Yeah, Paola, I’m confused, too.  You’re wearing — a lopsided, lacy ring of Saturn?

Yep, definitely a lacy ring of Saturn made of plastic that she left in the car on the hottest day of the year and melted.  (Wow.  Is that the weirdest hattery description I’ve ever done or what?)

Photo Credits: 7s7 Belgique

HRH The Crown Princess of Sweden and Mr. Daniel Westling
June 19, 2010

Well, kids, yesterday we partied hardy in the wedding live posts, and today we get to have a tiara fiesta!  I’ve compiled all of the tiara entries for the royal guests at Crown Princess Victoria’s wedding to Daniel Westling (now Prince Daniel) in this entry.

The wedding, of course, took place in Stockholm yesterday.  The couple has been together since 2002, when Daniel became Victoria’s personal trainer.  Love blossomed, and on their wedding day, Daniel became royal.  During their balcony appearance, Victoria thanked the people of Sweden for giving her a prince.

And now, we’ll all just have to wait to see how long it takes before the pitter-patter of little royal feet are heard in Haga Palace!

Wedding Hatters

Paola wore one of her go-to tiaras for the wedding; this is Queen Elisabeth’s Diamond Bandeau Tiara, which was also worn by Princess Mathilde at her wedding to Paola’s son, Prince Philippe.  I like the tiara, but something about Queen P’s overall look is a little almost casual to me.  Maybe it’s the hair?  Or the head-to-toe beige?  See more below…

Read the rest of this entry »

HRH The Prince of Asturias and Miss Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano
May 22, 2004

Only a week after Crown Prince Frederik married Mary Donaldson in Denmark, Prince Felipe of Spain tied the knot with journalist Letizia Ortiz in Madrid.  Theirs was the first wedding of a member of the Spanish royal family to take place in Madrid since the wedding of King Alfonso XIII and Princess Ena of Battenberg in 1906.  That wedding was marred by an assassination attempt on the royal couple and the tragic deaths of several bystanders — this one, thankfully, went more smoothly, although it was a cloudy, rainy day in the Spanish capital.

There were a few controversies, however, about Felipe’s choice of bride.  Letizia, a journalist who covered the September 11th attacks in New York and the Iraq War, will be the first commoner to be queen of Spain.  She also had previously been briefly married and divorced.  However, because her first wedding was a civil rather than religious one, the Catholic Church did not recognize it, and she was free to marry Felipe.

Felipe and Letizia have become quite a working team since their wedding, frequently appearing together on royal engagements.  They have also had two daughters, Infanta Leonor (born in 2005) and Infanta Sofia (born in 2007).  Leonor is expected to become queen of Spain in her own right one day — that is, if her parents don’t provide her with a baby brother!

Wedding Hatters

HRH The Crown Prince of Denmark and Miss Mary Donaldson
May 14, 2004

Our last major tiara wedding before Crown Princess Vic’s big day was the wedding of Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark and Tasmanian-born Mary Elizabeth Donaldson.  The two met during the Sydney Olympics in 2000, fell in love, and got hitched four years later.

Frederik and his Aussie bride have two children: Prince Christian (who will one day be king) and Princess Isabella, the first Danish princess born in a generation.  Mary has transformed from an everyday girl to a glamorous crown princess, and this wedding was definitely high on the glamour factor as well: we’ve got more than thirty tiaras on parade here, many of which are brand-new to the blog.  A good trial run for Victoria’s wedding, no doubt!  Enjoy!

Wedding Hatters

HRH The Prince of Orange and Miss Máxima Zorreguieta Cerruti
February 2, 2002

Here’s our third crown princely wedding in the run up to Crown Princess Victoria’s June nuptials — less than a month now!  The crown prince of The Netherlands, Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange, wed Argentine investment banker Máxima Zorreguieta Cerruti in 2002. 

The wedding was not without controversy; Máxima’s father, Jorge Zorreguieta Stefanini, was a minister in the administration of Argentine dictator Jorge Videla.  Videla’s government carried out what was called a “Dirty War,” killing tens of thousands of Argentine citizens, and Zorreguieta’s involvement was suspect.  However, the Dutch States-General granted permission for the couple to marry — but neither of Máxima’s parents attended the wedding.

Since their marriage, Máxima’s relaxed and friendly personality has become quite popular with the Dutch people.  She and Willem-Alexander have three daughters: Catharina-Amalia, Hereditary Princess of Orange (who will likely one day be queen), Princess Alexia, and Princess Ariane.

Wedding Hatters

HRH Prince Philippe, Duke of Brabant and Countess Mathilde d’Udekem d’Acoz
December 4, 1999

Of the six crown princely weddings we’ll be hatting about with in preparation for Crown Princess Victoria’s June nuptials, Prince Philippe of Belgium’s wedding is the first.  Married to Belgian aristocrat Mathilde d’Udekem d’Acoz in 1999, Philippe is currently their heir to the Belgian throne, now occupied by his father, King Albert II.

Since their marriage, Mathilde and Philippe have lived an active but fairly low-key royal life.  In between major royal events and charity work, they have found time to have four children: Princess Elisabeth (future Queen of the Belgians), Prince Gabriel, Prince Emmanuel, and Princess Eléanore.  But let’s do a little time-traveling jaunt back eleven years, and — dare I say it — party like it’s 1999!

Wedding Hatters

The Belgian royal family was out in force today in Laeken to attend a memorial service for former members of the royal family, including the king’s half-brother, Prince Alexandre, who died in December.  Here’s Queen Paola, who did something I particularly like to see — wearing dark neutrals other than black for mourning wear.

I think this chocolate brown color is really flattering on Paola, but I’m not totally sure about the hat itself.  I like the idea of this unusual shape, but there’s something about the way that the front of this is molded that I’m not really crazy about.  What do the rest of you think?

Veils look so regal and classic, don’t they?  I think Queen Paola’s veil is a lovely and respectful choice for her brother-in-law’s funeral.  Very nice.

So, you ask, why in the world is Queen Paola of Belgium dressed up like a bride to meet with Pope Benedict XVI in his private library at the Vatican?

Usually, women wear black (including black veils or headpieces) when meeting the pope, but there is a select group of royal women who can wear white instead.  This is called the privilège du blanc, and it’s afforded to reigning Catholic queens or the wives of Catholic monarchs.

In the world today, there are four women who can exercise the privilège du blanc: Queen Paola, Queen Sofia of Spain, Queen Fabiola of Belgium (the wife of the late King Baudouin), and Grand Duchess Maria Theresa of Luxembourg.  This is because only the Kings of Belgium and Spain and the Grand Duke of Luxembourg hold the title of “Catholic Monarch.”