Category Archives: Liechtenstein

Luxembourg-Liechtenstein Wedding 40 Years On

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Princess Margaretha of Luxembourg and Prince Nikolaus of Liechtenstein were married 40 years ago on March 20, 1982 at Notre Dame Cathedral in Luxembourg City. Like her sister a month earlier, Princess Margaretha chose the Congo Diamond Necklace Tiara for her wedding headpiece. A convertible necklace made by Van Cleef and Arpels, the piece had been a wedding gift for to her mother, Princess Josephine of Belgium, in 1953 by the Belgian colony of Congo (read about its fascinating history over at The Court Jeweller). The streamlined tiara was a striking contrast to the ruffled dresses fashionable in the early 1980s- notice the triple tiered ruffles on those sleeves!

Images from Getty as indicated

Imperial Royal Wedding: Guests

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Guests at today’s wedding of Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia and Rebecca Bettarini included several from royal houses, beginning with the groom’s immediate family.

George’s mother, Grand Duchess Mariya Vladimirovna Romanova, wore a pleated blue silk Kokoshnik headpiece with brown sable trim. The headpiece has layered blue silk bows around the back.

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The Grand Duchess’ sister, Helene Kirby, Countess Dvinskaya, wore a hat in the same orange boucle as her suit with a wide brown fur bumper brim.

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The bride’s mother, Carla Virginia Cacciatore, topped her blue and green ruffle collared suit with in a brown hat. The hat features freeform sinamay ruffles atop a shallow pillbox base.

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Crown Princess Elia of Albania wore the loveliest pale gray-green beret percher trimmed with green silk flowers, leaves and a net veil.

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Princess Isabelle of Liechtenstein wore a black velvet pyramid hat with wide faux fur cuffed brim.

Princess Lea of Belgium wore a brown fur Cossack style hat.
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The Duchess of Braganza wore a deep eggplant veiled pillbox placed on the back of her head.

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Princess Marie-Marguerite, Duchess of Anjou, wore a statement oversize saucer in peachy-tan sinamay with steep sidesweep. The hat is trimmed with feathers studded in raw-edge crin and sinamay ruffles en masse beneath the brim on its raised side.

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What do you think of the hats that stepped out today in St. Petersburg for this event?

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Images from Getty and social media as indicated  

Wedding Trio

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We kick off this new week with a look at the three weddings which took place over the weekend. On Friday, the civil marriage of Grand Duke George of Russia and Rebecca Bettarini took place in Moscow.

 

Prince Jaime de Bourbon-Siciles, Duke of Noto, was married to Lady Charlotte Lindesay-Bethune on Saturday at Monreale Cathedral in Sicily.  The bride’s father, the 16th Earl of Lindsay, is a prominent Scottish businessman and politician and presumably, her delicate diamond tiara is a family piece. The groom’s mother, Sofía Landaluce y Melgarejo, Duchess of Calabria, wore a black lace mantilla with high peineta comb. See a gallery of the event here.

 

On Saturday, Princess Marie-Astrid of Liechtenstein married Ralph Worthington at the Orbetello Cathedral in Capalbio, Italy. The bride wore the diamond Kinsky Honeysuckle Tiara from the Liechtenstein royal family’s collection. The time and subsequent dress code for these nuptials did not, unfortunately, include hats. See a gallery of the event here.

Lovely royal bridal looks all around, don’t you agree?!

Images from Getty as indicated  

Liechtenstein Royal Wedding

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Princess Maria Anunciata of Liechtenstein (daughter of Princess Margaretha of Luxembourg and Prince Nikolaus of Liechtenstein) was married to Emanuele Musini on Saturday. The ceremony was held The wedding was held at  the Schottenkirche, a baroque 12th century parish church in Vienna (an intimate civil ceremony took place in June at the Villa della Tenuta di Fassia in Italy).

The bride wore a Valentino gown made of satin with a curved neckline and fitted bodice that extended to a full skirt. A balloon hem on the skirt and train linked with the gown’s statement balloon sleeves.

An exquisite elbow length lace veil with detailed border toped the gown, anchored by the Habsburg Fringe tiara, a diadem from the bride’s paternal royal family collection. The spiky tiara contrasted beautifully with the romantic floral veil and blossoms studded through Maria Anunciata’s hair.

 

Five wee bridesmaids in silk frocks with botanical green sashes and white floral headdresses attended the bride, carefully maneuvering her exquisite veil.

For the evening reception held at the magnificent 16th century Liechtenstein Garden Palace, Maria Anunciata wore a silk chiffon gown with deep V neckline, horizontally drapedn beaded torso and flowing skirt. In a lovely nod to her mother’s family, she wore the Luxembourg Vine Leaves tiara, beautifully placed as a bandeau over the crown of her head.

We adore a daytime royal wedding ceremony because it means there will be hats!! Mother of the bride Princess Margaretha topped a pink bouclé Chanel dress with a horizontally pleated pink pillbox. Her younger daughter, Princess Marie-Astrid, wore a halo bandeau covered in a vibrant floral print.

 

Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie topped a vibrant floral dress with a wheat coloured sinamay hat with gently raised brim on one side. The hat is simply trimmed with a wide hatband that loops into an interesting large abstract bow.

Princess Claire of Luxembourg wore a bright fuchsia pink bandeau encased in crin that tied in a large bow at the nape of her neck. It  is the “Hotel Party” design by Mimoki.

Princess Alexandra of Luxembourg tucked a fresh floral spray into her chignon. Her aunt, Archduchess Marie-Astrid, wore an navy rolled sinamay leaf fascinator with dotted veil while Countess Marie-Christine de Limburg-Stirum wore a sculpted dusky pink headpiece.

Archduchess Gabriella wore a bandeau headpiece that appears to be trimmed in salmon pink striped feathers.

Princess Sibilla repeated a lime sinamay hat with curving brim trimmed with silk flowers on one side. Countess Diane de Nassau topped her floral Zimmerman dress with a pink sinamay picture hat with rolled sinamay leaves, roses and feathers around the base of the crown in place of a hatband.

Princess Isabelle of Liechtenstein, pictured at the far right of the group photo below, wore a wide-brimmed, lemon yellow sinamay hat with upswept brim and large bow on the side

Princess Laetitia of Belgium wore a bandeau headpiece of overlapping green feathers.

Hereditary Princess Cleopatra of Oettingen-Spielberg wore a black knotted halo bandeau headpiece wrapped in a black dotted veil. While members of the Hanover and Casiraghi families were in attendance, they did not wear hats.

As more photos of guests become available, I will update this post. In the meantime- which hats at this wedding stand out most to you?

Images from social media as indicated  

Monaco Royal Wedding: Guests from Belgium, Luxembourg and Liechtenstein

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We continue our look back at the July 2, 2011 religious wedding of Prince Albert and Princess Charlene with hats worn by guests from the royal houses of Belgium, Luxembourg and Liechtenstein.

Queen Paola topped a sparkly grey ensemble with a matching picture hat trimmed with pleated silk abaca draped over the crown and fanned out around the brim. I’m all for creative trims on hats and while I like the texture this silk abaca lends to the look, it’s not entirely harmonious with the hat (was it plonked on top because the hat needed ‘something’?) or with the overall ensemble.

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Designer: Fabienne Delvigne

Princess Mathilde topped her streamlined purple cape collar dress with an equally sleek charcoal straw percher hat with flying bow. It was such a sophisticated look for Mathilde, the grey accessories beautifully contrasting with the purple frock, her fantastic hairstyle perfectly showing off the hat, and the silver sparkle of the hat’s straw metallic weave linking wonderfully with her waterfall diamond brooch. Très chic.

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Designer: Philip Treacy. Dress by Armani

Princess Astrid made a strong millinery statement in an oversize cloche hat in natural straw with tall, rounded crown and extended, mushroom shaped brim edged in fringe.  The exaggerated shape was a little awkward, but I think it was the hat’s fringe, which matched her pale green Chanel bouclé suit, that took it over the top. It was a haute couture look for certain but was it attractive? I’m not sure.

Designer: likely Maison Michel

Princess Claire also wore a hat with exaggerated natural straw brim, but to greater success. Along with the wide cartwheel brim, her romantic picture hat featured a pillbox-shaped crown with flat top and sides covered in pink silk and a playful pink silk sash sewn free-form on one side. The sash is one of the unexpected but prettiest trims I’ve seen on a picture hat and the hat, along with Claire’s retro-styled jacket and full-skirted frock was another one of my favourite ensembles at this event. It was just so, so lovely.


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Designer: Fabienne Delvigne

Grand Duchess Maria Teresa sparkled in a headpiece of spiky silver metallic dahlia flowers with silver pearl centers and cut grey feathers. It was a sassy design that suited Maria Teresa really well but that may have been better matched with a different outfit. Maybe a more vibrant dress? Maybe with less competing sparkle? I think disco ball jackets might be best reserved for after dark.

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Designer: unknown. Dress and jacket by Elie Saab. 

Princess Sophie of Liechtenstein paired her blue silk dress and coat with a wide brimmed straw saucer. These extended saucers continue to be an interesting, smoothly curvy take on a picture hat (thanks Philip Treacy!) and the a wider transparent brim on this design brought lovely lightness around Sophie’s face. Like the Grand Duchess, I think some colour variation would bring some welcome contrast here- the little bit of cream from the scarf at her shoulder and belt aren’t enough to save the ensemble from being too blue. Change out the hat for ecru straw instead of blue and I think we’d have had a winner here.

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Designer: Philip Treacy

How do you think these looks, and in particular, these hats, fare nine years on?

Jump to this post for an index of other royal hats that appeared at this wedding. 

Photos from Getty as indicated; Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images; Bauer Griffin; SIPA