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

Week in Review: Princess Charlene, 11-17 December

Here's what Charlene wore from 11-17 December:

1. At the Arbre de Noel for Monaco's children, 14 December. See, appearances like this are what get me. Elegant silhouette, great classy hair...beige beige beige.
2. a and b) Spreading more Christmas joy, 15 December. Much better with just even a little pop of blue!
3. Visiting College Charles III (a school), 16 December. If it isn't beige, it's black! This one has a little off-duty nun flair to it.
4. Receiving an award and attending a charity gala in Berlin, 17 December. Color! A whole outfit of it! A shade of red I'll call "almost brown". I think she looks fab, in what I'm guessing is Akris (of course).

Photos: Daylife/GettyImages/Frederic Nebinger/WireImage/Purepeople/Junior/BestImage

Week in Review: Princess Charlene, 4-10 December

Here's what Charlene wore from 4-10 December:

1. Opening a Christmas market, 5 December. That's a great coat.
2. Visiting her first swimming pool, 7 December. This is not a great skirt, though it may make a great burlap sack.
3. At the Climate Action Networking Reception in South Africa, 7 December. This one just does nothing for her, I'm afraid. Points for killer shoes, anyway.
4. a) At the Polaris Project Presentation and b) meeting with Archbishop Desmond Tutu, 8 December. Much better! She always seems happiest when home in South Africa, and particularly with Archbishop Tutu, which is wonderful to see. And this powder blue dress is a great neckline for her.

Photos: Purepeople/Abaca/Profimedia/Zimbio/GettyImages/Oryx

Week in Review: Princess Charlene, 27 November - 3 December

Here's what Charlene wore from 27 November - 3 December:

1. Visiting Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, 29 November. You want to know what this reminds me of? Queen Fabiola. Seriously. The large wrap, monochrome right down to the shoes. If she'd done it in white, she'd need to step off.
2. At the Humanitarian Associations Night, 30 November.
3. At the Fight AIDS Gala, 1 December. I adore both of these last outfits, with one exception you can probably guess on your own.

Photos: Monaco Matin/Purepeople/BestImage

Week in Review: Princess Charlene, 20-26 November

Here's what Charlene wore from 20-26 November:

1. Walking the No Finish Line charity run, 20 November, with Albert in tights. Hey, if I had to see it, you do to. We're all in this together.

Photo: Getty Images/Daylife

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

Week in Review: Princess Charlene, 13-19 November

Here's what Charlene wore from 13-19 November:

1. Attending the Parish Saint-Martin Centenary Anniversary Celebration Mass, 13 November.
2. a) Handing out packages at Monaco's Red Cross Christmas celebration, 17 November, b) in an Akris suit with a boxy little jacket. This outfit inspired some of you to ask me if I think she's pregnant...and I have to tell you, the whole Bump Game gives me a case of the mehs. Until it becomes smack-you-upside-the-head obvious, I'm perfectly happy to be surprised when the parents-to-be decide to share the news. This is, like, the one area in which I actually do consider how I personally would feel if someone placed the same microscope on me. (Usually, my response to that argument would be: "Give me a tiara and you can say what you want, yo." Only without the yo because I can't actually pull that off in real life.) Yeah. Those that want to analyze the state of my belly should be forewarned that I have ninja skillz and I am not afraid to use them. ANYWAY: rant over, to each their own. Not my deal, is all I'm saying.
3. At the annual presentation of the Order of St. Charles and Grimaldi, 17 November, hiding behind Albert.
4. National Day, fierce day activities, 19 November.
5. National Day, tragic evening activities, 19 November (also in Akris).

She also visited the No Finish Line charity, but since she did (and wore) the same thing on the 20th too we'll just chat about it next week.

Photos: Purepeople/Abaca/Palais Princier/Marcio Madeira/Firstview.com/Style.com

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 Fashion Awards: National Day in Monaco

Well friends, the day of reckoning has arrived, in which we begin to sort out what kind of National Day Princess Charlene will lead. And the results...are a mixed bag. So, business as usual for the Monaco bunch, basically. To the awards!

Worst of the Mixed Bag

Princess Charlene

Straight out of the gate, Charlene was an early favorite for the best dressed lady of the day. Yes, it's beige, and it's nonhatted. But it borders on a fierce level of chic with the cape (yay!) and the long gloves (YAY!) and just the right amount of textural contrast to the skirt. Plus, the hair and makeup are perfection - Her Serene Highness was glowing. So how on earth did she end up with a "Worst" award? Because the night came...

...and THIS happened. CHAR. Sweetie. It's like a Juicy Couture sweatsuit on evening duty. But the thing is, I'd be prepared to take the fabric and the single sleeve shenanigans if we could get a proper color up in here (you could call this "mink", I suppose; I'll go with "barn mouse") and a makeup and hair combo that didn't wash her out all alien-like. And you know, you know, I'd forgive every single above sin if she would've gone the tiara route. But she didn't, and my hopes have been forever dashed.

Best and Also Worst Because I'm Sad

Princess Caroline

Put Charlene and Caroline together and I think you've got one of the least formal, least blinged-out National Day galas in quite some time. Le sigh. I give up. In other news, Caroline's looking notably lovely - my irrational disappointment aside, she really did look younger than she's looked in a while.

Most in Need of a Switcheroo

Princess Caroline and Charlotte Casiraghi

As a matter of fact, she looked so young I'm gonna throw something out there: I think she and her daughter got their outfits mixed up. Caroline's day outfit, with a hat so very reminiscent of the one Charlotte wore to Albert's coronation, could use a dose of Charlotte's youthful irreverence, while Charlotte looks like she's been caught playing dress up in her mom's business suits. I like them both, I'm just saying: maybe we've got a Freaky Friday situation on our hands.

Best Expression

Princess Alexandra

I like this kid, and her wee polka dot tights. I like to think that expression says, "I'm in on the joke, and you're not." And clearly she's right!

Best Streak

Princess Stephanie

I don't know, guys. She was pretty good at the big wedding, and now I'm really liking her demure take on National Day. Here's hoping she keeps up the streak, as entertaining as her foibles can be.

Most Dependable

Prince Albert, Andrea Casiraghi, Pierre Casiraghi

Whether you're disappointed in the ladies or not, you can always turn to the men for a solid sartorial appearance, right? Right.

What did you make of family's National Day appearances?

Photos: Getty Images/Reuters/Daylife/PLS Pool/Zimbio

Flashback Friday: National Day, the Princess Grace Way

It's time for National Day in Monaco, and for the first time in 30 years there will be a Princess of Monaco by the sovereign's side. Charlene made her first official appearance at National Day while engaged last year, and she certainly made a splash. It seems appropriate now to take a look back at what Charlene's predecessor, that epitome of elegance Princess Grace, brought to the occasion and what Charlene might be able to bring back. Because trust me here, friends, the sartorial side of National Day has changed in the years that Princesses Caroline and Stephanie have been in charge.

1950s

Obviously any return to the ladylike days of yore is always welcome; in that respect, Charlene did quite well last year. Maybe we could live without the return of the snowball hat, though.

1960s

What I'd really like to see a return of is color. In the past couple of years, Caroline and Stephanie have stuck with black and gray - a mourning palette. So much so that people docked Charlene last year for the exuberance of her beige outfit...and you know something's wrong when beige and exuberance end up in the same sentence. But color isn't foreign to National Day if you look at years past, not even when it comes to Caroline and Stephanie themselves. So let's have it!


1970s and 1980s

Maybe not have it in the form of electric blue feathers smushed atop the head...though that would be entertaining. Yes, it definitely takes the panache of Grace to pull that one off (ditto for anything in the realm where "striped" and "fur" cross paths).


Gala appearances at the Opera

You already know which Grace trend I most want Charlene to bring back, don't you? Tiaras for the evening gala! Grace made it the fanciest night of the year in Monaco every year (here using mostly her Small Diamond Tiara, though the one with the blue wrap is one of her unknown tiaras), while Caroline has gradually taken the formality down a notch, never wearing a tiara and even in the past couple years going without her Order of St. Charles sash.

But while we wait to see if Charlene will do it her own way or do it her sister-in-law's way, at least we have Grace. I may hope that Charlene will bring back a bit of Grace's sense of occasion - that's a movie star for you, always knowing how to make things memorable  - but there's a lot here she couldn't, shouldn't even, bring back. There's only one Grace, after all. My hope? Charlene will do it her own way...just so long as that way happens to include a tiara.

Do you have a favorite Grace moment from National Day?

and

What do you hope Charlene will bring to the occasion?

Photos: The Royal Forums/Corbis/Rue des Archives/Scanpix/Hola/Getty Images

Week in Review: Princess Charlene, 6-12 November

Here's what Charlene wore from 6-12 November:

1. Visiting a school, 11 November. I'd be concerned about one of those "I see London" situations with all the bending and kneeling involved in a visit with wee ones, myself.

Photos: Paris Match

Wedding Wednesday: Queens and their Pre-Wedding Style

A few weeks ago we took a look at some of the pre-wedding outfits of our current crop of crown princesses. Now, it's time to pop back a generation - well, actually, just step up a level and mostly back a generation - to a few sovereigns/sovereign consorts and their pre-wedding ball attire. This is even better, if you ask me, for two reasons: 1. old school glamour, and 2. TIARAS. 'Nuff said, right?

Best First Impression

Fabiola de Mora y Aragón (Queen Fabiola of the Belgians) and Silvia Sommerlath (Queen Silvia of Sweden)

These two ladies didn't just marry into a royal family, they married straight into being queens. Trial by fire! As such, their pre-wedding appearances had a statement to make, and Fabiola wins with her tiara/crown which was a wedding present from General Franco. That's like pinning on a big ol' name tag that says: "HELLO! I am Your Queen!" Silvia obviously needed a little experience before she'd reach her full tiara hair potential, but this outing - her very first tiara appearance ever, friends, this is history in the making - of the Connaught Diamond Tiara is respectable enough. Everything else ended up taking a backseat to the fact that ABBA serenaded her with the first ever performance of "Dancing Queen" that night anyway.

Best of the Things We Need More Of

L to R: Crown Princess Margrethe of Denmark (now Queen, with and without coat), Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark (Queen Anne-Marie of Greece), Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands (now Queen, with and without fur)

Let's count the ways these appearances are so much better than what we see today, shall we?

1. Multiple tiara appearances. All of these ladies donned a tiara on more than the occasions shown here before getting hitched. (For the record, Margrethe is wearing the romantic heart-shaped Baden Palmette Tiara, Anne-Marie is wearing the Emerald Parure Tiara, and Beatrix is wearing the Antique Pearl Tiara.) More multiple tiara event occasions, please.
2. Matching coats. Forget throwing a shawl over it and calling it a day! This is how we do evening glam!
3. Opera gloves. Somebody needs to bring the long glove back. Who should we start writing letters to?

Best of the Way Things Change

Princess Grace of Monaco, Princess Charlene of Monaco

My, my, how things do change. From tiaras and gowns and fur wraps to strapless palazzo pants, all in the course of a generation change. (Obviously these sovereign consorts are the exception to our queens and Charlene is our generation exception!)

Best of the Best

Princess Sophia of Greece and Denmark (now Queen Sofia of Spain)

She's Glinda the Good Witch! This dress is some serious fairy godmother business, plus Sofia's already got the fairy godmother smile to boot, that's just the way she rolls. Can you see all the detailing and the petal effect on the skirt? It's amazing. Also, she gets double bonus points for wearing not one but two tiaras, both of which were given to her as wedding gifts: the Mellerio Shell Tiara on her head and the floral tiara around her neck. My absolute favorite of this lot.

Who did pre-wedding the best?

Photos: Corbis/Daylife/Hola

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.

Royal Style Duel: Charlene vs. Madeleine

Two princesses, out on the same night, in the same city, both in intricately detailed black see through/no wait/not really/just kidding gowns...you know what that means: a duel!

I have to give it to Madeleine: this is one of her best appearances in quite some time, according to me. Who wins it for you? Vote!