[Denmark] Royal Family hosts New Year's Banquet at Christian VII's Palace in Amalienborg

 

Check out what my favorite Royal Watchers have been talking about!

Take a look at what my favorite Royal Watchers have been talking about this week!

• Bahrain's King offers July Reform Talks (World of Royalty)
• Can we compare Princess Angela of Liechtenstein's media attention to the Duchess of Cambridge's? (Marilyn's Royal Blog)
• The Cartier Halo Tiara - The one Catherine used a month ago (TiaraPedia)
• Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark's visit to Mozambique (The Royal Correspondent)
• Crown Princess Mary of Denmark's Basic in Black (Royal Fashionistas)
• The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's Canada Tour dates and cities (Current Royal News)
• The Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Princess Alexandra of Luxembourg attend the 14th Small States of Europe Games aka LieGames (Lux-Arazzi)
• Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg's brother in a coma (The Royal Forums)
• How Prince Albert of Monaco and Charlene Wittstock's commemorative wedding coins are the best yet comparing to others (A Right Royal Blog)
• Know more about Charlotte of Belgium, the Empress of Mexico with a handkerchief in front of her face (Mad Monarchs)
• More details on THAT Reiss dress being reissued and more fashion finds (What Kate Wore)
• Prince Georg Friedrich of Prussia and Princess Sophie von Isenburg Wedding details (The Royal Correspondent)
• Princess Marie Gabriele and Princess Marie Charlotte of Bavaria celebrate the big 80! (Royal Musings)
• Princess Power: A RoyaltyNow! Production (The Royal Representative)
• Queen Paola of Belgium tells children to be cautious online (Royalty in the News)
• Queen Sonja and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa at arrival of state visit from Luxembourg to Norway (Mad Hattery)
• Spanish Royals attend "National Army Day" in Malaga (Royal Romania)
• The Very interesting story of Maria, the Queen of Naples's sister (Palace Princess)
• When the Obamas meet Royals from all over the world (Order of Splendor)
• Zara Phillips Olympic hopes alive in Dublin (Royal News Examiner)

Check out what my favorite Royal Watchers have been talking about!

Take a look at what my favorite Royal Watchers have been talking about this week

• Camilla, The Duchess of Cornwall's tiara at the State Banquet hosted by The Queen in honour of the Obamas (Mad Hattery)
• Can William and Catherine adopt a baby and make him/her their successor? (Royal Musings)
• Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden's style and fashion in Germany (Royal Fashionistas)
• Did you love Catherine, The Duchess of Cambridge's Reiss dress at the meeting with the Obamas? here is how to rent it or buy it online (WhatKateWore)
• Duke and Duchess of Apulia, Prince Aimone and Princess Olga of Savoy-Aosta, welcome a baby boy (Current Royal News)
• The Eagles to perform in Monaco the night before Royal Wedding (A Right Royal Blog)
• End of an era of ubiquitous royal tiaras in the United Kingdom? (Mandy's Royalty)
• Going once! Going twice! Sold! A bried story of royal auctions (Marilyn's Royal Blog)
• The Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume of Luxembourg's visit to Japan last week (Lux-Arazzi)
• Jordanian royals celebrate 65th Independence day (World of Royalty)
• Know more about the first and maddest Queen regent: Maria I of Portugal (Mad Monarchs)
• Little royal bridesmaids in white throughout the years and weddings (Order of Splendor)
• Most Swedes want King Carl XVI Gustaf to abdicate (Royalty in the News)
• Prince Ali of Jordan visits Palestine (The Royal Forums)
• Princess Beatrice joins family at Chelsea Flower Show (The Royal Examiner)
• Princess Maxima of the Netherlands to celebrate her birthday with a few of her closest Royal friends: check the guest list! (The Royal Correspondent)
• Rehearsal for Queen's birthday parade (Royal Insight)
• Royal Giveaway: win a Royal Wedding DVD! (Royalty with Ella Kay)
• We Three Queens: know more about Catherine of Aragon, Jane Seymour and Anne Boleyn (Princess Palace)

Queen Elizabeth in Ireland - Day Two (part five and last) - State dinner at Dublin Castle and Queen's speech

Thanks to twitter, I was able to follow many of these events today, live on RTE.ie. I seriously come to the conclusion I am building a crush on President Mary McAleese (friendly crush, worry not) and on Ireland. But I am sure that when I visit the Emerald Isle, the streets and sights will not be as morbidly empty as they have been these past days for security reasons.

McAleese seems to be a very warm lady - I saw it by the way she greeted every single attendant at Croke Park - and I think that her and the Queen hit it off - respectfully, of course. During the Queen's speech (see below), she said wow and applauded when the Queen said a few words in Gaelic and was very enthused to applaud again at the end.

The Duke of Edinburgh, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, President Mary McAleese and Martin McAleese on arrival at Dublin Castle

Irish rugby legend Brian O'Driscoll was one of a number of guests with the opportunity to meet Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

The hall standing on arrival of President McAleese and Queen Elizabeth II

The Queen was wearing her Girls of the Great Britain and Ireland Tiara.

President Mary McAleese applauding Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II after her speech

source of the photos

A Uachtaráin agus a chairde (President and friends). Prince Philip and I are delighted to be here, and to experience at first hand Ireland's world-famous hospitality.

Together we have much to celebrate: the ties between our people, the shared values, and the economic, business and cultural links that make us so much more than just neighbours, that make us firm friends and equal partners.

Madam President, speaking here in Dublin Castle it is impossible to ignore the weight of history, as it was yesterday when you and I laid wreaths at the Garden of Remembrance.

Indeed, so much of this visit reminds us of the complexity of our history, its many layers and traditions, but also the importance of forbearance and conciliation. Of being able to bow to the past, but not be bound by it.

Of course, the relationship has not always been straightforward; nor has the record over the centuries been entirely benign. It is a sad and regrettable reality that through history our islands have experienced more than their fair share of heartache, turbulence and loss.

These events have touched us all, many of us personally, and are a painful legacy. We can never forget those who have died or been injured, and their families. To all those who have suffered as a consequence of our troubled past I extend my sincere thoughts and deep sympathy.

With the benefit of historical hindsight we can all see things which we would wish had been done differently or not at all. But it is also true that no-one who looked to the future over the past centuries could have imagined the strength of the bonds that are now in place between the governments and the people of our two nations, the spirit of partnership that we now enjoy, and the lasting rapport between us. No-one here this evening could doubt that heartfelt desire of our two nations.

Madam President, you have done a great deal to promote this understanding and reconciliation.

You set out to build bridges. And I have seen at first hand your success in bringing together different communities and traditions on this island. You have also shed new light on the sacrifice of those who served in the First World War. Even as we jointly opened the Messines Peace Park in 1998, it was difficult to look ahead to the time when you and I would be standing together at Islandbridge as we were today.

That transformation is also evident in the establishment of a successful power-sharing Executive in Northern Ireland. A knot of history that was painstakingly loosened by the British and Irish Governments together with the strength, vision and determination of the political parties in Northern Ireland.

What were once only hopes for the future have now come to pass; it is almost exactly 13 years since the overwhelming majority of people in Ireland and Northern Ireland voted in favour of the agreement signed on Good Friday 1998, paving the way for Northern Ireland to become the exciting and inspirational place that it is today.

I applaud the work of all those involved in the peace process, and of all those who support and nurture peace, including members of the police, the Gardaí, and the other emergency services, and those who work in the communities, the churches and charitable bodies like Co-operation Ireland. Taken together, their work not only serves as a basis for reconciliation between our people and communities, but it gives hope to other peacemakers across the world that through sustained effort, peace can and will prevail.

For the world moves on quickly. The challenges of the past have been replaced by new economic challenges which will demand the same imagination and courage. The lessons from the peace process are clear; whatever life throws at us, our individual responses will be all the stronger for working together and sharing the load.

There are other stories written daily across these islands which do not find their voice in solemn pages of history books, or newspaper headlines, but which are at the heart of our shared narrative.

Many British families have members who live in this country, as many Irish families have close relatives in the United Kingdom.

These families share the two islands; they have visited each other and have come home to each other over the years.

They are the ordinary people who yearned for the peace and understanding we now have between our two nations and between the communities within those two nations; a living testament to how much in common we have.

These ties of family, friendship and affection are our most precious resource. They are the lifeblood of the partnership across these islands, a golden thread that runs through all our joint successes so far, and all we will go on to achieve.

They are a reminder that we have much to do together to build a future for all our grandchildren: the kind of future our grandparents could only dream of.

So we celebrate together the widespread spirit of goodwill and deep mutual understanding that has served to make the relationship more harmonious, close as good neighbours should always be.

source of the speech

First post-engagement interview for Prince William and Kate Middleton

A little taste of Sweden as Victoria and Daniel visit the south of Paris

The couple visited la Grange at Savigny-le-Temple, south of Paris, where Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte used to live

There they were greeted by locals in period costume

Children in Sceaux, in the suburbs of Paris made the visitors feel at home by waving Swedish flags

A chocolatier shows off some specially commissioned Swedish flag treats

There was a chance to get a good look at Victoria's wedding ring

from hellomagazine.com

Wallis Simpson's jewellery for sale: the highlights of a sale of jewellery belonging to the late Duchess of Windsor

The sale will take place 23 years after the same items featured in a record-breaking auction of the Duchess's possessions in Geneva.

Twenty pieces of jewellery and ephemera will be sold at Sotheby's London auction house on November 30, and they went on display there yesterday. The collection tells the story of one of the 20th century's most sensational love affairs.

King Edward VIII’s affair with Wallis Simpson, a twice-married socialite from Pennsylvania, shook the British monarchy to the core. Precluded by constitution from marrying a divorcee who was not yet widowed, Edward surrendered the throne in 1936.

They married in 1937 as the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. Throughout their relationship, from courtship to the end of therir married life, the couple commisioned exquisite jewels from Cartier.

They include the vibrant flamingo brooch from 1940 encrusted with diamonds, rubies, emeralds, citrines and - the Duchess's particular penchant - sapphires.

It is expected to fetch in the region of £1 million, as is a highly articulated diamond, onyx and platinum bracelet fashioned in the form of a preying panther. That was inspired by Jeanne Toussaint, director of Cartier from 1933, who bore the sobriquet ‘the panther’ because of her fascination with big cats.

Also up for sale is a Cartier diamond bracelet that the Duchess wore for her wedding to the Duke. It bears nine charms, each a bejewelled cross inscribed with a momentous event from their lives. The bracelet is expected to fetch £350,000-£450,000.

There is also a gold cigarette case, which the Duchess gave to her husband as a wedding present. It bears a map marked with routes that the couple travelled.

Marking a shift from the delicate fashions of the preceding generations, the Duchess’s jewels are bold and representative of the ”new emergent woman of the time”, according to Alex Rhodes, senior jewellery specialist at Sotheby's.

The November sale is expected to fetch more than £3 million in total. All 20 pieces are being auctioned on behalf of a single anonymous collector, who purchased the jewels during the much larger Sotheby’s auction of 1987, held over the course of two days in Geneva.

The Geneva auction took place shortly after the Duchess died in Paris in 1986. Estimated to make £5 million, it shattered all predictions by fetching £31million at a star-studded event.

Mohamed Al Fayed was among the successful bidders, while Elizabeth Taylor paid more than £400,000 for the late Duchess’s plume design diamond brooch.

The latest auction of the Duchess’s jewels is likely to attract widespread interest.

Madonna, who is currently making a film about the Duchess, is said to have been among those to preview the jewels. They will be displayed in Hong Kong, Moscow, New York and Geneva before returning to London for the sale.

David Bennett, chairman of Sotheby's Jewellery in Europe and the Middle East, said: "It is an extraordinary honour to bring once again to sale these jewels worn by a woman who was a leader of fashion and the epitome of elegance and sophistication for her generation and beyond.

"The offering comprises not only beautifully preserved, incomparable examples of the genius of Cartier in collaboration with the Windsors, but also pieces whose inscriptions tell the story of perhaps the greatest love story of the 20th century."

from Telegraph.co.uk

Engagement ring for future princess Charlene

The ring is called Téthys and is from the brand Repossi. This is the one chosen by Prince Albert for his future bride, Charlene Wittstock.

Enamoured Charlotte Casiraghi is belle of the Love Ball

It's not easy to hold your own with the likes of Elizabeth Hurley and Kate Moss. But beautiful Monegasque royal Charlotte Casiraghi more than rose to the challenge when she attended a charity dinner in London this week.

The elegant 23-year-old was accompanied by her boyfriend of two years, Alex Dellal, to the Love Ball, held to raise funds for the Naked Heart Foundation.

Charlotte – pretty in a layered pink gown - wasn't the only A-lister making an impression at the event.

Former model and mum-of-one Elizabeth, who was attending with husband Arun Nayar, turned heads in a striking blue sari, finishing the look with dramatic eye makeup.

And on hosting duty was the woman behind the charity, model Natalia Vodianova, who looked gorgeous in a ruffled scarlet gown.

The night was a resounding success, raising £12 million which will go towards building children's play parks in deprived areas of Russia.

Others in attendance included Peaches Geldof, Leona Lewis – showing off a new tattoo – and Tracey Emin, who auctioned some of her work for the cause.

The centrepiece of the auction was a pink and white diamond necklace, designed by Natalia and made by diamond experts De Beers. It sold for £180,000 to PR boss Matthew Freud.

Diamond girl Princess Letizia sparkles in favourite tiara

Every woman has one – that special accessory which makes you feel a million dollars when you wear it.

Princess Letizia of Spain is no different in that respect, though her favourite piece of jewellery might be a little different from what most of us have in our collection.

The elegant wife of Crown Prince Felipe can boast a platinum and diamond tiara – loaned to her by her mother-in-law Queen Sofia - as her secret style weapon.

Teamed with a sweeping scarlet gown it perfected her look this week for a state dinner honouring Lebanon's President Michel Suleiman at Madrid's Royal Palace.

Royal fans might remember seeing the tiara earlier this year, when Letizia and her husband hosted a white tie dinner for Carla Bruni Sarkozy and the French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

And of course it was the main adornment of her wedding outfit, when she tied the knot with her prince in June 2004.

from Hellomagazine.com

Fabulous jewels of the last Italian queen to be auctioned

Auction bidders will have a chance to take home a piece of royal history next week when personal belongings of Italy's last queen go under the hammer in London. Items, which include jewellery, paintings and furniture once owned by the late Queen Marie Jose, are being sold by her daughter Princess Maria Gabriella of Savoy. The princess will use the profits from the sale to pay a tax bill and maintain the family home in Geneva.Top lot in the auction is a diamond tiara made by Faberge in 1895, which is valued at between £390,000 and £600,000, but is expected to fetch up to three times that amount. It contains rare tear-drop diamonds given by Tsar Alexander to the Empress Josephine. Belgian-born Queen Marie's wedding gift from her parents - a matching diamond-and-turquoise bracelet, earrings and brooch set - is also among the 41 pieces on offer at Christie's on June 13. Sixty-seven-year-old Princess Maria Gabriella inherited the jewels - and other items, including bed linen and musical instruments - from her mother, who reigned for only 35 days in 1946 prior to the abolishion of the monarchy. The princess said in an interview this week that in accepting the precious collection – something which her three siblings had declined to do – she also became liable for a bill of over a million euros in inheritance tax. "I decided to shoulder the honours and the burden," said Princess Maria, who plans to keep only a few things from the collection, including books from the library of the Royal Palace of Racconigi, and a desk that belonged to her mother.

Source

Celebrity Jewellery

IN ADDITION to creating jewellery for celebrity clients and fulfilling custom orders of the British royal family, Asprey’s artisan craftsmen have, over the years, fashioned unusual items to pander to their sophisticated clients’ fancies.

Among them are:

1925 – A necklace of five graduated rows of natural pearls mounted in a platinum clasp was commissioned by Queen Mary for her granddaughter Princess Margaret, on the occasion of her 18th birthday.
1930 – Huge teak travelling trunks for each of the Maharajah of Patiala’s five wives. Each blue velvet-lined trunk was filled with solid silver items for bathing and grooming, with the bottles for pouring hot water bearing spouts with tigers’ heads.
1973 – A bespoke chess set was commissioned for Beatles’ drummer Ringo Starr’s birthday. Each piece was modelled upon Ringo’s own beringed hands and differentiated by gesture: the bishop’s hand blesses while the rook is a closed fist. Half the set was cast in sterling silver and the rest was gold-plated.
1990 – The ultimate picnic accessory: a trailer in the form of a picnic basket was created for an American client. It contained not only the crockery, cutlery, silverware and glassware but also mahogany furniture for 16 people and a barbecue set.
1997 – The enormous necklace at the core of the plot of the blockbuster film Titanic. The “Coeur de la Mer” necklace commissioned for the film was made of blue quartz. However, for Oscar night, another was made with a 170-carat sapphire and 65 diamonds, and was auctioned off for US$2.2mil (RM6.87mil) at a charity ball.