Flower earrings in the past, and though I usually reserve my drooling for the older jewels, I neeeeed this set in the worst way. Sadly, no Santa that's ever visited my house has pockets quite that deep. Le sigh.

 Anyway, this has been your dose of Friday pretty. Carry on.


Photos: Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty Images, Net-a-Porter, Kiki McDonough, Matthias Nareyek and Luca Teuchmann via Getty Images, Jesper Høvring, Ole Lynggaard

Tiara Thursday: Queen Marie's Edinburgh Turquoise Tiara

Queen Marie's Edinburgh Turquoise Tiara
The wedding of Princess Marie of Edinburgh (1875-1938) and Crown Prince Ferdinand of Romania in 1893 was a typically grand occasion, just as one would expect when the bride is the daughter of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, and Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia (and therefore a granddaughter of both Queen Victoria and Tsar Alexander II) and the groom is a future king. And just as one would expect from a wedding like this, plenty of precious jewels were among the gifts lavished on the bride. From her father came a parure of turquoise and diamonds, including this tiara of scrolling diamonds surrounding round turquoise stones, plus a necklace and earrings. The set was made by London jeweler Carrington. Other British relatives provided more turquoise jewels in the form of a bracelet and a brooch (click here for more on her wedding gifts).
Marie in the turquoise tiara, earrings, and necklace
Marie, who became Queen of Romania in 1914, would later be pictured wearing jewels in a more theatrical manner, but at the beginning of her marriage, this was a fairly petite tiara choice that seems to have suited her well. Unfortunately, I believe this lovely turquoise tiara has been lost to time. When Romania became embroiled in World War I in 1916, Marie's jewels were sent away for safekeeping in Moscow…and if you know your history, you’re already cringing, because you know now what Marie didn’t back then: Russia would soon be taken over by revolutionaries, and the Bolsheviks were not fans of returning such valuables. Queen Marie never saw those gems again. She built up another collection, but when the Romanian monarchy was eliminated, more jewels had to be sold to finance the family in exile. A shame, it is, because another smaller turquoise tiara – a stone quite polarizing for some of you – would be lovely to see in use today.

Photos: Wikimedia Commons,  George Grantham Bain/Library of Congress

Royal Visit of the Day: November 13

Is it just me, or was yesterday's introductory visit brought to you by some classic movie flashbacks?
The King and Queen of Spain paid an introductory visit to the King and Queen of the Belgians.
I mean, Letizia's serving up a Sound of Music silhouette, complete with braided 'do for extra folksy charm, and Mathilde's feathery headband and hairstyle are throwing me back to a Breakfast Club post-makeover moment.
I do love a good flashback, but neither of these are flipping my skirt. As much as I love an updo, I think Letizia's takes this a little too far into costume territory. And as much as I love a strong green coat, Mathilde's quintuple button closure - which I imagine was added for extra interest - leaves me thinking they left some other design element off.
Well, at least I know what's on the list for my next movie marathon.

Photos: Mark Renders via Getty Images

Royal Visit of the Day: November 12

Honestly thought Letizia was wearing a necktie for a hot minute here.
The King and Queen of Spain made an introductory visit to Luxembourg yesterday.
She's not! But if any of these ladies were going to pull a Diane Keaton on us, I think Leti could do it best. Instead, she opted to repeat another Felipe Varela dress.
On the Luxembourg side of things, Maria Teresa tapped into my deep love for ombré, and Stéphanie's fancy little updo made for a nice balance with her simple dress. Not a bad showing, but I'll fall for that Varela every time.

Photos: Mathis Wienand via Getty Images

Sunday Tidbits for November 9: Princes, Poppies, and a Programming Note

First up, your programming note: I'm out for a couple days, so the blog will return on Wednesday! Until then, feast on these tidbits...

--The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall wrapped up their visit to Mexico this week, and I'm all ready to sign up for an architectural tour of Charles pointing at things. [Storify]

--Charles is all over it this week, including a spoof of a particularly awkward interview from his youth. Chaz the comic, coming to a club near you. [Telegraph]

--Hello is reporting that Andrea Casiraghi and Tatiana Santo Domingo are expecting their second child. This has been in the rumor mill for a while. [Hello]

--Queen Letizia has been stepping up her solo official trips since becoming queen. This week, she went to Portugal and wore a smashing red suit (love her in red, love it love it). She and Felipe will continue their introductory visits with day trips to Luxembourg and Belgium in the coming week, so stay tuned for that. [Diez Minutos]

--Stockholm's Royal Palace is getting a new paint color and people aren't happy. Nobody's ever happy when it comes to paint colors. [The Local]

--The Princess Royal was in Washington, D.C.! I thought the air on this side of the pond felt a little more disciplined this week. Her activities including opening an exhibit on the Magna Carta at the Library of Congress, getting her title misspelled, and attending a ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. [Library of Congress, MSN Video, Washington Post]

--A uniformed Prince Harry took on the emotional job of opening the Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey this year. [Express]

--Other British remembrance events have been covered over at the Jewel Vault - the Remembrance Festival was covered yesterday, and a post on the ceremony at the Cenotaph is up today. [Jewel Vault]

--And finally, here's a pictorial update for you on that incredible poppy installation at the Tower of London. [BBC]

Photos: Chris Jackson via Getty Images, @CasaReal, AFP Video

Royal Trip of the Day: November 7

What has Crown Princess Mary been up to lately? Emptying her closet of all available printed items, it seems.
Dolce & Gabbana skirt, Etro coat
All these prints went on a trip with her to South Africa this week, a visit which focused on things like sexual and reproductive health and rights, which Mary is a big advocate for, as well as commercial cooperation between Denmark and South Africa cooperation and the like.
Heartmade dress, Massimo Dutti dress
And this is a great example of a wardrobe hitting just the right note - it's fun to put it all together, but it's not the centerpiece of the trip. Billed-Bladet's YouTube channel has plenty of videos to give you a feel for the visit, such as this one in which Mary makes a new friend:

Blouse from Hugo Boss

This is not a comprehensive round up, but I will include one of my favorite looks, from an evening reception:
I do love a maxi skirt and a big earring. It's just the right mix of formal and informal, no?
Giambattista Valli skirt and gold plated sterling silver earrings from Jewlscph

Mary's world travels didn't stop in South Africa this week. On the way home, she stopped in Geneva at the United Nations.
A conservative we're-doing-business suit is precisely what such a day entails, but I (and Queen Elizabeth II) approve of her choice to liven things up with a little brooch action.
A classy finish to a working week, all in all.

Photos: Billed-Bladet video, Dolce & Gabbana, Etro, Heartmade, Massimo Dutti, @DKAMBinSA, Lyst, Jewlscph, Harold Cunningham via Getty Images

Tiara Thursday: The Cartier Essex Tiara

The Cartier Essex Tiara
Another tiara famous more for its maker than for its wearers is the Cartier Essex Tiara. The design of scrolling foliage is classic Cartier, also seen in pieces such as the Cartier Diamond and Pearl Tiara and Queen Maria Cristina's Cartier Loop Tiara from Spain, or the bandeau tiara that formerly belonged to the Belgian royal family. This model was bought in 1902 by the Earl of Essex for his wife, Adele, who was an American heiress. According to Geoffrey Munn's Tiaras: A History of Splendor, the Earl provided the stones (759 brilliants and 289 rose-cut diamonds, with a total weight around 156 carats) for the design, which was inspired by a Malaysian headdress.
Lady Churchill, Crown Princess Margarita, and a detail of the setting
Eventually, the tiara left the Essex family and was added to the collection at Cartier. The renowned French jeweler has loaned the tiara out on multiple occasions, allowing it to be worn by Clementine, Lady Churchill, for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, by Crown Princess Margarita of Romania for her wedding, and by a model in a Vogue photoshoot, to name a few. It has also been displayed in many exhibits. You can spot it sparkling away in the video below, from the large Paris exhibition earlier this year:

This tiara is actually pretty big. Its tall structure makes it one of the rare tiaras that can stand up in a hairstyle that might otherwise swallow a smaller piece (see both Clementine and Margarita above). The size plus the dangling pendant at the bottom center of the piece could make it hard to wear - but they make it great to display, so it's right at home in the Cartier collection.

Does this make your list of favorite Cartier tiaras?

Photos: Cartier, Life, DR, EFE video