Week in Review: Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, 11-17 December

Here's what Maria Teresa wore from 11-17 December:

1. The King's dinner for the Nobel laureates in Sweden, 11 December.
2. Attending a requiem mass for the late Princess Elisabeth, 15 December.

Photos: Bunte/Tom Wagner/Cour gr ducale

Week in Review: Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, 4-10 December

Here's what Maria Teresa wore from 4-10 December:

1. At the closing of the European Year of Volunteering, 5 December.
2. Hosting a reception at the Grand Ducal Palace, 8 December.
3. The Nobel Prize Awards Ceremony, 10 December. I think the side view shows the good the dress can do, when not chopped in half by a sash.

Photos: Ministry of Family and Integration/Cour gr ducale/Svenskdam

Readers' Top 15 Tiaras: #12. The Luxembourg Empire Tiara

Our countdown of your favorite tiaras continues with...

#12. The Luxembourg Empire Tiara

And this is why I love you guys: you just automatically came up with a list that skews to the “Go Big or Go Home” side of the game. Bless your little magpie hearts.

The Luxembourg Empire Tiara

Coming in at number 12 on your list of favorite tiaras we have one of the largest diadems in use today, the Luxembourg Empire Tiara. Composed of massive amounts of diamonds in the Empire style potentially dating from the early 19th century, it earns its name on scale alone.

Grand Duchess Charlotte (left) and her sister Princess Hilda (right) on their wedding days

This regal gem made its public debut on the head of reigning Grand Duchess Charlotte when she married Prince Felix of Bourbon-Parma in 1919. Without exact confirmation of the piece’s origins, speculation points to two sources of family jewels: Grand Duchess Elizabeth Mikhailovna of Russia and Hilda, Grand Duchess of Baden. Elizabeth was the first wife of Charlotte’s grandfather and brought plenty of Romanov jewels with her when she married. With this sort of intricate design and overall opulence, it’s not hard to believe it could be of Russian provenance; indeed, this is the explanation you tend to see most frequently. The other option is Charlotte’s aunt Hilda, who left some jewels to Charlotte and her sisters. One of those sisters, also named Hilda, wore it for her wedding too.

Grand Duchess Charlotte

Charlotte continued to wear the tiara on important occasions during her reign, up to and including the day she abdicated in favor of her son, Jean. She then turned the grand tiara over to her daughter-in-law Joséphine-Charlotte, the new grand duchess.

Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte

Jean abdicated in favor of his son Henri in 2001, but it’s quite possible that J-C didn’t feel as open to handing things down when it came to her daughter-in-law Maria Teresa. Whether it was out of respect or because she wasn’t given possession of the Empire Tiara, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa did not wear it publicly until after Joséphine-Charlotte’s death.

Grand Duchess Maria Teresa

Back when we discussed the equally stately Braganza Tiara, you all brought up an interesting point in the comments: not only are tiaras like this about more than aesthetics, part of the trick to wearing them is to only hold them for the most important occasions. I would say that is precisely what Maria Teresa has done thus far. The first appearances she used the diadem for were state visits to Belgium and the Netherlands; not only are these countries united in the Benelux economic union, they are family too - King Albert of the Belgians is Grand Duke Henri’s uncle, and Queen Beatrix and the Grand Duke both descend from the House of Nassau. We have also seen her use the tiara in an official portrait, and at Crown Princess Victoria’s wedding.

Maria Teresa at Victoria's wedding

Some might argue that it was inappropriate for Maria Teresa to bring so much sparkle to someone else’s wedding, but you can always count on me to justify bringing out the big guns: it was the most important royal gathering since she’s had custody of the tiara, and she treated it as such.

I don't think you need me to state it, but I will: I love this one. Seriously, I think it's magnificent. It's one of those pieces that is uniquely suited to a grand duchess specifically - not a queen, not a princess, but a grand duchess. I'm sure it's an absolute beast to wear, and as these pictures show us, it doesn't go with just any old hairstyle. But when it's worn right...oh, it's so worth it.

What say you: too big or just right in the context?

Photos: ANP/Cour grand ducale/Getty Images/Daylife

Royal Fashion Awards: The Nobel Prizes 2011, Part 2

The Nobel Prize celebrations are wrapping up in Norway and Sweden with a second day of tiaras n' dresses at a dinner for the Nobel laureates given in Sweden by King Carl Gustaf and a concert for the Peace Prize in Norway. And as usual, most of the participants took it down a notch from the first day's festivities, but you never know who might strike your award-giving fancy...

(Click here to see day one's awards if you missed them.)

Biggest Change

Crown Princess Mette-Marit

From prairie mama to saucy schoolgirl in 24 hours...ladies and gentlemen, Mette-Marit! She looks fantastic in this sexy Emilio Pucci dress. Could have used a little of yesterday's hair flair, but it's still a change for the better, and my best dressed for day 2.

Best Festive Spirit

Princess Märtha Louise

Well, she's hard to see, but we've got a sparkly skirt and that's a win. Though perhaps the festive style award should belong to Ari instead?

Most Improved

Grand Duchess Maria Teresa

No giant bow in the middle of the sash, and an updo (though it seems like it might be a rather messy one)...it counts, it all adds up. Plus, hand-holding. She also made my tiara prediction come true by wearing the pearl and diamond choker tiara, even though it's far from my favorite Luxembourg piece.

Best Wish Fulfilled

Queen Silvia

Many of you had your fingers crossed for an appearance of the Connaught Diamond Tiara, and Silvia's got you covered. The dress is a repeat of her turn at the wedding ball in Monaco, so I'm thankful she didn't repeat the Nine Prong Tiara also.

Saddest Repeat Title

Princess Christina

Yesterday Christina won my title for Biggest Missed Tiara Opportunity, and today she gets it again by sticking to her tiny pearl and diamond tiara. Aw, man, couldn't we have pulled something from the vaults instead? 

Best Repeat

Crown Princess Victoria

No, I refer not to the dress, which I don't dislike or anything but is not spectacular like yesterday's creation, and I am also not referring to the Baden Fringe Tiara. I'm talking about the huge diamond earrings that she debuted at her pre-wedding celebrations. Just amazing!

Worst Substitution

Princess Madeleine

For those that asked where Madeleine was yesterday, here's your answer: she attended an event in New York City (her home now) commemorating the 100th anniversary of Marie Curie's Nobel Prize. And while she looks lovely - New York really does agree with her, apparently - it's not a valid substitute for tiaras and diamonds. Sorry, Madde.

Is anybody tickling your fancy on day 2? Have any overall Nobel ratings for 2011?

Photos: Reuters/Daylife/Style.com/ANP/Bunte/danapress/SVT/Svenskdam

Royal Fashion Awards: The Nobel Prizes 2011, Part 1

The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded in the presence of the Norwegian royal family today, and over in Stockholm the rest of the Nobel Prizes were celebrated with royals from Sweden and Luxembourg present. They have their prizes; we have our awards for the sparkliest event we’ve had since this summer…

Worst in Christmas

Grand Duchess Maria Teresa

Well, Maria Teresa did what I hoped she'd do: got her Elie Saab on. But alas, this repeated gown could headline a seminar titled How Not to Wear a Sash 101. And her pairing with the Chaumet Emerald Tiara kicks off an unexpected theme for our ladies today: Christmas! 'Tis the season indeed. (Boy, she really must not travel with a hairdresser. I'm worried about this baby slipping off!)

Most Elegant

Queen Silvia

Another pre-wedding event repeat (from a different wedding, of course), Queen Silvia's altered Jacques Zehnder (I believe) gown is perfection. Unfortunately, she has done That Which I Wished She Would Not Do, and brought out The Pronger, a.k.a. the Nine Prong Tiara, a.k.a. Queen Sophia's Diamond Tiara. It has history, it has diamonds from here to the North Pole, it has sparkle...and it has antlers. I suppose every Christmas festival needs a tiny bit of reindeer love.

Best Sparkle Spirit

Crown Princess Victoria

YAY!!! I wanted Saab. She delivered Saab. (UPDATE: Nope, it is not by Elie Saab.) I wanted something new in the tiara department...and she almost delivered it, wearing the brooch, earrings, and hairpins from the Leuchtenberg Sapphire Parure. Sadly she paired it with the Six Button Tiara which I am no fan of, but I'll let it go because the rest is exactly what we haven't seen from her throughout this pregnancy. She abandoned her tent dresses for a bump-clinging gown, she abandoned her thrown-together look for a thoroughly coordinated blue party, and she even abandoned her love of comfort for the evening in a gown that has to be heavy and earrings so cumbersome they require the use of small over-ear wire hangers to distribute the weight. She and her sequined bump are the prize shiny ornament on our Nobel Christmas tree.

Biggest Missed Tiara Opportunity

Princess Christina

If the Six Button must be worn, Christina should be the one to do it. She just does it best. Instead, she stuck with her small pearl and diamond tiara (which she owns personally). Obviously she was elegant as always...if it ain't broke, don't fix it, I suppose. (By the way, lest I come across as too harsh on the button front, I'll say this: it was out-sparkling the Nine Prong Tiara on the broadcast by quite a bit.)

Most Consistent

Queen Sonja

Keeping up the Christmas theme, Sonja was sleek in red with a gift-wrapped bow at her waist and a ribbon sculpture on her head during the day, and elegant in snow white for the evening. (Note to Sonja: look, you don't need so much extra business happening. You're lovely. Keep it simple, just like this!)

Biggest Contrast

Crown Princess Mette-Marit

Perfect as the quintessential Ice Princess in Valentino during the day (even with a little Goth misletoe wreath on her head...all the better to elicit smooches from Hunky Haakon, I suppose), it all went astray in the evening, in her second Valentino of the day. First of all, Marie-Chantal already did this look. Second of all, she's not a grandmother from the olden days. And third...and this might be the only time I will ever say this...she should have stolen her mother-in-law's dress.

And Just Because...

The Rest of the Men

Haakon can't be the only one getting some appreciation. That's just not fair; after all, he's not the only one that got all spruced up. Gentlemen, well played.

Who is your best-dressed for the day? Worst?

Nobel events continue on Sunday, so tune back in for Part 2!

Photos: Scanpix/Expressen/Svenskdam/Getty Images/Reuters Pictures/Daylife/Zimbio

Wedding Wednesday: Favorite Winter Wedding Gowns

Winter wedding gowns are tricky, especially when you're having a royal wedding with lots of balcony appearances and other assorted outdoor shenanigans. Since that time is upon us now (well, it's upon me - if you're in Australia or something...bookmark and come back in six months I guess?), I thought we'd throw some praise at those royal wedding dresses that have leapt their climate hurdles valiantly.

Two winter brides stick out from my personal list of favorite royal wedding dresses - Máxima (February) and Mathilde (December).

Of course, I have always loved a high collar on a grand wedding gown, that's just me.

But if you want something that just screams winter wedding, fur's the way to go.

Queen Fabiola of the Belgians, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg, Archduchess Marie-Christine of Austria, Archduchess Catharina von Österreich

I confess, I'm not a huge fan of fur used on a wedding gown, but there is something about a winter wedding that lends itself to things that seem a little farcical otherwise...

...which brings us to a personal favorite in this category, Baroness Francesca Thyssen-Bornemisza's gown from her January 1993 marriage to Archduke Karl of Austria.

At any other time, in any other place, this wedding outfit would have been too much. The lace-up front, the enormous ball skirt, the heavy 200-year-old Habsburg veil held in place with a small pearl and diamond bandeau tiara, even the bride carrying a Mass Book instead of a bouquet - it's a Versace design that could have come straight from a movie set, and borders on comical for use in real life (even for a character such as this bride).

But set in an Austrian winter scene? It's completely enchanting.

What's your favorite winter wedding gown?

Photos: Zimbio/Rex/Hola/The Royal Forums

Week in Review: Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, 20-26 November

Here's what Maria Teresa wore from 20-26 November:

1. Visiting a school, 21 November.
2. Attending a conference, 24 November.
3. Presenting the Edward Steichen Award, 24 November.
4. Awarding the Grand Duke Adolphe Prize and attending the International Bazaar, 26 November. Yeah, I got nothing. I suppose it's too much to ask for every week to be fun.

Photos: Daniel Clarins/Luxemburger Wort/Cour gr ducale/Wort/Nico Muller/Serge Waldbillig

Wedding Wednesday: New Bridal Tiaras

Royal weddings are prime showcases for heirloom tiaras - after all, a girl does need something borrowed - but they're also often showcases for new tiaras. Whether you are honoring a new gift, you just feel like something new, or the family was plain out of tiaras for the new girl to have, there are plenty of weddings that have brought us new jewels to gaze upon.

Left to Right: Princess Claire of Belgium, Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway

The Belgian royal family is not sitting on a huge stash of tiaras, so when Claire Coombs married in, they had to rustle up something new for her (reported by some to be a converted necklace from Queen Elisabeth). Norway has a fair amount of diadems, but not really anything that would fill the "all-purpose, small, and diamond" category for a new Crown Princess, so they bought one when Mette-Marit joined up. And though you might disagree with me, I've always thought that was part of the reason Crown Princess Mary got a newly purchased tiara too. Apart from the tiara that now sits on Princess Marie's head, smallish diamond gems that are not already in constant use seem to have been nonexistent.

L to R: Princess Marina, the Duchess of Kent; Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte of Luxembourg (then a Princess of Belgium)

I'm afraid the days of lavish wedding gift jewel hauls are gone for most brides, but once upon a time getting multiple tiaras for your wedding was commonplace for a royal bride. Honoring a relative by wearing their gift on your big day is always smart, but perhaps even smarter is honoring the institutions that give you gifts. Greek Princess Marina wore a fringe tiara given to her by her new home, the City of London, while Belgian Princess Joséphine-Charlotte honored her home country by wearing both the Belgian Scroll Tiara and the Congo Diamond Tiara to marry into Luxembourg's royal family.

L to R: Sarah, Duchess of York; Princess Margaret; Empress Farah of Iran; Crown Princess Sarah of Brunei

Sometimes, for whatever reason, you just want something new. Sarah Ferguson wore a new tiara from Garrard, and Princess Margaret's Politmore Tiara was bought specially prior to her wedding day. Farah Diba wed in the Noor-ol-Ain Tiara which was created by Harry Winston for the occasion. I'd wager a guess that the tiara worn by Sarah Salleh for her wedding to Brunei's Crown Prince was freshly made too. All of these ladies could have worn something from their respective royal families, but for whatever reason - and I would guess the reasoning here is quite diverse - they opted for new instead.

L to R: Sophie, Countess of Wessex; Princess Máxima of the Netherlands; Princess Mabel of Orange-Nassau

Finally, if you can't get something new, you settle for a new configuration of old stuff instead. Sophie wore a (new to us) configuration of old pieces when she became the Countess of Wessex, and Máxima put a new spin on an old gem by topping a pearl button tiara with diamond stars instead. Her sister-in-law Mabel did a similar thing by using the diamond-only setting of the family's large sapphire tiara.

As lovely and meaningful as traditions can be, I suppose there's something to be said for making your own mark, or putting special memories together with a piece that you'll call your own for the rest of your marriage. My personal favorite version is Máxima's - that sly little magpie was already showing us just how much fun she intended to have with the family jewel box.

If it was you...would you rather have an old tiara or a new one for your wedding day?

Week in Review: Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, 13-19 November

Here's what Maria Teresa wore from 13-19 November:

1. Attending the annual Red Cross Bazaar, 13 November, with Princess Tessy and Princes Gabriel and Noah. While I think there are more sophisticated color palettes to be had, I like this shape for MT: slim fit blazer with slim skirt and such underneath, with a long necklace to break it up even more.
2. Celebrating the 30th anniversary of SIPO, 17 November.

Photos: Jean-Claude Ernst/L'essential/SIPO/Cour gr ducale

Royal Splendor 101: Personal Property

This is Part 3 of our series on who owns the jewels in royal families.

In our third installment, we come to the simplest category and the category that accounts for the largest amount of royal jewelry overall: personal property.

Mary with some of her personal jewels

The same definition that applies for something owned by you or me applies to the royals too: a personal purchase or a personal gift becomes personal property. (The exception here can be gifts given in an official capacity, which is a trickier story that we will handle in a later entry.) Personal property is everywhere, even in countries that make extensive use of a family jewel foundation, and collections range in size from small jewelry boxes to entire vaults and up.

Personal property sounds great, right? It’s always nice to have something to call your own. The owner can do whatever he or she pleases with a personally owned jewel – and that includes getting rid of it. Personal property is the easiest of our categories to be given away as gifts, inherited by descendants, and sold off for profit.

As we discuss these categories of ownership, we're looking at them with an eye to how they effect the longevity and size of a royal jewel stash, and that means that we have to consider the problems that personal property can cause. The reality is that personal jewel ownership can be a chief culprit in the dwindling size of an overall royal collection, and there are a few key reasons for that:

It’s not very good for a consolidated collection. The problem with being able to do whatever you want with the jewels is that there is no mechanism available to ensure that a central, historical collection is kept in place for future royal generations. Monaco is a good example of this: Princess Grace had to build a collection from the ground up as there were no jewels set aside for the Princess of Monaco and her mother-in-law wasn’t sharing her own jewels. And it seems now that Princess Caroline has most of the gems, with Charlene left to (seemingly) start a new collection. Jordan seems to have the same issue – Queen Rania’s collection features gifts and new acquisitions supplemented with loans.

Britain is an interesting case study here as well. A lot of the jewels you see Queen Elizabeth wear are her personal property, left to her by Queen Mary. Thus far she’s kept the collection mostly in tact, and the monarchy has a handy deal worked out with the government in which items transferred from sovereign to sovereign are inherited tax free, which should go a long way to ensuring that massive collection stays with the monarch. But it hasn’t always been that way: apart from state jewels, there are surprisingly few jewels left from Queen Victoria’s time, as a lot of those were split up among her many descendants.

Personal property can be given away. Giving family jewels as presents, particularly for weddings, was and is very popular. This can be good and bad, actually. Huge chunks of the collections of certain monarchies are owed to items brought by foreign princesses marrying into the family. Denmark, for example, owes a huge debt to the Swedish royal collection and the gifts given to the Swedish princesses that became Queen Louise and Queen Ingrid. That’s no big deal for the major collection of Sweden, but in a smaller collection it can be a real problem.

Present and former tiaras of Denmark originally from Sweden

Likewise, Luxembourg owes some thanks to Grand Duchess Joséphine Charlotte’s home country of Belgium, but gifts given to her and to the former Belgian princess Queen Marie José of Italy wiped out a section of the Belgian jewel collection. Today, Belgium has one of the smallest collections around.

The PoltimoreTiara

Personal property can, and sometimes must, be divided up when the owner dies. Luxembourg ended up selling (and almost selling) some of Joséphine-Charlotte’s jewels when they had problems dividing them up after her death. Plus, inheritances take jewels out of the main, jewel-wearing royal line and inject them into branches of the family that don’t have as many occasions to wear them. Inheritances can also cost a lot of money in taxes for families that might be asset-rich but aren’t necessarily cash-rich.

Personal property can be sold. There’s a certain formula that has resulted in many royal jewels leaving the minor royal family branches for good: few occasions to wear jewels + inheritance taxes = jewels sold at auction. This formula is the culprit behind the sale of Princess Margaret's personal items, including jewels, by her children after her death. The star item of that sale: the Poltimore Tiara, worn on her wedding day.

Also, sometimes things are just not needed and cash is preferred. Queen Elizabeth's Kent cousins have used auctions to generate money for years. Over in Spain, the Duchess of Alba confessed to selling off one of her major tiaras in favor of purchasing a horse for her son. And sales have really been the final nail in the coffin of the Belgian jewel collection; several things were sold off while King Leopold was alive, and after his death his second wife Princess Lilian sold one of their best bits - Queen Elisabeth's Cartier Bandeau (more on that, and other notable tiara sales, later this week).

It poses an interesting question: if it was your jewel collection, what would you prefer? Sentimentally, and selfishly too, personal property might be the preference. But if you have an eye to preserving your family's history for generations to come, it might not.

One final note, as we've also been looking at reasons why things are or are not shared in a royal family: Personal property is only shared when the owner feels like sharing, basically. And as we know, in many royal families, that means the wealth is almost never passed around.

Next up: when personal property actually does get loaned out, and some talk of increasing the size of the collection.

Photos: PPE/Daylife/Getty Images

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

Week in Review: Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, 23-29 October

Here's what Maria Teresa wore from 23-29 October:

1. Opening the "Winds of Change" exhibition, 28 October.
2. Attending talks on entrepreneurship, 25 October. Sometimes it's just a scarf kind of week, I guess.

Photos: Carlos Hommel/Emmanuel Cahen/Cour gr ducale

Week in Review: Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, 16-22 October

Here's what Maria Teresa wore from 16-22 October:

1. At the episcopal consecration of the new Archbishop of Luxembourg, 16 October, repeating the suit from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's wedding. Hey, better than last week, no complaints!

Photo: Église Catholique à Luxembourg

Week in Review: Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, 9-15 October

Here's what Maria Teresa wore from 9-15 October:

1. An audience with a delegation of Special Olympics participants, 12 October.
2. Attending the Red Cross' annual fashion show in Luxembourg, 12 October. Oh, MT. This is a bad bad outfit. It is not your sartorial friend.

Photos: Cour grand-ducale/BGL/BNP/PARIBAS/Jean-Claude Ernst/Tageblatt

Royal Splendor 101: Tiara Rules

Since we spend so much time around here talking about tiaras, I get a lot of questions about the nitty gritty details: who wears them? When do you wear them? How do you wear them? What are the rules? So our next few installments of Royal Splendor 101 attempt to provide answers to said questions. First up: answering the who and the when.

When somebody asks me what the rules are in terms of who can wear tiaras, and when they can be worn, honestly my first instinct is usually to say: don't bother trying to figure it out. These are matters of etiquette and dress code, which means there are many different opinions and absolutely no hard and fast rules to make you (or the royals) stick to any one way of doing things. Seriously, there's nothing but a second mortgage and a whole lot of strange looks stopping you from buying a tiara at the next Sotheby's auction and wearing it to the grocery store. So it's almost not worth trying to figure it out, but I'll tell you what I've observed and then you can disagree with me later.

Who can wear tiaras? In the days of yore, tiaras were for noble and royal ladies (marks of rank, sure, but you also have to consider that they were at one point the only groups of people that could afford jewels). They were also usually reserved for married ladies. Younger women didn't need the extra ornamentation, I suppose, and they probably didn't have any to wear in the first place; tiaras were commonly given as wedding gifts.

Nowadays? Well, as society on the whole has gotten a lot more casual, so have the rules. I am far from an etiquette expert, but there just doesn't seem to be universally followed rules for tiara-wearing anymore. I would say the first rule to die was the royalty and nobility one. Royalty are the ones that have the most public tiara occasions to attend, but tiaras are auctioned off regularly; someone's buying them, and it usually isn't royalty or nobility (both groups are more likely to be the ones selling the gems, sadly).

Unmarried ladies in tiaras, left to right: young Princess Margaret, young Princess Anne, Princess Madeleine, Princess Theodora, engaged Máxima Zorreguieta, Carina Axelsson

And though people still tend to repeat it, I personally don't put much stock in the marriage rule these days. Obviously it doesn’t apply to unmarried royal princesses, as they wear tiaras all the time and have for a long time. (Eighteen is an average age to start wearing tiaras, though each family decides for itself.) We don't usually see royal girlfriends or fiancées in tiaras, but it happens: Máxima wore tiaras during her engagement, and Prince Gustav of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleberg's long-term girlfriend Carina Axelsson often wears them. As for non-royal unmarried ladies...well, how many tiara events do you think they have on their social agenda in the first place? If you want to boil it down to a rule for today's etiquette averse world, I'd say it's this: if you've got 'em, flaunt 'em.

Or if you can borrow 'em, in Elizabeth Hurley's case...

When are tiaras worn? A century ago, the answer to this would be: all the time! King George V and Queen Mary dined in full white tie with orders and tiaras most nights. White tie also used to be a common dress code for gala performances at the opera or the ballet...sigh. I think I was born about 80 years too late (and also in the wrong country and in the wrong class, but you get my drift).

Queen Victoria, with tiara, at the christening of her son Prince Alfred

Today, not only are we rather casual on the whole, the wealth that made all those grand occasions possible has significantly diminished. Tiara events aren't all that common now, and the most accurate answer to the question at hand is: you wear a tiara when the dress code says you should. It's the hostess/host's choice! Of course that isn't helpful at all, so here are some general guidelines:

• Time of day. The first guideline is the time of the event. Tiaras are for evening affairs. Afternoon might be close enough; this was the case at Crown Princess Victoria's wedding (held at 3:30 pm), where the events continued on well into the night. This is a prime reason why we see the ladies in hats and not tiaras at Prinsjesdag, which is a day event.
• State occasions. The more formal and important an event, the more likely you are to see tiaras. That said, nothing stops a person from organizing a private event with tiaras included, such as the wedding ball of the Prince of Prussia, or Elton John's annual White Tie and Tiara Ball (hence Elizabeth Hurley's tiara above).

Queen Elizabeth with a tiara at a white tie state banquet at the White House (left), and wearing a tiara for a black tie dinner in Ireland (right)

• White tie. When the dress code is white tie and/or dress military uniforms for the gentlemen, the corresponding code for the ladies will usually be evening gowns with orders and tiaras (if you have them, that is). White tie isn't always a guarantee that tiaras will be involved; at Princess Nathalie's wedding, gentlemen were in white tie with orders, but the ladies were unadorned.
• Black tie, occasionally. Black tie events usually do not include tiaras for the ladies. But sometimes there are exceptions: Queen Margrethe's 70th birthday celebrations included a black tie and tiara event. Queen Elizabeth sometimes wears tiaras to state banquets abroad when everyone else is in black tie. (See: the state occasion rule.)

Mary and Frederik modeling multiple dress code situations for you

Protocol for royal events is usually well hashed out in advance, but that doesn't mean there isn't the occasional bit of confusion. On a state visit to the United Kingdom in 2001, Queen Rania wore a tiara to the black tie return banquet, while Queen Elizabeth went without. Grand Duchess Maria Teresa did the same thing while on a state visit to Sweden, and then seems to have removed her tiara when the Swedish royal ladies showed up with no head ornamentation. Awkward. 

L to R: Queen Elizabeth (sans tiara) chats to a tiara'd Queen Rania, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa arrives with tiara, and then appears without a little bit later, and Queen Fabiola opts out of tiara-wearing

It's also worth noting that you don't have to wear tiaras if you don't want to or if you don't have one, even when the dress codes says so. Some of the later Nobel events will see the Swedish ladies with brooches in their hair instead of a tiara. Queen Fabiola has opted not to wear tiaras for the most part since her husband passed away. (She's also never been one for wearing sashes, that rebel.)

Do you see what I mean when I say it's almost not worth attempting to figure "rules" out? Any time you think you have it down, there's an example to contradict you. No doubt some of you have examples to contradict the things I've said here. Personally, my policy is never to worry about it when it means we get more tiaras, and only to complain when it means we get fewer tiaras. Right?

Photos: Corbis/Polfoto/Billed-Bladet/Royal Collection/Getty Images/Daylife/PPE/ANP