Wedding Wednesday: Your Favorite Bridal Gown of 2011

As we wind down and look back upon what really has been the Year of the Royal Wedding, it's only natural to ask...

Which is your favorite 2011 royal wedding gown?

Catherine Middleton married Prince William of Wales

Princess Nathalie of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg married Alexander Johannsman

Charlene Wittstock married Prince Albert II of Monaco

Zeina Shaban married Prince Rashid bin El Hassan of Jordan

Zara Phillips married Mike Tindall

Princess Sophie of Isenburg married Prince Georg Friedrich of Prussia

Jetsun Pema married the King of Bhutan

Vote here!

Your favorite 2011 gown?
	Catherine Middleton
	Princess Nathalie
	Charlene Wittstock
	Zeina Shaban
	Zara Phillips
	Princess Sophie
	Jetsun Pema
pollcode.com free polls

Flashback Friday: Ladies in Uniform

Lord knows I love a man in uniform - I certainly take every possible opportunity on this blog to point that out. But as I said when we saw Mary in her military best a few weeks ago, I also love a lady in uniform, and I decided that it's high time we threw a little appreciation in the female uni direction.

Spotting royal ladies in uniform is not nearly as common a sight as it is with their male counterparts, but that doesn't mean they don't have just as much aplomb when they do bust out the bona fide military fashion. Some of them have spent actual time in training with the military, and some wear the uniforms of their honorary appointments (and others wear non-military uniforms), but they always do whatever group they're representing proud.

Princess and Queen Elizabeth

World War II really did require all of Britain's resources, including the future Queen. Princess Elizabeth trained up as a mechanic, and later sported a specially designed uniform to ride sidesaddle each year at Trooping the Colour. She stopped riding during the ceremony when her trusty horse Burmese was retired in 1986, and now rides in a phaeton for the event.

Princess Astrid and Princess Anne (twice)

Not to worry, though, there's another fierce lady keeping Trooping the Colour from being a male-dominated royal event: the Princess Royal. Anne is the royal I most often call out for looking crazy good in a uniform, and I wouldn't mind if she just went ahead and ditched all of her 1980s treasures and went the uniform route every day. Princess Astrid of Belgium, another sovereign's daughter, also gets a piece of that sentiment. She's always sure to wear her uniform for National Day, and she always looks smart as can be. I think she might operate best with a limited hat selection, to tell you the truth.

The Countess of Wessex, the Duchess of Cornwall, and the late Princess of Wales

Like Anne, Camilla and Sophie also have honorary military appointments to their names. They refrain from using their ceremonial uniforms like their sister-in-law does, but are always game to muck in and suit up when they visit their regiments. See how delighted Sophie is to be donning that helmet? That's dedication, friends. Diana held a few honorary appointments of her own, but was most famous for her cheeky takes on military style rather than any actual uniforms. The only proper uniform I've ever seen her in (perhaps someone else will have another example to share in the comments) is not military, but from the Red Cross.

Princess Iman, Queen Noor, and Queen Rania

Over in Jordan, they have a tradition of sending certain young family members to Sandhurst in Britain for military training, and the females are no exception: Princess Iman (daughter of King Hussein and Queen Noor) is a grad. And neither Queen Noor nor Queen Rania are strangers to wearing the uniforms of their honorary military positions.

Princess Marie, Charlotte Casiraghi, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, Crown Princess Mary, Crown Princess Victoria

In Denmark, Princess Marie holds down the fort on the civil side of things with the Danish Emergency Management Association, and Charlotte Casiraghi does the same in Monaco with the Maritime Police. Crown Princess Mette-Marit has participated in exercises with the Norwegian Civil Defense, while Crown Princess Mary has trained with the Danish Home Guard. As part of her training as the future Queen of Sweden, Crown Princess Victoria did a training stint with the military. But as awesome as that picture of Victoria in face paint is, nothing quite compares to this:

The future Queen Margrethe

Tell me something: is this the best picture ever, or is this the best picture EVER? You are correct, it is the best picture EVER. Way to rock the shades, Daisy. And though we might not see her in uniform these days, she once spent time with the Danish Women's Flying Corps.

Who wears the uniform best?

Photos: BilledBladet/Polfoto/Daylife/Getty Images

Royal Splendor 101: New Jewels

In all our talk on the ins and outs of owning royal jewels, we've mainly talked about existing gems and how they are passed down (and around). But there's one last question looming: do they ever get new stuff? Well, sure. The trick is that they do it very, very quietly. Gone are the days of Queen Mary and her unabashed collecting practices; when things join a royal collection these days - by purchase or by gift - the royal houses usually do what they can to keep the details private, and vague if they can't achieve total privacy.

Take, for example, the case of Princess Letizia's new tiara. It's been reported as both a 5th anniversary gift from Felipe and as a gift from the jeweler, Ansorena. I suspect that ambiguity surrounding the tiara's origin suits the royal family just fine, because while accepting lavish gifts is dicey territory, so is the purchase of new jewelry when your country's economy is struggling.

This, supposedly, is Letizia's new tiara (only the center fleur-de-lys has been worn, as a brooch)

It's worth a diversion here to note that you can define "new jewels" in a few different ways. There are actual brand new things: new jewels, new design, everything shiny and fresh. Then there are old things worn in new ways: something existing in the royal collection that is just worn in a different way (like Sophie's wedding tiara), or something old that's been purchased by a new family (like when the old Poltimore Tiara was bought new for Princess Margaret). Plus, there are new jewels made from reconfigurations of old jewels torn apart, or from spare single jewels just rolling around at the bottom of the royal jewel case (fine, they're probably not just rolling around - but unmounted jewels are not an unusual inclusion in a collection). 

Suspected and known new tiaras: a possible purchase for Rania, a wedding gift for Charlene, a converted necklace/stomacher originally from a Belgian royal for Elizabeth, a potential purchase for Sophie, and a wedding gift for Sarah

Another area where ambiguity is sought after: gifts (a.k.a. free jewels, baby). As I said, gifts from jewelers or other commercial entities can border on inappropriate territory in the eyes of some, but so can gifts from other heads of state. The exchanging of gifts is a standard part of any state visit, and those gifts are often quite benign (framed photographs, orders, etc.). But sometimes, they can include some serious jewels.

Potential gifts from Middle Eastern rulers: Queen Rania's tiara, Queen Sofia's jewels, Queen Margrethe's necklace, Queen Silvia's set

Yes, I'm talking mainly about Middle Eastern rulers here, a group that tends to possess - and utilize - great wealth. On the whole, they tend to patronize certain jewelers and go with a rather modern style of jewelry, so much so that you could almost pick a Middle Eastern gift out of a lineup (and sometimes that's just what you have to do). Queen Rania's diamond tiara above is suspected to be a gift from a fellow ruler because of the design - that's Arabic script. New things worn first at return banquets or on subsequent trips to the gift giver's country are also provenance clues.

Different countries will have different policies on how official gifts are handled (if they become personal property, if they have to be declared, that sort of thing), but the unofficial rule for new jewels on the whole still applies: keep it quiet and be as vague as possible. Why? Because even though it's not commercially motivated, a gift can still be too lavish for today's public relations-run world. In other words: they make excellent fodder for scandal-inducing headlines. Queen Paola ended up in hot water after a visit to the Congo, a former Belgian colony, when she received a diamond demi-parure as a gift. She didn't ask for the present, surely, and who knows what the first lady of the Congo was thinking when she decided to give such a lavish gift to a former ruler while her country is struggling with plenty of issues of its own. Paola gave the gift over to the Belgian state (with the caveat that members of the royal family can still wear it) to dispense with the scandal. Still, one expects it will be quite some time before we see it in use.

Camilla made a particularly grand example of the kerfluffle official gifts can cause when she started using the fruits gained on one trip to Saudi Arabia early in her marriage.

All of these necklaces (ruby, sapphire, and emerald) are from a single Saudi visit

Yup, all of these necklaces came from one trip. (Not bad for a day's work, am I right? Sheesh.) The furor began when she debuted the ruby one because...well, look at it. Good grief. How is that not going to make headlines? Clarence House tried to keep it quiet by refusing to place a value on the gift and by stating that it was a private matter. Problem is, it's not a private matter. These are official gifts, and there are rules in Britain because official gifts have caused trouble before (Charles got in trouble in the early 2000s for passing gifts to staff who then sold them and for selling some himself, to name one incident). Here's the rule: these are in Camilla's possession now, but because they were given to her as a part of her role representing the country, they pass to the sovereign when she dies. At that point, the sovereign can include them in the Royal Collection.

Such hassle! Poor royals, just trying to be magpies and getting diamond-blocked at every turn. This is why we can only dream that a royal family would buy a well-known auction piece - hoping that the Spanish royal family will reclaim La Peregrina, for example. It's a far-fetched hope that they would buy something like that, because they wouldn't want the headlines that would accompany the purchase. Even a magpie like me can't blame them for doing what they can to avoid the controversy. (I mean, I'll accept it, but I won't like it. Yes, I am pouting right now.)

And thus ends my looooong digression on jewel ownership and sharing - I hope that sheds some light on those questions about royal collections some of you have sent in (well, as much light as we can shed without getting into the minor details of every single jewel and every single royal family). As always, if you have any ideas for other topics you'd like covered, let me know.

Royal Splendor 101: Loaned Jewels

This is part 4 of our series on jewel ownership.

After discussing the state involvement of crown jewels, the security of family foundations, and the precarious nature of personal property, it's time for our fourth and final sort of ownership, that which is not really ownership at all: the loan. Also known as, what to do when you don't have enough for yourself and you have neither the funds nor the desire to pay to increase your own collection. So you borrow something, from a  family member or even a jeweler. A little bit of bling that's yours for just a fleeting time...just like Cinderella.

Family Loans

As we know, some of the members of these royal families - usually the head ladies of the house - are sitting on some massive jewel stashes, so wouldn't they be the first you'd ask for a loan when in need? Well, yes and no. Whether they are willing to loan things out or not is personal - it depends on the owner's thoughts on sharing, but also on the relationship between the owner and the proposed borrower, you'd imagine. Some are more willing to share than others; Queen Silvia shares some of what is thought to be her personal property with Princess Madeleine fairly often, and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa seems happy to share her wealth with her daughter and daughter-in-law, to name two examples. Others, like Queen Margrethe, rarely share jewels with others in the family.

Mathilde's tiara loan

There are one-time loans, after which the jewel is immediately returned; weddings are excellent examples, as there's never a better time to ask for a loan than when you're a bride. We don't see sharing very often from Belgium's royal family but Queen Paola made a one-time loan to Princess Mathilde for her wedding, for example.

There are also lifetime loans, in which a piece of jewelry is given as a gift with the understanding that ownership has not been transferred and the gift giver will expect the jewel to be returned at the end of a life (or a marriage). Queen Elizabeth seems fond of this strategy and so far it's worked well for her, as some of the important family pieces given to Diana, Princess of Wales have returned to the royal vault.

Queen Elizabeth is another matriarch that's often called out for being "stingy" with her jewels. But here's what I wonder: is it possible that the ladies just aren't asking if they can borrow things? I ask because she seems not to make many loans to the Countess of Wessex, who is said to be a favorite of hers, but she did loan pieces to Diana. So I can't help but wonder if Diana had no qualms asking while Sophie maybe recognizes that her no-nonsense mother-in-law might not be impressed with a need for even more bling and thus refrains from requesting loans. Obviously, these are private family matters that will never be explained publicly, but the speculation is interesting.

I've had quite a few questions about Diana's jewels lately; since she did use a number of loans of different sorts, this is as good a time of any to throw some examples out there. The first picture above includes the Cambridge emerald choker from Queen Mary, a lifetime loan from the Queen, and the Spencer Tiara, which was a loan from Diana's family (as well as her Royal Family Order). Second, we have the Cambridge Lover's Knot Tiara - another lifetime loan - and a pearl choker which was a one-time loan from the Queen. The third and fourth pictures also feature necklaces on temporary loan from the Queen's stash. In the fifth picture, an engagement photo, Diana is wearing loans from Collingwood Jewelers. (Collingwood wanted to give the set to her as a gift, but it was deemed inappropriate - so it was sold and then pawned off as a Spencer family jewel being sold to pay for the royal wedding...should have just accepted the gift in the first place!) In the last picture, she's strung a borrowed amethyst cross from Garrard on a string of faux pearls. After Diana's death, any remaining loans she had in her possession were returned to their owners, and her personal jewels were left to William and Harry.

Jeweler Loans

Diana brings us to our second category of royal loans: the jeweler loan, in which a royal lady goes to a commercial jeweler to borrow something to wear for a royal event. It's like the Oscars, where you see all these fabulous jewels but the stars don't really own any of them - except in the ideal royal loan situation, nobody asks, "Where are your jewels from?"

Suspected and known tiara loans on (left to right) Princess Grace of Monaco, Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece, the Countess of Wessex, and Queen Rania of Jordan

Because we don't see a lot of new jewel purchases these days, it's natural to suspect that a royal might be taking advantage of a jeweler's gracious loan when they pop up in something sparkly and new. And if they pop up in a regular stream of new things, like Princess Charlene has been doing recently, or as Princess Mathilde has a tendency to do (she wears a fair amount of new diamond necklaces, I'd say), our suspicion grows.

Mary and the Midnight Tiara

As I said, ideally (for discreet royal courts) the jewelers do not confirm that the royal has loaned something, so we're left to guess. If we only see a new jewel once, that's a good indicator that it was a loan. And sometimes you'll get lucky and an identical piece will show up on a jeweler's website or something like that, helping to confirm the loan.

Usually a jeweler loan is a one-time occasion, but sometimes an arrangement can be worked out. Crown Princess Mary's third tiara, the Midnight Tiara, is an example of this: she has exclusive use of the tiara but does not own it. It remains the property of the Ole Lynggaard company. We'll talk more about this interesting piece, and this interesting arrangement, on Thursday.

Jeweler loans are always the subject of much debate. As a card-carrying magpie, I love seeing our royal ladies in a variety of different gems; but there's something about borrowing a piece that takes a bit of the fairytale out of it for me. It's a peculiar brand of snobbery, isn't it?

Next time: the tricky business of actually acquiring new jewels.

Flashback Friday: Princess Alexia's Wedding Guests

As promised, a look today at the fashions of the guests at Princess Alexia's wedding in 1999. Greek royal events are always well attended - far better attendance than most of their fellow non-reigning royals get, at least. Why? Because it's all in the family: King Constantine is the brother of Queen Sofia of Spain, and Queen Anne-Marie is the sister of Queen Margrethe of Denmark. Family ties go much farther back as well; Prince Philip was born into the Greek royal family, as was the late Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent. The guests at this wedding were not only plentiful in number, they were plentiful in Easter egg 1990s fashion too.

Best in 90s Simplicity

Princess Madeleine

Left to Right: Crown Princess Margarita of Romania, Princess Madeleine of Sweden, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden.

I don't know, maybe it was sheer backlash from the overly frilly 1980s, but the Nineties had a tendency towards simplicity bordering on dull. Princess Madeleine has to win this one, if only because the pretty pink gives us at least some clue she wasn't headed to a meeting at her lawyer's office.

Best Loudest Statement

Infanta Elena

L to R: Queen Margrethe of Denmark, Princess Benedikte of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleberg, Infanta Elena of Spain, Queen Sonja of Norway

Tame as it might have been for Margrethe, but her literal interpretation of a Spring garden still stands out from the crowd. Not nearly as much, though, as her sister Benedikte's ruffled Big Bird wonder or Queen Sonja's iridescent lime affair. But nobody - nobody - made a bigger fashion splash than Elena and the hat she crafted from the skin of a dead Muppet.

Best in Elegance

Queen Silvia

L to R: Queen Ingrid of Denmark, Queen Anne-Marie of Greece, Princess Michael of Kent, Queen Silvia of Sweden, Queen Noor of Jordan, Crown Princess Katherine of Serbia, Infanta Margarita of Spain

With the few exceptions noted above, the older generation at this wedding turned out in an array of purely elegant ensembles, from Ingrid and Anne-Marie's lilac numbers which made them unofficial members of the bridal party to Noor's simply chic mourning affair (King Hussein died earlier that year). I loved Princess Michael and her giant hat, but something about Queen Silvia's unique take on the traditional suit and skirt wins it for me.

Best in Typical

The Duchess of Gloucester

L to R: Princess Alexandra of Kent, Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom, the Duchess of Gloucester, Queen Sofia of Spain, Grand Duchess Joséphine Charlotte of Luxembourg

These ladies showed up in their regular elegant uniform, basically. Queen Elizabeth rarely ever attends foreign royal weddings, but since this was in London she made a sunny appearance. My best, though, is the Duchess of Gloucester, elegant in blue.

Best in Show

Princess Rosario

L to R: Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece, Princess Miriam of Bulgaria, Princess Rosario of Bulgaria, Infanta Cristina of Spain

Of all the elegant appearances at the wedding, these four were my favorite. Cristina's maternity outfit nearly won it, but in the end Rosario takes it home. Not for the suit - for the hat. It may have been a Greek wedding, but it was in London after all; you have to have some kind of crazy millinery!

Who was your best dressed from this wedding?

Photos: Getty Images/Gammarpho/Tim Graham/Hola/The Royal Forums

Style Speculation: Elie Saab Spring 2012 RTW

I saved my favorite collection for last! If you haven't figured it out already, I'm a huge Elie Saab fangirl. (Ladylike with a touch of bling? Sign me up.) So you'll have to excuse me while I have a bit of a picturegasm:

Elie Saab Spring 2012 Ready-to-Wear

Potential royal models:

Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, Queen Rania, Crown Princess Victoria, Princess Beatrice

This collection was Saab at his finest, starting out with beige and moving through a rainbow of saturated colors one at a time. Princess Beatrice was a front row guest; I hope she scooped up a whole range of these perfect day dresses. They're just perfect for the royal grind, and there's no end to the royals I'd like to see wearing them. The Countess of Wessex and Crown Princess Mary come to mind for starters. (Why isn't Mary an Elie Saab girl, and who can we petition to make that happen?)

The green number with the jacket there should become a royal uniform, no? And I'm in love with the first yellow dress here: this would be perfection on Victoria (after baby, of course).

There were some interesting takes on sleeves for evening gowns in this collection which I hope we'll see on Rania and Maria Teresa. Máxima would be an interesting new Elie Saab client too, especially in the evening wear department.

See the full collection here.

And finally, for those that share my Saab love, you'll want to make some time to see the collection in motion:

Who would you like to see wearing this collection?

Photos:Alessandro Viero/GoRunway.com/Style.com

Royal Fashion Awards: The Prince of Prussia's Wedding Ceremony

Georg Friedrich and Sophie's wedding brought a whole mess of current and former royals and nobles out of the German woodwork. I won't even attempt to comment on them all - good grief, there are so many that I couldn't even identify. Never fear, though, we have plenty to talk about between those we've met before and those that are just calling out to be met this time. (Lucky for us, and lucky for my German spelling skills.) Anyway, here we go:

Best of the Tasteful Near Misses

Princess Gisela of Saxe-Gessaphe

Left to Right: the Margravine of Baden, the Hereditary Princess of Baden, Countess Donata of Castell-Rüdenhausen, Princess Gisela of Saxe-Gessaphe, the Duchess of Braganza, Lady Nicholas Windsor

Most of the ladies in attendance at this wedding were nice and dignified, which is always good to see. But a few just missed the mark by a bit, these ladies included. The Margravine of Baden wore the same thing she wore to the Monaco wedding, except she added that belt (oh, so close!), and her daughter-in-law the Hereditary Princess had all the components of a successful ensemble (but the colors just miss!). The mother of the groom, Countess Donata, came in an excellent green dress, paired with red accessories (Christmas in August!). The Duchess of Braganza is terribly cute, but as usual she's dressed several decades older than necessary (she's only 44!). Lady Nicholas Windsor is pretty in purple, but that's pretty much a turtleneck tucked into a skirt (anticlimactic!). The prize, though, goes to Princess Gisela, for her taffeta take on a wrinkled bathrobe. (Wow.)

Worst of the Costumes

Princesses Louisa and Dorothea Orsini

 L to R: Princess Susann of Prussia, the Duchess of Castro, Princess Louisa Orsini, Princess Dorothea Orsini, Duchess Elizabeth in Bavaria, Countess Sandra Bernadotte

Some were dignified...and some came dressed for costume parties of varying themes. Duchess Elizabeth selected a Flintstones Safari theme, Countess Sandra went for a Minnie Mouse look (not helped by the fact that she looked so incredibly wee next to her husband!), and Princess Susann opted for the Detract From Your Hair motif. None of them hold a candle to our favorite perpetually themed Duchess, Camilla Castro, and her Pirates of the Caribbean 4 costume...but even she can't compete with sisters Louisa and Dorothea, and their courageous interpretation of the Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen Go to a Royal Wedding theme. Thus, they shall share this "honor".

Best Dressed

The Princess of Schaumburg-Lippe

L to R: Princess Sarvath El Hassan of Jordan, Crown Princess Margarita of Romania, Princess Carolina of Bourbon-Parma, Princess Kelly of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the Princess of Schaumburg-Lippe, Princess Sibilla of Luxembourg, Princess Ursula of Bavaria

Returning to the classy and elegant...you can never go wrong with Sarvath, Sibilla, and Ursula. Carolina and Margarita are injecting a welcome shot of color (plus, I just love that Margarita always turns up in her wedding best. She always seems so enthusiastic!). My favorites were Kelly and Nadja, the Princess of Schaumburg-Lippe, whose navy ensemble wins it by a hair.

Most Fascinating Headgear

Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia

L to R: Countess Tamara von Nayhauss, Princess Katharina of Hohenzollern, Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia, Archduchess Gabriela of Austria, Archduchess Eilika of Austria, Countess Sophie von Schönburg-Glauchau

And some humor to finish us out: those that fall into the "fascinating millinery" category. Tamara, Katharina and Sophie are all good until you get to the top. And then, suddenly, Tamara turns into a synchronized swimmer; Katharina turns into a shooting star or something else of an exploding planetary nature; and Sophie...well, that's a rainbow, friends. The dual Archduchesses of Austria make the category for different reasons: the overwhelming pinwheel nature of Gabriela's hat, and the underwhelming modesty of Eilika's headband. (The Habsburgs must still be in mourning for Archduke Otto, who passed away at the beginning of July - they wore black for all the wedding events.) But nobody - NOBODY - competes with the Russian Diva Supreme, Maria Vladimirovna. She's back at it, and that kokoshnik is an awfully overt way to stake one's claim to the Russian throne. (Also: the bow! And: the shoes!)

Who made your best- and worst-dressed lists?

P.S.: Stay tuned for the outfits from the evening gala!

Photos: Getty Images/Reuters Pictures/Daylife/a11/ZUMA Press/PPE

Tiara Thursday: Queen Alia's Cartier Tiara

A while back, a reader wrote me to request more on Jordan's late Queen Alia. Well, I suppose that would be a request for anything on Queen Alia, since she's never appeared here before. Truthfully, I don't know much about her, but I do know this: one of my favorite tiaras from the Middle East originated with her.

That's Queen Alia above, with her husband, King Hussein of Jordan. Alia was Hussein's third wife; his first two marriages ended in divorce. It was King Hussein that gave Alia this stunning diamond tiara from Cartier (which we will appropriately call Queen Alia's Cartier Tiara).

On a non-tiara note for just a second: Alia was quite an interesting figure. She was the first to really develop the role of queen consort in Jordan - the modern, working model that Queen Rania exemplifies today. She died tragically in a helicopter crash in 1977, leaving behind three children: Haya and Ali, and an adopted daughter named Abir. Hussein would marry once more after Alia's death, to Queen Noor.

Resuming gem discussion now: the tiara passed to her daughter, Princess Haya, who is now married to the Sheikh of Dubai. (You may recognize Haya from Ascot and other racing events, even if you're not a regular follower of these royal families.)

Here's what's interesting about this tiara: it has a sort of Monet quality to it. From afar, you think you're in for a classical design. Maybe it's a take on the fringe; maybe some sort of flowers are happening on there; maybe it's a filigree design; could it be snowflakes? But then you get up close, and you realize that it's actually quite random and modern.

Princess Haya has loaned the tiara to Queen Rania rather frequently, particularly at the beginning of King Abdullah's reign when Rania didn't have a tiara collection of her own. (Genealogy check: Abdullah is the son of King Hussein and his second wife, Princess Muna. That makes him Haya's half brother.)

Rania shows off the versatility of the tiara with her varying hairstyles, but she also shows one of the downfalls: the halo effect.

Without a good base of hair to set on, it floats - leaving a good amount of space between the head and the diamonds. Too much space sometimes, if you ask me. What do you think?

Wedding Wednesday: A Royal Wedding in Jordan

Royal weddings are just popping up left and right these days, aren't they? (Not that I'm complaining.) Here's one that happened while I was on vacation:

Prince Rashid bin El Hassan of Jordan and Zeina Shaban

July 22, 2011

Amman, Jordan

Prince Rashid is the son of Jordan's Prince Hassan bin Talal and Princess Sarvath El Hassan. His bride, Zeina, is a table tennis champion who represented Jordan in both the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games.

The bride wore an a-line dress with a lace top and button closure down the back. Her lace-trimmed veil was topped with a diamond tiara belonging to her mother-in-law, Princess Sarvath.

Though it seems that anything involving lace these days will garner comparisons to the Duchess of Cambridge these days, for me, this one most closely resembles Princess Claire's wedding gown with its lace overlay top. And that's a good thing, since Claire's gown has a spot on my 10 favorite royal wedding gowns, though this one doesn't seem to be quite as elegantly executed.

Their wedding at Basman Palace attracted quite the royal crowd.

Above, left to right: Queen Noor of Jordan (last wife of the late King Hussein), Queen Anne-Marie of Greece, Prince Hassan and Princess Sarvath (the groom's parents), the bride and groom, King Abdullah II of Jordan, Queen Rania of Jordan, King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain, Queen Sofia of Spain, and the Duke of Edinburgh.

Even more royal spotting fun can be found in the group picture:

I spy: Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel of Sweden, Prince Lorenz of Belgium, Prince Nikolaus and Princess Margaretha of Liechtenstein, Archduke Carl Christian and Archduchess Marie-Astrid of Austria, Prince Maurits and Princess Marilène of Orange-Nassau, Prince Guillaume and Princess Sibilla of Luxembourg, Prince Felix of Luxembourg, Prince Louis and Princess Tessy of Luxembourg, Princess Margriet of the Netherlands, Prince Constantijn and Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands, Crown Prince Alexander and Crown Princess Katherine of Serbia, Prince Georg Frederich of Prussia and Princess Sophie of Isenburg, and others that I'm not calling out too.

It's useful here to note that the groom's parents were Crown Prince and Princess of Jordan for many years while King Hussein ruled. (Prince Hassan was King Hussein's brother; the King switched his heir to Abdullah just before he died.) As such, they were Jordan's chief representatives at many international events, and one can assume they developed ties with many European royal families. The Jordanian royal family on the whole has close relationships with a few of the other royal families, so perhaps this accounts for such a major turnout.

What did you think of Princess Zeina's wedding gown?

Photos: Hola/Reuters/Daylife/Ammon News/Hoymujer

The Prince and Princess of Monaco's Wedding: The Gentlemen, Part 1

Men, men, manly men, let's do our regular thing and appreciate them in their dashing morning suits and uniforms! Part 1, the men at the religious wedding:

The men and affiliated men of Monaco (I'll work on the name before I put the calendar out), from left to right:

1. Andrea Casiraghi, oldest son of Princess Caroline. Anybody know what Andrea gets up to these days? I know as of last year he was working/interning at the Qatari Embassy in France.
2. Pierre Casiraghi, second son of Princess Caroline. I don't know what he does either. I think he lives in Italy.
3. Alex Dellal, boyfriend of Charlotte Casiraghi, and gallery owner in London.
4. Louis Ducruet, son of Princess Stephanie and the bodyguard.
5. Prince Christian of Hanover, and his older brother...
6. Prince Ernst August (VI) of Hanover, sons of Caroline's estranged husband Ernst August (V). Nice that her stepsons came out in support, even though one imagines their father wasn't welcome!

Despite the white shoes being a touch too "elderly golfer", you have to love a tropical white uniform, right? Sweltering soldiers, left to right:

1. King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, grumpy-looking as ever. Grand Duchess Maria Teresa blew him a kiss when he came to his seat. Or maybe that was for Silvia...yeah, that seems more likely.
2. Prince Carl Philip of Sweden, fresh off a Mediterranean vacation with his parents the King and Queen and his girlfriend, the pin-up.
3. Prince Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, well color-coordinated to his wife, Princess Máxima.
4. The Earl of Wessex, representing Queen Elizabeth.

I bet these men were wishing they had a white uniform instead, outside in that heat. Those that melted, left to right:

1. King Albert II of the Belgians. His sword slipped and bumped wife Queen Paola at one point, and he got a look, I'm telling you. Oh, the perils of the fancy uniform.
2. Prince Philippe of Belgium, looking rather out of place in blue at this black and white uniform party.
3. Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, escorting the lovely kiss-blowing Maria Teresa.
4. The Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg. Those poor Lux boys, I think they had it worst for uniform hotness. (Hotness as in overheating, not as in hawtness. That's a different story.)
5. Crown Prince Haakon of Norway. I've seen him in a white uniform before, I wonder why he didn't bring that one along? I don't know the rules.

And now for our non-uniformed friends, left to right:

1. Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark. We should probably just be glad he didn't opt for red trousers to round the look out.
2. Prince Joachim of Denmark. Where are the uniforms, Danish boys?
3. Prince Laurent of Belgium. Yes, he fell down on the red carpet. Must resist the urge to laugh...
4. Prince Daniel of Sweden, gamely sporting a baby blue tie to match his wife's blue outfit.
5. The Hereditary Prince of Liechtenstein. Alois acts as regent of Liechtenstein for his father Prince Hans-Adam II.
6. Prince Michael of Kent, sort of a surprise attendee.
7. Prince Faisal bin Al-Hussein of Jordan, who was divorced after 20 years of marriage and four kids in 2008 and remarried last year.

 And now for some non-ruling house gentlemen, left to right:

1. The Duke of Braganza. Duarte Pio is a claimant to the throne of Portugal.
2. The Duke of Anjou. Louis Alphonse is a claimant to the throne of France.
3. The Count of Paris, a.k.a. Prince Henri of Orléans, a.k.a the Duke of France, is also a claimant to the French throne. So...that's awkward.
4. The Duke of Castro. Prince Carlo is one of two claimants to the head of the House of Bourbon Two-Sicilies, and is married to everybody's favorite over the top Barbie princess, Camilla.
5. The Prince of Naples. Vittorio Emanuele is a claimant to the head of the House of Savoy. At a dinner the night before Felipe and Letizia's wedding, he punched his rival for that title (his cousin Amedeo, who had to be caught from falling over by poor Queen Anne-Marie of Greece). He should probably just be glad he got another royal wedding invitation.
6. The Prince of Venice and Piedmont. Emanuele Filiberto is Vittorio Emanuele's son, lucky him.
   

And the last of the non-ruling gentlemen, left to right:

1. The Hereditary Prince of Baden, whose father, the Margrave of Baden and the nephew of the Duke of Edinburgh, was also present.
2. Prince Georg Friederich of Prussia is the head of the house of Hohenzollern. His marriage to Princess Sophie of Isenburg in August of this year will also be a celebration of 950 years of Hohenzollern.
3. Prince Leopold of Bavaria, who used to be a champion race car driver.
4. Crown Prince Alexander of Serbia is one of Queen Elizabeth's godchildren, and was christened in Westminster Abbey.
5. Prince Radu of Romania is married to Crown Princess Margarita.
6. Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia is the son of that flamboyant Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna that we've all gotten to know and love in the past few days.

Which gentleman takes your prize for Most Dapper?

And don't miss part 2, the men at the evening ball, here!

Photos: Getty Images/Reuters/Daylife/Newscom