Tag Archives: Princess Désirée

Christening of Princess Estelle, Nine Years On: Royal Guests & Extended Family

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t’s no surprise that Princess Estelle’s christening on May 22, 2012 was also attended by numerous royal guests and extended members of the Swedish royal family.

Queen Margrethe wore a navy straw wide-brimmed picture hat. Navy dotted white tulle overlaid the open-weave straw brim and a large flower of white feathers adored the piece on the side. The scale of the piece is such a contrast from the brimless and short-brimmed hats we’re used to seeing on the Danish queen today and while the tulle looks overly fussy to me now, it links the hat well to Margrethe’s dotted ensemble.

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Queen Mathilde (was was Crown Princess at the time, wore a layered calot hat in the same taupe silk chiffon as her skirt. It’s not an terribly exciting hat but anything with more presence likely would have competed with her elaborate beaded jacket and the overall look is certainly festive, however subdued.

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Princess Máxima, who would become queen a year later, stood out in a red suit and Fabienne Delvigne ruched turban. The turban is beautifully draped and pairs well with the modern-vintage vibe of the suit, the vibrant colour giving some much needed pep at an event that, as we’ve seen, saw so many pale and neutral ensembles. Trust Máxima to liven things up.

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Princess Märtha Louise wore a pale straw pink hat with layered raw-edge brim. The jaunty angle provided by the brim’s sidesweeping shape gave it lovely lift and that unfinished edge, echoed on the hat’s wide hatband, contrasted well with the smooth silk of Märtha’s jacket. With diamond chandelier earrings and an ecru and blush striped dress, it was a great look for her.

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As this was Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy’s first major royal event (she and Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume would marry five months later), it wasn’t a surprise that she dipped into her future mother-in-law’s closet for a hat. This grey pleated silk abaca headpiece by Fabienne Delvigne requires some millinery courage to pull off and while I wasn’t thrilled about its pairing with this grey bouclé jacket, Stéphanie still wore it well.

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The King’s sisters were all in attendance, Princess Margaretha in a grey pillbox with side bow, Princess Birgitta in a white rose fascinator and Princess Désirée in a red Garbo hat with relaxed brim. Princess Christina wore a disc headpiece in navy straw painted with white Swiss dots, edged in white binding and trimmed with navy and white feathers (see a better view of it at Crown Princess Victoria’s 40th birthday celebration here).

Princess Christina’s daughter-in-laws, Emma Magnussen, Vicky Andren and Frida Bergström were all in attendance. Emma’s navy crin headpiece featured a birdcage-style transparent brim and was studded in slim feathers. Vicky’s taupe straw hat was trimmed in a triple stacked hatband with straw flower and goose feathers on the side.

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Frida Bergström (4th row, far left) wore a loden green pillbox hat swathed in a gold dotted net veil. Also seen in the photo above are Countess Marianne Bernadott (3rd row, far left in front of Frida) in a mint green brimmed hat (see a better view at a later wearing here) and Dagmar von Arbin (4th row, 4th from left) in a purple straw pillbox studded with silk flowers (see a better view at Prince Oscar’s christening here). After the palate of very pale neutrals we saw in the first post, the brighter spring hues seen in the photo above give some welcome vibrancy to this event!

Nearly a decade on, which hats stand out most to you from this event?  To see hats worn by Princess Estelle’s family members and godparents, jump over to this post. 

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Photos from Getty as indicated; SVT and the Swedish Monarchy

Crown Princess Victoria Turns 40

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Members of the Swedish Royal Family gathered today at the chapel in the Royal Palace in Stockholm for a Te Deum service of thanksgiving in honour of Crown Princess Victoria’s 40th birthday.

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Crown Princess Victoria wore a small headpiece above her chignon in white silk, covered with the same pink lace appliqué butterflies that embellished her dress. The dress is definitely the star here and I understand why a non-competing headpiece was chosen, but I think her white ringed headpiece with roses would have given this ensemble a better sense of occasion that this headpiece- essentially, a decorated barrette.




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Designer: Victoria’s dress is by Pär Engsheden and I suspect the headpiece is as well. 
Previously Worn: this headpiece is new

Princess Estelle’s braided hairstyle was embellished with some of the same pink lace butterflies from her mum’s dress and headpiece. This use of the butterflies, I heartily applaud! Such a sweet touch.

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Queen Silvia repeated her turquoise straw calot hat with silk flower trim. The first time she wore this piece, it was placed over the crown of her head as calots are usually worn but today, she moved the hat forward on the right side of her face, almost as a cocktail hat. Today’s placement allows the swirling cuff of the piece to be visible and this sense of movement lightens the look of the hat- a brilliant move for a summer event such as this.

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Designer: unknown. My guess is Kerstin Carlefalk
Previously Worn: June 1, 2015

Princess Madeleine topped her pale slate blue floral dress with a matching vertical straw saucer hat trimmed with silk roses and straw twists. Madeleine has embraced these vertical sauces in recent years and wears them very well. The scale and colour are particularly lovely on her.

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Designer: Philip Treacy. It looks like a bespoke version of OC 292 from SS 2017.  Dress by Erdem
Previously Worn: this hat is new

Princess Leonore’s hair was clipped back, off her face, with a sweet pair of barrettes trimmed in white silk blossoms.


The biggest millinery surprise of the day appeared with Princess Sophia, who wore the largest hat we’ve seen her wear to date. In black straw, the design features a wide brim and large bow, both edged in pale pink straw. The brim is split on the left side of the piece with one side of the split tucked in behind the bow, giving the piece the most wonderful sense of movement around the back and side. The graphic contrast of the hat works so well with Sophia’s floral dress and while the hat packs a lot of visual punch, Sofia carries it, beautifully.

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Designer: Whiteley 
Previously Worn: This hat is new
Three of King Carl Gustaf’s sisters were also in attendance today, along with Countess Marianne Bernadotte. Princess Christina topped her black floral dress with a white dotted disc hat embellished in black and white feathers. Princess Birgitta wore a small white feathered headpiece while Princess Désirée wore an elegant, Chanel inspired wide brimmed black straw hat with silk hatband and pale pink silk camellia on the side. Countess Marianne repeated a headpiece of cream silk flowers and gold, arrow trimmed feathers.

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Update: Princess Christina’s daughter-in-law, Vicky Andren, shared this photo from the event. She wore a white disc headpiece edged in black, trimmed with a white silk rose and straw bow.

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There were some great hats today in Stockholm, and a few millinery surprises to keep us royal hat fans on our toes. What do you think of the hats worn for Crown Princess Victoria’s celebration today?

 Photos from Getty and social media as indicated

Swedish Royal Wedding: Extended Swedish Royal Family

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Royal Hats  With many members of the extended Swedish Royal Family in tiaras for the wedding of Prince Carl Philip of Sweden and Sofia Hellqvist today, a significant part of the Swedish collection of jewels was on display.  Princess Christina wore the Six Button Tiara. It’s a rather clunky piece but Christina’s hair colour and style provided soften the linear base of the tiara and make the buttons seem less disjointed as they usually do. This is one of the rare cases when I think this tiara works better than the rest of what she is wearing.

Princess Désirée, Baroness Silfverschiöld topped her bright pink caftan gown with the Cut Steel Tiara. The gold frame of this tiara is a great match with Désirée’s warm-hued hair and while this pairing of gown and tiara would not have been my first choice, surprisingly, they worked well together.

Princess Margaretha topped a beautiful grey brocade tunic and jacket with the exquisite Aquamarine Kokoshnik Tiara. Pairing aquamarines can be tough as the pale stones are easily washed out with too much contrasting colour but this pairing was perfect. What was less than perfect, however, was Princess Brigitte’s ensemble. Her  tiara, the Baden Fringe Tiara, is certainly striking but her choice to wear it with a fur jacket and pink palazzo jumpsuit is absolutely bizarre.

Princess Brigitta’s daughter, Désirée von Bohlen und Halbach, wore the Pearl Circlet Tiara. We seldom see all pearl tiaras and Désirée showed this one off beautifully with the choice of her royal blue gown.

Countess Marianne Bernadotte of Wisborg wore a delicate diamond tiara. The tiara alone is beautiful but I’m afraid that the rest of the ensemble- lace dress, bow cuffs, pearl choker, fur trimmed stole, embroidered purse- was a case of too many beautiful statement pieces at the same time.

Finally, Countess Bettina Bernadotte of Wisborg topped her blue gown and jacket with a small diamond tiara. The tiara, made of of triangular peaks, is a rather spiky one that might have benefited from a softer hairstyle. It is not a piece I have seen before and suspect it does not get out much.

That concludes our look at all the Swedish royal tiaras! Next, we will start looking at the tiaras worn by royal guests.

Photos from Getty as indicated

Swedish Royal Christening: Extended Family

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As I wrap up a review of the hats at the Swedish royal christening on Sunday, I thought we would take a quick peek at some hats worn by members of the extended Swedish royal family. The King’s sister, Princess Christina (who is Princess Madeleine’s godmother), wore a purple flower fascinator trimmed with wispy purple feathers. I love the contrast of this shade of purple in her white hair but paired with her purple dress, coat, and wrap, the look was rather one-note.

Princess Christina, June 8, 2014 | Royal Hats

Princess Margaretha (to the left, behind Chris O’Neil) wore what looks to be a white feathered fascinator. To her right (immediately above Chris’ head), Princess Désirée to her right seems to be wearing a white calot hat at the back of her head. We’ll have to save judgement on these pieces until better photos are available.

Swedish Royal Christening, June 8, 2014 | Royal Hats

Countess Gunnila Bernadotte of Wisborg (widow of the King’s uncle Prince Carl Johan of Sweden)  wore a stunning pale grey straw hat. The under side of the brim was in  white straw, edged in slim black piping and the hat was trimmed with a black sash around the crown and large black loops. Countess Marianne Bernadotte of Wisborg (widow of the King’s uncle Prince Sigvard of Sweden) wore a lovely mint green straw hat trimmed with a monochrome ribbon around the crown and spray of silk blossoms on the side.

Countess Gunilla Burnadotte of Wisborg, June 8, 2014 | Royal Hats  CountessMarianne Burnadotte of Wisborg, June 8, 2014 | Royal Hats

Bettina Aussems (wife of Queen Silvia’s nephew Thomas Sommerlath) topped her red sheath and scarf with a simple hat in the same colour. Embellished only with a ruched sash around the crown, I thought this hat was a great tutorial for effective monochrome dressing.

Bettina Aussems, June 8, 2014 | Royal Hats

Maline Sommerlath (wife of Queen Silvia’s nephew Patrick Sommerlath who was named one of Princess Leonore’s godparents) followed the unofficial dress code of the day: lace dress + fascinator in the same colour. I thought the headband on this fascinator drew too much attention away from the bloom itself and would have preferred it hidden in her hair. This one fell a little flat for me.

Maline Sommerlath, June 8, 2014 | Royal Hats  Maline Sommerlath, June 8, 2014 | Royal Hats

And finally… Prince Carl Philip’s longtime girlfriend Sofia Hellqvist wore a grey looped bow fascinator trimmed with white net and feathers. I found this headpiece most haphazard, with the trimmings unrelated to the looped bow (and another visible headband problem). Sofia’s hair was beautifully styled for a fascinator but this was not the right one.

Sofia Hellqvist, June 8, 2014 | Royal Hats

Looking back at all the marvelous millinery at this christening, my favourite headpiece was the one worn by Crown Princess Victoria. I am curious- which one was your favourite?

Photos from Patrick Van Katwijk via Corbis; Bertil Ericson/TT via Kungahuset; Patrick van Katwijk and Patrick van Katwijk via Corbis; Lasse Allard and Jonas Ekstromer via Aftonbladet

Swedish Royal Wedding: The Bride’s Extended Family

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A wedding The extended Swedish Royal Family pulled out majority of their collection of tiaras for this wedding. Let’s start with the two tiara surprises, worn by the King’s eldest sisters, Princess Birgitta and Princess Margaretha. Princess Margaretha, Mrs. Ambler (in purple) wore the Baden Fringe Tiara, a tiara thought to be reserved for Crown Princesses and one we normally associate with Princess Victoria (see here and here for more information on this tiara). I thought it was a great tiara on her and fit especially well with her colour and style of hair.

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Princess Birgitta of Hohenzollern Sigmaringen wore what the Swedish Monarchy website called “Princess Sibylla’s Tiara”, a tiara we know as the Connaught Diamond Tiara (for great background information on this tiara, see here or here).  Princess Madeleine wore this tiara for her sister’s wedding three years ago and it was a tiara many guessed she would choose for her own wedding today. It’s another spiky tiara that looked well enough on Birgitta. I just wished they would have removed the dark velvet ribbon wrapped around its base and replaced it with something closer to her hair colour.

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Princess Désirée, Baroness Silfverschiöld wore the Cut Steel Tiara. This is one of the more unusual tiaras in the Swedish cache of jewels and to be honest, not one of my favourites. Princess Désirée, however, wore it very well today with her glittering gold dress and volumous hair, which balanced out the top feathery plume of the tiara. If it’s got to be worn, this is how to wear it.

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Princess Christina, Mrs. Magnuson wore the Six Button Tiara. I’m not a fan of the Swedish Button Tiaras in general but Christina’s hair colour and style provided a soft backdrop for this tiara and kept the diamond buttons from appearing as disjointed as they usually do. I thought she looked quite lovely.

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Countess Gunnila Bernadotte of Wisborg (widow of the King’s uncle Prince Carl Johan of Sweden) wore her usual rather unusual tiara. To me, it looks like a diamond and pearl brooch stuck on a metal headband that thankfully, is hidden in her curled grey hair. She wore this same tiara to Crown Princess Victoria’s wedding in 2010. I initially thought that Countess Marianne Bernadotte of Wisborg (widow of the King’s uncle Prince Sigvard of Sweden)was wearing the Napoleonic Amethyst Tiara (she’s on the right below) but this one looks different. Does anyone know the identity and history of this tiara?

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Mrs. Désirée von Bohlen und Halbach, daughter of Princess Brigitta (named after her sister Princess Désirée) wore the Pearl Circlet Tiara. Like the Six Button and Amethyst Tiaras above, this one is a little flat. I suppose it is a good choice for a more distant relative and I can not imagine Désirée has many other tiaras at her disposal so it likely was her only choice. A small tiara is always better than no tiara (hear that Princess Charlene of Monaco?!?!).

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Countess Alice Victoria Trolle-Wachtmeister (Swedish Mistress of the Robes and former lady-in-waiting to Queen Silvia) topped her turquoise gown with a diamond floral tiara.

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Photos from Getty as indicated