bringing you the very best in ridiculous royal hats
This is a classic look, but something about the pastel pillbox matched with what appears to be a coordinating suit sends it a little too far into the "Jackie O costume" territory for me.
Also, Sil, darling, I hope CG has scheduled some nap time for you during the visit -- you look positively worn out!
PHOTO CREDITS: REUTERS/Wojciech Olkusnik/Agencja Gazeta
I was sort of hoping that Sof would go for a more substantial hat this time, but I'm not surprised she opted for her usual feathery fascinator for an event that requires hattery. It's just so frilly for a woman of her status and position.
It's a fairly standard Tiara Alert out of Spain from Queen Sofia -- but we get to see her so rarely on the blog that I don't even care that she's usually in the same tiara. This one's the Mellerio Floral Tiara ... would love to see her break out another Mellerio piece, the shell tiara, for next time! I think it's due for another airing.
PHOTO CREDITS: REUTERS/Arturo Rodriguez/Pool
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
Look past HM Cake in the foreground here, and let's focus on Queen Sofia, shall we? Sof's wearing a new tiara to the blog -- it's the Mellerio Shell Tiara, one of the most interesting pieces in the entire Spanish collection. The tiara was made, as you may have expected, by French jeweler Mellerio in the mid-19th century. It's a lovely tiara, with pear-shaped pearls, designed to look like a cresting wave. See it? It's actually pretty cool!
After going on display at the 1867 Paris Exhibition, the tiara was a wedding present from Queen Isabella II to her daughter, another Isabella, on her marriage. Somehow, the tiara made its way through the various branches of the Spanish royal family and was given to Sofia by her new father-in-law, the Count of Barcelona, on her wedding day in 1962. Not a bad welcome to the family!
Sofia came to this wedding solo -- Juan Carlos doesn't come to weddings as a general rule -- but she found plenty of suitable escorts among the company...
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!
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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! 
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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 The Crown Prince of Norway and Miss Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby
August 25, 2001
Welcome to the hattery coverage of our second crown princely wedding in preparation for Crown Princess Victoria's big day! Like Victoria's wedding will be, this wedding was a tiara affair, and the royal ladies of Europe brought out some of their blingiest bling for the occasion.
Haakon's choice of Mette-Marit was a controversial one. Not only was she a commoner, she also had a son, Marius, from a previous relationship and had been heavily involved in the drug-and-alcohol fueled party scene in Oslo. Many thought she was not suited to become the next queen of Norway, but Haakon stood firm. Mette-Marit publicly apologized for her wild past at a press conference before the wedding, and the two have been happily married now for nearly a decade. Along with Marius, the crown prince and princess have two children, Princess Ingrid Alexandra (who will one day be Norway's queen) and Prince Sverre Magnus.
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!
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