Pre-Wedding Tiara Events for HRH The Crown Prince of Denmark and Miss Mary Donaldson
May 11-13, 2004

Danish Pre-Wedding Gala Dinner
May 11, 2004

Margrethe · Mary · Alexandra · Benedikte · Anne-Marie

Pre-Wedding Theatre Gala
May 13, 2004

Welcome to the latest edition of Hattery News, everyone!  It's Memorial Day here in the US, a day when we remember our fallen soldiers and kick off summer by having barbecues, opening our swimming pools, and generally enjoying the first holiday of the season.  What better day, then, to do some catching up on what's new with the blog?

-- Only a few days now until Crown Princess Victoria gets hitched in Stockholm!  Hattery photos from the publishing of their wedding banns will be up later today.  And in case you've missed any of the Hattery Flashbacks to crown princely weddings, so far we've reviewed Prince Philippe's wedding, Crown Prince Haakon's wedding, and Prince Willem-Alexander's wedding.  This week, we'll be looking at the mother of all hattery weddings from the last decade: the Danish wedding from 2004.  Because it included so many tiara events, I'll be posting a Hattery Flashback extra of pre-wedding events later today -- and look for the blingy wedding itself later this week!

-- Also in honor of Crown Princess Vic's wedding, I'm giving away a copy of The Young Victoria this month over at my blogging home base, Royalty with Ella Kay.  The film features the wedding of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, Crown Princess Victoria's great-great-great-grandparents -- quite appropriate for this month, no? :)  The DVD is a Region 1 copy, so readers from the US and Canada, head over to enter the contest!  (Readers from elsewhere -- apologies -- we'll get a giveaway you can enter next time!)

-- I know you all love a good tiara, and if you want more to read about the sparklers owned by various royals, check out the new "Tiara Tomes" widget on the blog sidebar.  I've gathered up all the best tiara books from Amazon.com and put them one place for your perusal.  Any purchase you make at Amazon after clicking through this website sends a small referral fee my way -- it's a great way to help support the blog and add more books to your royal libraries!

-- Okay, I can't resist tooting my own horn a little: I was quoted in an article in the New York Post last week about Prince William and Kate Middleton!  No big deal, LOL!

Crown Princess Victoria and the future Prince Daniel look so happy lately, don't they?  Here, after the lysning ceremony, they're receiving a gift from the Swedish government: a 1,000 piece set of handmade Swedish glassware, designed for official entertaining. I'm sure you all received similar gifts for your wedding, right?

My only qualm here is that Victoria decided to accept the gift wearing a feathered pancake on the back of her head:

These flat, back-of-the-head fascinators are going to become a thing this summer, aren't they?  Maybe they'll grow on me.  But really -- first Mette-Marit, now Victoria.  Maybe the crown princesses just all got together and bought them in a bulk deal, similar to the one the Daniel and his parents, Olle and Ewa, apparently got from Lenscrafters?

First they share a kidney, now glasses.  That's love, people.

Today marks the first of the official pre-wedding events for Crown Princess Victoria's June nuptials: the reading of the banns (in Sweden, it's called "lysning"). 

The reading of the banns is an old-fashioned part of weddings -- the ceremony was originally intended to announce the marriage to the public so that people would have a chance to raise objections to the union's legality.  Even at today's ceremony, Victoria and Daniel had to swear that they were not already married to other people and that they were not closely related.  (Judging by the look on Vic's face, everything cleared.)

I don't think we've seen the mint-green headpiece that Vic's mama wore to the service today, but the back of it looks a little similar to the awesome yellow pretzel hat she wore on a state visit recently:

I like the yellow version much better, though.  I feel like this minty color really washes Silvia out; she needs more saturated colors.  What do the rest of you think?

"Don't blame me -- I don't know why the milliner topped my cake hat with stray branches, either!  Or, for that matter, why my dressmaker chose a fabric pattern from a Magic Eye poster!"

Here's a right royal event: Princess Michael of Kent, attending the reinterrment of the remains of famous French royal mistress Diane de Poitiers, who also happens to be one of Princess Michael's ancestors.  (Marie-Christine is also descended from Catherine de Medici, the wife of King Henri II -- the same king who kept Diane as a mistress!  What a royal tangle.) 

But her ancestry likely isn't the only reason Princess Michael is attending this reinterrment; she has also written a book, The Serpent and the Moon, about both Catherine and Diane.  Diane's remains were moved to a mass grave during the French Revolution, and this ceremony is marking their return to the chapel at Chateau d'Anet, Diane's former home.

Marie-Christine has chosen some rather dramatic headgear here: a string of pearls, draping like a headband across her forehead.  I suppose this is a nod to Diane, who wears pearls in several of her portraits.  It's also pretty costumey, but compared to the get-up sported by the current owner of Chateau d'Anet (he's on the right), it's pretty mild!

HM wore this little lavender number out to Eton today to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the school's Combined Cadet Force.  I knew we'd seen it before, but I really had to dig to track it down -- it's been more than a year since we saw it last!  (Shades of what's to come for Trooping the Colour, perhaps?  If it's not a new hat, maybe it will be one we haven't seen for ages.)

I liked this hat last time, and it's still okay in general, but in this photo at least, it seems like the feather and the swoopy embellishment are sort of fighting it out for dominance.  Without that extra purple piece, I think it would be sleeker and chic-er!

It's not just a Beatrix Cake Hat, ladies and gents: it's an iridescent Beatrix Cake Hat!  (And I don't know what's wrong with me, but I sort of like it!)

More importantly, though, this visit to mark the 75th anniversary of the Royal Dutch Guide Dogs Fund has proved one of my pet (ha!) theories: that dogs love royals as much as royals love dogs:

Awwwww!

Okay, it's official: I think Daisy has found her optimal hat shape.  Small enough that it's not overpowering, close-fitting enough so that she doesn't look completely bald, and so flattering to her face.  I love the cream/peach color pairing here, too!  Bravo!

It's time yet again for the state opening of Parliament, hatters!  David Cameron's in power, the new MPs are ready to get down to business, and everybody's getting their hats spiffed up nicely for the occasion!

Ready now, boys?  ... okay, great, let's get this show on the road!

Here's HM, looking especially like the HBIC she is, wearing the George IV State Diadem.  This sparkler was made in the 1820s by Rundell during the reign of -- you guessed it! -- King George IV.  It's probably one of the most-seen pieces of headgear that HM wears, too, because she's wearing it on British postage stamps!  Lil traditionally wears this crown on the way to the Houses of Parliament; she'll switch over to the other hat of the day before reading the Queen's Speech.  I love that something as blingy as this is just the opening act of the day!

Here are the big guns!  This crown just takes my breath away every time I see it.  It's the Imperial State Crown, one of the most valuable and insanely gem-laden pieces in the entire collection of the British crown jewels.  Some of the famous gems set in this crown include the Black Prince's Ruby, Edward the Confessor's Sapphire, the Stuart Sapphire, the Second Star of Africa Diamond, and pearls that supposedly once belonged to Elizabeth I.  Whew!  I'd sweat through my dress if I ever had to balance that many priceless gemstones on top of my head!

I know I post this on every state opening of Parliament day, but here's one of my favorite YouTube videos ever: HM herself giving a "tour" of the Imperial State Crown.  Enjoy!