Wow, that was fast!  Only two days after wearing her first-ever actual hat on the blog, Letizia's out in headwear again -- this time, in a beautiful black lace veil at the ceremony marking the beatification of the late Pope John Paul II.

Letizia's wearing a black veil because she's a Spanish princess, not the queen -- only the queen is allowed the privilège du blanc in the presence of the Pope.  One day, when Felipe is king, Letizia will wear white to the Vatican instead of black.  (Here's a little more on the privilège du blanc.)

But the woman behind her is one of the lucky few allowed to wear white...

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It's a first, everyone -- Letizia in a proper hat, not just a mantilla or a tiara! (As if a tiara could ever be just a tiara, but anyway, I digress.)

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Okay, I'll be the first to admit that I usually get really disappointed when I see Letizia out and about in the same old tiara yet again -- if you can call the Prussian Diamond Tiara "same old," that is -- but wowza, does she look great at this gala dinner, or what?!?

Now this is how you do tiara hair!  How amazing is this?  Way to go, Leti!  (But be on notice -- I've already had followers over at my Twitter account bemoaning your use of the fancy safety pin yet again.  Maybe Felipe could spring for a new brooch for this year's anniversary present?)

Also -- for all you tiara lovers -- take a gander over at the Mad Hattery Shop for new tiara-themed merchandise!  Just in time for the royal wedding, I've had some original hattery-inspired art commissioned specially for the blog shop, and the first piece, based on "Granny's Tiara," is up now!  Enjoy -- I'd love to hear what you think!

PHOTO CREDITS: Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images

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

What's good here: the Mellerio Floral Tiara, and the choice of escort (hey, Felipe!).

What's not so good here: the tiara-hair braid across the forehead (what the heck? It's not 1997) and the bony cleavage.  I'm not going to get into any of the eating disorder talk that people bring up so much, but seriously, Leti, have a sandwich!  (Or some tapas, or whatever works for you.)

Want to see the rest of Letizia's look?  Click below...

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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

Princess Letizia and her husband, Prince Felipe, are on an official visit to Abu Dhabi this weekend, and as a part of their itinerary, they made a visit today to the Grand Mosque.  Letizia's head covering here is for utility and respect rather than decoration -- women are required to cover their hair when they enter the religious building.  I like the white-on-white color scheme she's chosen ... it's very classic Letizia.

A little fun trivia about the beautiful Grand Mosque: it is one of the largest in the world, and it contains both the world's largest carpet and the world's largest chandelier -- which is absolutely gorgeous.  I've been staring at pictures of it all morning.  I wonder if I could get a reproduction for my house?

Another Tiara Alert from the Vietnamese state visit to Spain: here's Princess Letizia, wearing the Prussian Diamond Tiara, another repeat.  She wore the same sparkler during the state visit from Lebanon back in October.

I still wish she'd rethink her tiara hair with this one.  I think it would look infinitely better with an updo, or at least without this very severe middle part and her hair in her face.

It's a big day, hatters -- we've got a brand new set of royal ladies for the blog!

(And: Tiara Alert!)

Welcome to the blog, royal ladies of Spain!  This is Letizia, Princess of Asturias, the wife of Prince Felipe and the future queen of Spain.  She was a television journalist before marrying Felipe, but she's since worked as a full-time royal, supporting her husband and the King and Queen.

Here she's wearing the Prussian Diamond Tiara, which is nearly 100 years old and has a rich history with European royalty.  Here's a breakdown of the legacy: it was originally given in 1913 to Princess Viktoria Luise of Prussia by her father, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, on her wedding day to Prince Ernst August of Hanover.  Viktoria later gave it to her only daughter, Princess Frederike of Hanover, who married King Paul I of Greece in 1938.  Frederike then gave it to her daughter, Princess Sophia of Greece, on her wedding day to Prince Juan Carlos of Spain in 1962.  And then, in 2004, Sophia (by then, Queen Sofia of Spain) lent the tiara to her daughter-in-law, Letizia, to wear on her wedding day.  Letizia has frequently worn the tiara to major events since then.

Whew!  How's that for a royal hand-me-down?

I must admit that I'm not a big fan of this Grecian style of tiara, and especially not with hair severely parted down the middle.  But it certainly does have quite the pedigree!

Ah, the lovely Letizia in her first tiara -- the Prussian Diamond Tiara that she has worn multiple times since her wedding day.

I like the tiara, and I love the veil, but I feel like what should have looked delicate and elegant on Letizia was ruined by the high collar of her Manuel Pertegaz wedding gown.  Leti is a little lady, and this just dwarfed her.  I'm imagining it with a dress more like Princess Claire of Belgium's:

Wouldn't that have been just lovely?  Ah, well.  C'est la vie!