Flashback Friday: Silvia at the Nobel Prize Ceremony

If Crown Princess Victoria and Princess Madeleine do Nobel style right, it's because they learned from the master: their mother. Queen Silvia has always made very specific sartorial selections for the events surrounding the awarding of the Nobel Prizes. She's been at it since her wedding in 1976 and has amassed such a collection that it was even worthy of an exhibition a while back. Here we have a slew of dresses that are usually specially selected for the event and are carefully coordinated with their jewel mate. (The majority of those magnificent hair creations we looked at earlier this year? They come from the Nobel ceremony.) So, we're devoting the last flashback before we get to see what the ladies have in store for us this year to the Queen and her most memorable Nobel looks.

This is where it all begins, Silvia's first Nobel ceremony. A very 1970s look, and a marked contrast to the queenly appearances she'll make later on; even her demeanor is less polished here - such a relaxed posture, legs crossed. We never see that from proper Queen Silvia today. This is also the first and last time we see her turn to her wedding dress designer, Dior, for a Nobel look.

Click here to see all of Silvia's gowns from the 1970s, and here to see a focus on the jewels.

The 1980s! Always good for an overstuffed giggle. Actually, Queen Silvia fared pretty well during this fluffy decade, and several of her gowns could be reused today (notable exceptions above). The 80s are also notable for the introduction of Danish designer Jørgen Bender in Silvia's repertoire. Apparently Silvia had a fairly close relationship with Queen Ingrid (a Swedish princess turned Danish queen), and this seems to be her influence at work: Bender was responsible for a lot of couture (including wedding gowns) for the Danish royal ladies.

Click here to see all of Silvia's gowns from the 1980s, and here to see a focus on the jewels.

If anything, her most voluminous gowns belong to the 1990s, where she kept a string of giant skirts but thankfully forgot all about the huge matching sleeves, so they just fit the fairy princess bill (fairy queen, I suppose, though perhaps that first black and white number is more of a jailbird queen sort of thing) instead of falling into the cringeworthy retro category.

Click here to see all of Silvia's gowns from the 1990s, and here to see a focus on the jewels.

Our last decade was a period of transition for Silvia. Her last froofy (technical term) gown was really in 2001, with the Nina Ricci creation above. While I love it - come on, she looks like she just flounced off of the Swan Lake stage and happened upon the Nobel Prize ceremony - I also can't help but wonder if our lovely queen had by this time reached an age at which such gowns should be left to her daughters. And perhaps she wondered the same, as the rest of the decade sees her trimming down her wondrous hair creations and the size of her gowns.

Click here to see all of Silvia's gowns from the 2000s, and here to see a focus on the jewels.

Last year's appearance receives special recognition, and not just for the divine shape that dress cuts on her. The mixture of the jewel-toned green with the deep blue sapphires is so unique and it just works. It almost makes up for the fact that the miraculous creations of hair art seem to have disappeared.

Now, we must tally the tiara tiara appearances, in order to accurately guess what Her Majesty might spring on us this year:

• Nine Prong Tiara: 14
• Leuchtenberg Sapphire Tiara: 12
• Cameo Tiara: 4
• Connaught Diamond Tiara: 3
• Queen Josephine's Amethyst Tiara: 1

As you can see, that's zero appearances for the big ol' Braganza Tiara, since apparently the Nobels are important but not that important. I'm feeling like the amethysts have been woefully neglected, and perhaps it's time for their day to come once again (when am I not feeling that way about amethysts?). I'll take anything but the Nine Prong, really.

Favorite year? Bet for this year? Hmmm?

Psst: There's a second dinner at which tiaras will be present that isn't represented above. Also, here's some exciting news: since one of the Nobel laureates this year is from Luxembourg, the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess will be in attendance! Luxembourg bling and Swedish sparkle, be still my heart.

Psst again: The Nobel Prize Award Ceremony is on Saturday and will stream live on the Nobel Prize website, and also at SVT though not all of their material is available to viewers outside of Sweden. It starts at 4:30 pm CET (that's Stockholm time), and here's a handy tool to prevent time zone math migraines should you need it. I will be watching; if you're so inclined, feel free to join me on The Twitter. The Nobel Peace Prize Award Ceremony in Oslo starts at 1:00 pm CET, and will be attended by the King, Queen, Crown Prince, and Crown Princess of Norway.

Photos: Nobelprize.org/Svenskdam/Scanpix/Corbis

Flashback Friday: Victoria at the Nobel Prize Ceremony

It really is the most wonderful time of the year, friends. Holidays, sure, whatever: I'm talking about the Nobel Prizes. Held in Sweden, the royal ladies treat it as the important event that it is and come out tiaras blazing. (The Nobel Peace Prize will get a set of events in Norway involving that royal family, but they never involve their tiaras, so...) The grand ceremony is on December 10th, and it's well past time to start getting excited. Today, as I grasp onto the hope that Victoria will pull out of her maternity style slump and wow me, we look back at her past efforts.

Victoria's been attending the Nobel festivities since she came of age, but it is her second appearance, rather than her first, that claims one of the most memorable slots. In 1997, Victoria was suffering from anorexia, and it had just been confirmed by the palace that she was seeking treatment. Those bad memories aside, that dress has always been a favorite of mine and she would have looked amazing in it at any size.

 

If it looks familiar to you, then I'm sorry to inform you that you have just been outed as a fan of The Princess Diaries, starring Anne Hathaway. No judgements.

By 2004, Victoria started to pull out of her prom gown phase and started to get some real princess flair going, trains and all. I'm not a huge fan of 2007 - can't we just leave the fading whatnot to tie-dye shirts and call it a day? - but 2005 and the famous 2006 gown are divine.

Like most, Victoria gets better with age. The only thing missing from her outfit of grape perfection in 2009 is a proper outing of the amethyst tiara, and everything about last year's Elie Saab still takes my breath away. You know my fingers and toes are crossed that she's convinced Mr. Saab to take a turn in maternity wear for this year.

Tiara tally! One appearance of the pitiful 18th Birthday Tiara, 2 of the Cut Steel Tiara (including probably the best showing of that tiara ever, last year), 2 of the Six Button Tiara, 3 of the Jeep headlights Four Button Tiara, and 4 for her trademark Baden Fringe Tiara. What do you think we'll see this year? I keep hoping that Queen Silvia will let her dig a little deeper into the family foundation and bring out something she's never worn before, or at least the Cameo Tiara again. There's a second tiara-filled Nobel event too that isn't covered above, so really you can pick two tiaras you'd like to see on dear Victoria.

What's your favorite year? Anybody want to start a tiara bet for this year?

Photos: Svenskdam/nobelprize.org/Getty Images/Zimbio

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

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

Flashback Friday: Going, Going, Gone...Sold Tiaras

It seems that no matter happens to the world's finances, there will always be a market for tiaras, especially those with a whiff of royalty on them. Earlier this year - while the economy sits in what the professionals call "the crapper", mind you - a new auction record was set for the most expensive tiara sale.

This tiara was once in the collection of Princess Katharina Henckel von Donnersmarck and features emeralds that possibly/maybe/might have once belonged to Empress Eugénie of France, wife of Napoleon III. Sotheby's sold it for an astonishing $12.76 million. Take that, recession!

And where there is money to be made, there are people - even royal people - that need it, for varying reasons. Enter: the tiara sale.


Queen Elisabeth of the Belgians and her Cartier Bandeau Tiara

Of all the jewels that have left the Belgian collection over the years, the Cartier tiara owned by Queen Elisabeth is almost always called out as one of the biggest losses. Elisabeth left it to her son, King Leopold III, who in turn left it to his second wife, Princess Lilian. Some of the family jewels were sold off while Leopold was still alive, but this one was sold by Lilian after he had passed away. It's easy to make Lilian the villain in all of this - she was something of a controversial figure, after all - and to that end some say she didn't bother informing King Baudouin or Queen Fabiola before the private sale. Of course, these are private matters, and it's hard to know what really happened. On a happier note, it now belongs to its creator, Cartier, and so we actually get to see it at exhibitions and so forth.


Queen Victoria Eugenia of Spain and her Chaumet Spike Tiara

The current jewel collection in Spain isn't huge by any means, but they aren't doing too bad - especially when you consider that they've been through a relatively recent period of exile (the monarchy was reinstated in the 1970s). Much like inheritance taxes, exile is notoriously hard on royal jewel collections as non-reigning royals struggle to fund themselves. One of the items Queen Victoria Eugenia surrendered for funds during her exile in Rome is the Chaumet Spike Tiara. It had been a wedding gift from her husband King Alfonso XIII, and was set with turquoise accent stones before Ena had it converted to an all-diamond affair. It was sold again to what has been reported as a jewel collector with "royal origin".


The Cambridge Sapphire Tiara, on (left to right) Queen Mary, Princess Marina, and the current Duchess of Kent

Queen Mary made sure to dig into her massive jewel stash to provide each of her children with at least one grand parure with some familial importance. Some, like the Gloucesters, have managed to hang on to these sets; others, like the Kents, have not done so well. The Kent family's money troubles started with the extravagance and early death of Prince George (Mary's son), leaving his wife Princess Marina to start the family tradition of pawning personal effects to fill in the monetary gaps not covered by the royal income. Marina's children are no different (the current Duke and Duchess of Kent, Princess Alexandra, and Prince and Princess Michael of Kent). Together, they've sold what one imagines must be most of the rest of Marina's property. The Duke and Duchess auctioned off the tiara from the grandest parure left from Queen Mary's gifts: the Cambridge Sapphire Tiara, which originally came from Grand Duchess Augusta of Mecklenberg-Strelitz, Queen Mary's aunt. They didn't sell the whole parure; a new tiara was fashioned from pieces of the set they retained, a less successful (if you ask me) button-type affair:

The new Cambridge Sapphire Tiara

Queen Mary's Amethyst Parure

Lest you think only "minor" royals sell tiaras, this amethyst parure was sold off by the Queen Mother. Queen Mary won the purple stones at a charity auction and had them placed in this modern set, which she then gave to the future Queen Mother as a gift. Why it was sold is an interesting question indeed; the Queen Mum was said to have large debts stemming from an excessive lifestyle, including a lot of money spent betting on horses. Neither the Queen nor her late mother seem to have been large fans of amethyst over the years, so I've always wondered if it wasn't one of those "rather have the cash" type of sales. Anyway, the necklace was sold a second time and has been spotted around the neck of Anna Wintour.

Our last piece today is not gone, but I'll include it as a bit of a cautionary tale for those that think selling tiaras to other family members is the perfect solution to keeping gems within the royal collection. 

Queen Silvia and the Edward VII Ruby Tiara

This ruby tiara was a gift from King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra to Princess Margaret of Connaught when she married Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden in 1905. It was inherited by her son Sigvard after her untimely death. Sigvard Bernadotte would ultimately find success as an industrial designer, but before he got there he was pretty hard up for cash and sold jewels from his mother to make ends meet. Luckily, he sold this one to his father (though the matching necklace was sold externally, never to be seen again). Or perhaps it wasn't so lucky after all: you see, Sigvard maintained that he had sold it as a loan - when he had the money to repay his father, he would get the tiara back. His father disagreed, and left it to Sigvard's son in his will. That son, Michael, then sold it back to King Carl Gustaf, who still did not agree that the tiara was just loan collateral. Sigvard (who was also bitter over losing his title for marrying a commoner) disagreed with his royal relatives for the rest of his life and he did so loudly enough that Queen Silvia barely wore it due to the undesirable press it received. We see it more often now, after Sigvard died in 2002. Sometimes there really is no easy solution, you see.

Which sold tiara do you most wish was still in a royal collection?

Photos: Geoffrey Munn/Sotheby's/Corbis

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

Flashback Friday: Silvia and Her Tiara Hair

You didn't think we were going to talk about tiara hair without spending some time on the ladies that do it best, did you? Of course not.

Obviously, that means the Swedish ladies, and the queen of them all in every way, Queen Silvia. You wouldn't have guessed it from her royal debut...

An engaged Silvia Sommerlath, 1976

...but Queen Silvia is the one royal lady with a true sense of adventure when it comes to her evening hair. I suppose it only takes one or two Nobel Prize banquet dinners, at which the photographers come right up and snap from behind you, to realize that you're better off giving them something to focus on.

Over the years, she's given us plenty of basic tiara 'dos with the volume kicked up to 10 or so.

But she's at her best when she kicks that volume right up to 11. Were all of these good ideas, in hindsight? No, perhaps not. But that just makes it more entertaining for us.

There were cascades of curls and knots and braid-like formations:

And then actual braid formations - "formation" here meaning a truly structural phenomenon...

This is not really what I had in mind when I said ladies can use a discreet plait to help hold a tiara in place.

I suppose it's natural for popular culture to creep in, as unfortunate as that may be when one is a queen through the Star Wars years. The half-Leia pastry formations continued well past the proper galactic time frame, though.

Perhaps they extended long enough to inspire Queen Amidala's look? I wonder what her hair is wrapped around. What's underneath there? Styrofoam? Snacks for later? Is this the original sock bun?

As entertaining as Silvia's hair can be, sometimes there's a real reward back there for those that care to look.

Flowers, sure, why not? You know I'm really talking about the jewels here. Extra strands of pearls and diamonds, brooches (including half of the arrow brooch that pierced Victoria's chignon at her pre-wedding dinner)...because sometimes a tiara is just not enough. In conclusion: I love Queen Silvia. Even though she's toned it down in the last couple years, we'll always have the memories.

Do you have a favorite Silvia tiara 'do?

Photos: Corbis/IBL/BEW/Svenskdam

Flashback Friday: The Splendor of Queen Mary

Having spent a certain amount of time earlier in the week whining about the lack of tiara occasions these days (oh, who am I kidding, I'm always grumpy about that), it seemed like today was as good a day as any to take a suggestion from the comments and expound upon the splendor of the last great magpie: Queen Mary.

Queen Mary, consort of King George V (reign: 1910-1936), didn't just wear her jewels; she delighted in her jewels. You look at the history of the British monarchy and you'd think that the present Queen's massive jewel collection comes because of that storied past; but in fact, much of it stems from Queen Mary. She had an enthusiasm - a mania, perhaps - for collecting precious objects, especially those with a family history. The vaults are said to be full of jewel cases containing Mary's notes, written in her own hand, of the provenance of the pieces along with records of the modifications she made. She kept meticulous records of which clothes and gems she wore for which occasions. And this practice we see now, hiding the riches and whatnot, was just not her game. A queen that actually played with her toys: this is my kind of woman.

"Dressing up" wasn't just a tiara, a necklace, earrings, maybe a single brooch or bracelet. Oh no. When Mary went fancy, she piled it on. She took her already beaded and patterned dresses and added a jeweled front with stomachers and brooches, and might then throw on as many necklaces as it took to create a dazzling turtleneck for herself.

Above on the left, Mary wears the Delhi Durbar Tiara (surmounted with some of the Cambridge emeralds and with one of the Cullinan diamonds in the center), emerald and diamond earrings, a slew of diamond necklaces with the Cambridge emerald choker (later to become a Diana trademark) and the Delhi Durbar necklace (which has the Cullinan VII diamond as one of its pendants), a stomacher including Cullinan chips and Cambridge emeralds, the carved Indian emerald brooch, a diamond brooch securing the Garter sash, and just two wee bracelets. You know, because one doesn't want to overdo it. Above on the right, we have Mary in the diamond and pearl version of her particular brand of excess, from the Grand Duchess Vladimir Tiara on top right down to the last pendant pearl on her stomacher.

There are loads of accounts of people blinded by Queen Mary's bejeweled presence, but one event in particular stands out: Princess Victoria Louise of Prussia's wedding in Berlin. On this occasion, in addition to her ornate gown and lace veil, Mary wore the George IV State Diadem, diamond earrings, 9 diamond necklaces (with Cullinans III and IV suspended as a pendant), six brooches, and a pair of bracelets. And you thought showing up in red constituted upstaging the bride! Silly you.

On the right is one of my favorite pictures of Mary. She's in "casual" mode with her daughter, Princess Mary. Note that casual mode includes the Cullinan VII and VIII brooch and a pendant necklace made of other Cullinan diamond chips.

Mary had a particular love for the Cullinan diamonds. We're talking about one of the most famous diamonds in the world, if you're not familiar. The story is far too long to recount here, but we can sum it up: in its rough form, it was a single diamond from a mine in South Africa weighing more than 3,000 carats. It was cleaved into nine large numbered gems as well as several smaller chips which now belong to the British royal family. The present Queen uses the smaller Cullinan brooches regularly, but we rarely see the largest ones in active use now. But Mary - she loved them so much that Queen Elizabeth is said to refer to them as "Granny's chips".

On the left: the Delhi Durbar Tiara sports Cullinans III and IV (plus additional Cullinans on her bodice). On the right, Cullinans III and IV are suspended from the bottom of her slew of diamond necklaces. And here's the big one: Cullinans I and II are pinned to her chest in magnificent brooch form. At 530.2 carats, Cullinan I is the largest colorless diamond in the world. It is also known as the First or Great Star of Africa, and makes its home in the Sceptre with the Cross used at coronations. Cullinan II is known as the Second or Lesser Star of Africa, weighs in at 317.4 carats, and resides normally in the front of the Imperial State Crown. It really is a sartorial feat of reinforcement and corsetry that she could display this kind of diamond power on the front of her dress. No wonder she looked so stern - she was in a constant battle to stay upright!

Since we're talking about famous diamonds, we might as well add in another one for good measure: the Koh-i-Noor. This 105.6 carat diamond comes from India, is said to bring tragic ends to any men that dare wear it, and still makes headlines from time to time when someone demands it be returned to its home country. In both of the above pictures, Mary is using it in the brooch setting created for Queen Victoria. On the left, it is pinned to the center of her sash, and has Cullinan I hanging from it (you can also see for this occasion, she has added a larger Cullinan pendant to the Delhi Durbar necklace). On the right, it is pinned to the center of her gown neckline. She also added it into the central cross of her crown, just as Queen Alexandra did before her and Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mother) would do after.

Should we do a little math, just for fun? On the left, Mary is wearing the brooch with both Stars of Africa (847.6 carats total). From the bottom of her rows and rows of diamond necklaces, she's suspended Cullinan III (94.4 carats). On her crown, worn here without its arches, we have the Koh-i-Noor (105.6 carats); underneath that sits Cullinan IV (63.6 carats). That's a running total of 1,111.2 carats, and we're not even accounting for the diamonds in the crown, the necklaces, the earrings, the bracelets, or the gems from her Garter insignia. See, I told you math was fun.

Queen Mary clung to her ways of adornment long past the days when it was fashionable. She died in 1953, and I have to echo what many have said before: there will never be another like her. Her granddaughter Elizabeth II bears the family resemblance more and more with every passing year, but this sort of excess is just not in her character.

Among other current royal ladies, I might give the advantage to Queen Silvia or Princess Máxima in terms of the ability to recreate a bejeweled look like this, but they'd probably still end up looking like girls playing dress up. And even if they could do it...well, the days of this sort of majesty are dead too. Sigh. We'll always have the pictures...

Do you think anybody today could pull this off? Who?

Photos: Corbis/"The Queen's Jewels" by Leslie Field