Belgian Royal Wedding: Family Members

Princess Maria Laura’s wedding to William Isvy on September 10 was attended by her Belgian, Austrian, Luxembourg and Liechtenstein relations, many of whom wore hats or headpieces.

Princess Astrid employed a “more is more” approach to her mother-of-the-bride ensemble, in a brimless hat covered in the same the green ostrich feathers as on the cuffs of her teal lace jacket… with a few more teal ones studded in. 

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Lace, feathers, ribbon embroidery, crystal collar, purple, teal, green… it’s a lot of elements that together, put this look well over the top for me. ‘Nuff said.

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Designer: The entire ensemble is Gucci
Previously Worn: This hat is new

The bride’s sisters Princess Luisa and Princess Laetitia and sister-in-law Princess Elisabetta wore vibrant yellow, emerald and ruby ​​bandeau headpieces.

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Queen Paola wore a headpiece in biscuit pleated abacca that encircled her head. It’s lovely from front view, the arc of the piece creating a halo framing Paola’s face with a ruffle on one side .

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Designer: “Chamira” design by Fabienne Delvigne
Previously Worn: This design is new

The groom’s mother Lisa wore an ecru sinamay disc percher trimmed with ivory sinamay twists and ivory and ecru feather flowers.

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His sister wore a wide blush sinamay saucer trimmed with multiple twists, feathers and curled quills in a slightly darker shade of pink.

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Queen Mathilde surprised with the repeat of a hat not seen for nearly 20 years. In pink sinamay woven with metallic fibers, the wide-brimmed design follows a sweeping pyramid shape with sharp, dropped vertical edge.

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It’s a dramatic statement hat softened by its color and pairing with Mathilde’s lovely floral frock. When she first wore this hat for Prince Laurent and Princess Claire’s wedding in 2003 , I think it overwhelmed her a little but this time, thanks to a more jaunty angle, a patterned dress and the confidence that simply comes with maturity, she carried it off fantastically.

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Designer: Maison van den Borne. Dress by Nathan.
Previously Worn: Apr 12, 2003

Princess Elisabeth was head to toe in red, topping a fringed dress with a brimmed straw hat. The design, with a gently waved brim, is simply trimmed with a slim hatband.

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Designer: “Laurany” design by Fabienne Delvigne. Dress by Caroline Herrera. 
Previously Worn: This hat is new

Princess Claire paired her leaf printed dress with a loden green straw picture hat with extended brim In this era where smaller bandeaux and perchers have reigned in popularity, it’s fun to see a design of such scale!

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Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: This hat is new

Princess Louise wore a vibrant headpiece headpiece of silk flowers. It’s such a youthful design that paired beautifully with her fuchsia dress.

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Designer: “Eden” design by Fabienne Delvigne. Dress by Rotate.
Previously Worn: This headpiece is new

Princess Delphine wore a fedora hat covered in “The Bubble” silk print from her newly released wearable art collection. It’s a bold design that was well balanced against her solid red dress. 

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Designer: unknown. Dress by Cilem Tunc Van Trier. 
Previously Worn: at this photoshoot

Princess Marie-Esméralda wore a dark blue straw cloche with extended brim. The hat is trimmed with a wide royal blue Petersham hatband and white silk rose on the side. Princess Léa wore a blue silk bow headpiece with veil. 

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Princess Margaretha of Liechenstein wore a tall blush pillbox wrapped in a wide band of caramel abaca with a knotted bow at the back. Princess Maria Anunciata, shown beside her mother below, wore a bandeau headpiece of pink silk petals. Princess Margaretha’s other daughter, Princess Marie-Astrid, attended the bride and was shown in the prior post in a plaited pink bandeau headpiece

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Princess Sibilla of Luxembourg wore a fuchsia straw saucer percher trimmed with orange silk abaca twists.

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Princess Dianne of Nassau wore a pink silk abaca draped calot with large bows. Prince Jean’s daughter, Princess Marie Gabrielle of Nassau, wore a pale green silk halo headband headpiece

Archduke Lorenz’s sister Countess Beatrice of Arco-Zinneberg attended along with all of six of her daughters Countess Anna Teresa, Countess Margherita, Countess Olympia, Countess Maximiliana, Countess Marie Gabrielle and Countess Giorgiana. Countess Margherita is pictured below in a black straw pyramid shaped hat with bow (see the back here). Countess Marie Gabrielle repeated the wore a in a deep navy straw vertical Philip Treacy saucer rimmed in midnight blue velvet trimmed with purple butterflies and silk orchids that her mother wore to her sister Olympia’s wedding in 2019.

ss Dianne of Nassau wore a pink silk abaca draped calot with large bows. 

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Also spotted in hats were Archduchess Anna-Gabriele of Austria with her daughter Catherina, Princess Therese of Liechtenstein, Princess Xenia of Croÿ and Princess Eleonora de Ligne.

That wraps up Princess Maria Laura’s wedding! What hats or headpieces stood out most to you?

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Images from Getty as indicated  

Belgian Royal Wedding

On September 10, Princess Maria Laura of Belgium was married to William Isvy.

For the civil ceremony at Brussels town hall, the bride wore a 1960s-inspired ecru mini dress with pleated empire waist by Gucci.

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Princess Maria Laura paired the dress with modern diamond and pearl drop earrings (the same ones worn by her sister-in-law Princess Elisabetta at her wedding in 2014) and ecru chunky heeled Gucci pumps.

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That afternoon, the couple’s marriage was celebrated at a religious ceremony in the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula before 500 guests.

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The bride turned to British designer Vivienne Westwood for her custom silk gown.  Westwood utilized both her corset mastery and inspiration from 18th century women’s fashion for the gown’s beautifully draped bodice. The open neckline is anchored with cap sleeves and the gown “falls from the hip is reminiscent of ancient Greek statues.”

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It’s a gown that relies entirely on construction and drape for its statement. Couture royal gowns are not a new thing – we’ve seen many! – but sometimes they overwhelm the wearer. This one does not.

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Less successful, I think, is the 4 meter (13 foot) long train which attaches by a belt at the waist, “especially created for Maria Laura, to create the drama and presence needed for the cathedral.” Maybe it was the wind on this very blustery, rainy day, but something about the belt attachment doesn’t quite work from all angles.

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The unembellished dress creates a stunning background for the lace veil. Made of exquisite Brussels lace, the floral patterned veil with scalloped edge is a family heirloom originally worn by Queen Paola’s Belgian grandmother, Laura Mosselman du Chenoy, in 1877.  After Queen Paola wore it for her 1959 wedding, it has became a tradition for Belgian royal brides- we’ve seen worn previously by Princess Astrid, Queen Mathilde and Princess Claire.

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Princess Maria Laura anchored the veil with the Savoy-Aosta Diamond Tiara, an heirloom piece from her father’s Austrian royal family. It makes for an overall bridal look that’s a lovely mix of modernity and tradition, the dress, veil and tiara pairing so beautifully together while incorporating pieces from both sides of her family. The ensemble was completed with diamond drop earrings.

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Young pages and bridesmaids, including Princess Maria Laura’s niece Anna and nephew Maximillian, were in mustard yellow silk ensembles, the bridesmaids with wreaths of fresh flowers in their hair. Princess Laeticia corralled the group in an ivory blouse and yellow floral skirt topped with an emerald silk ruched bandeau headpiece.

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Princess Maria Laura was further attended by her other sister Princess Luisa, sister-in-law Princess Elisabetta and cousins Princess Marie-Astrid of Liechtenstein and Princess Olympia Napoleon. Luisa, Elisabetta and Marie-Astrid wore bandeau headpieces in yellow, red and pink while Olympia wore a bandeau of gold flowers.

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Wind and rain did not keep radiant smiles off the bride and groom’s faces!

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See hats worn by family members from the Belgian, Austrian, Luxembourg and Liechtenstein royal families 

Images from Getty as indicated  

Funeral of Queen Fabiola

The Belgian Royal Family gathered today in the Cathedral Saints Michel et Gudule to bid farewell to Queen Fabiola. For this funeral, Queen Mathilde wore a new black fabric-covered headpiece that circled her head.

Queen Mathilde, December 12, 2014 in Fabienne Delvigne | Royal Hats Queen Mathilde, December 12, 2014 in Fabienne Delvigne | Royal Hats Queen Mathilde, December 12, 2014 in Fabienne Delvigne | Royal Hats Queen Mathilde, December 12, 2014 in Fabienne Delvigne | Royal Hats Queen Mathilde, December 12, 2014 in Fabienne Delvigne | Royal Hats

Queen Paola wore a delicate veil in black Brussels lace.

Queen Paola, December 12, 2014 | Royal Hats Queen Paola, December 12, 2014 | Royal Hats Queen Paola, December 12, 2014 | Royal Hats

Princess Astrid wore a headband trimmed with a stacked, double silk bow topped with a swath of dotted net tulle.

Princess Astrid, December 12, 2014 | Royal Hats Princess Astrid, December 12, 2014 | Royal Hats

Princess Maria Laura wre a wide black felt headband while archduchess Elisabetta, wife of Prince Amadeo, wore a small black pillbox hat with rounded crown and grosgrain ribbon trim around the hat. Princess Luisa Maria was the only grandchild of King Albert and Queen Paola who did not attend the funeral (presumably, she was not able to leave her studies in England).

Princess Maria Laura, December 12, 2014 | Royal Hats Princess Elisabetta, December 12, 2014 | Royal Hats

Princess Claire wore a charcoal grey hat which was simply trimmed with a wide ribbon around the crown. The flat brim of this hat was slightly upturned around the edge and the straight sided crown was gently domed at the top.

Princess Claire, December 12, 2014 | Royal Hats

Princess Louise wore her first hat for this important family event. Her mottled grey felt cloche was trimmed with a petite bow at the back.

Princess Louise, December 12, 2014 | Royal Hats Princess Louise, December 12, 2014 | Royal Hats

Princess Léa, widow of King Albert’s late half-brother Prince Alexander, wore a beautiful black lace veil. Princes Marie-Esméralda (younger half-sister of King Albert) wore a Victorian inspired black hat with net tulle trim. The back of the hat, which folded upward, was trimmed with several black satin bows.

Princess Léa and Princes Marie-Esméralda, December 12, 2014 | Royal Hats

You can see hats worn by royal cousins from Luxembourg and Liechtenstein at this post and hats worn by representatives of other royal houses at this post.

Photos from Patrick van KatwijkPatrick van KatwijkOlivier PoletPool/Luc ClaessenPatrick van Katwijk, Christophe Licoppe, Pool/Luc Claessen, Didier Lebrun, Albert Nieboer, Patrick van KatwijkDidier Lebrun, Christophe LicoppePieter Jan Vanstockstraeten, Didier Lebrun, Didier Lebrun, and Didier Lebrun, all via Corbis 

Belgian Royal Wedding

Royal HatsPrince Amedeo of Belgium, Archduke of Austria-Este married Elisabetta Maria Rosboch von Wolkenstein at Basilica Santa Maria in Trastevere today in Rome. Elisabetta looked luminously beautiful in a Valentino designed dress and matching veil. The dress featured a high illusion bodice and three quarter length sleeves made of ivory point d’esprit tulle trimmed with rebrodè lace, which continued over the bodice of the gown. This lace detail and point d’esprit tulle were repeated on the full skirt, which  flowed into a sweeping but light-as-air train.

 Elisabetta Maria Rosboch von Wolkenstein, July 5, 2014 in Valentino | Royal Hats Elisabetta Maria Rosboch von Wolkenstein, July 5, 2014 in Valentino | Royal Hats

Elisabetta Maria Rosboch von Wolkenstein, July 5, 2014 in Valentino | Royal Hats

Elisabetta anchored her five meter long point d’esprit tulle veil (trimmed with beautiful Chantilly lace) with a surprise- Queen Elisabeth’s Diamond Bandeau on loan from Prince Amedeo’s grandmother, Queen Paola. This is the same tiara Queen Mathilde borrowed for her wedding in 1999 and the small scale suited Elisabetta very well. I particularly liked the contrast of the graphic art deco lines of this tiara with the scalloped lace edging Elisabetta’s veil. Perhaps this tiara will be used for future Belgian royal brides, as well (I would love to see such a tradition continue).

Elisabetta Maria Rosboch von Wolkenstein, July 5, 2014 in Valentino | Royal Hats

The young couple emerged from the Basilica with a pair of the widest royal grins we have seen in a long while- such a heartwarming and delightful sight.

Prince Amedeo, Archduke of Austria-Este and Elisabetta Rosboch von Wolkenstein, July 5, 2014 in Valentino | Royal Hats  Prince Amedeo, Archduke of Austria-Este and Elisabetta Rosboch von Wolkenstein, July 5, 2014 in Valentino | Royal Hats Prince Amedeo, Archduke of Austria-Este and Elisabetta Rosboch von Wolkenstein, July 5, 2014 in Valentino | Royal Hats Prince Amedeo, Archduke of Austria-Este and Elisabetta Rosboch von Wolkenstein, July 5, 2014 in Valentino | Royal Hats

The young bridesmaids wore white dresses with dark teal pleated collars, sashes, and silk slippers. Their high contrast ensembles were topped with lovely green and white floral wreaths.

Princess Laeticia Maria, July 5, 2014 | Royal Hats

Prince Amedeo’s sister, Princess Laeticia (above, center) was joined by her cousins Princess Elisabeth (below, center) and Princess Louise (below, right).

Princess Elisabeth and Princess Louise, July 5, 2014 | Royal Hats

You can see photos of hats worn by the Belgian Royal Family at this post and by other royal guests, at this post. There were some beautiful (and bizarre) pieces you won’t want to miss.

Photos from AFP and Belga via LaVenir; RTLElisabetta Villa/Stringer, Elisabetta Villa/Stringer, Elisabetta Villa/Stringer, and Elizabetta Villa/Stringer via Getty