Friday, April 29, 2011

Royal Wedding Recap


Well, I do not need to give you all a lot of details, as The Preppy Princess did a fantastic job. However, here is one fact she did not expand on - the story of the Duchess of Cambridge's borrowed tiara!

Catherine Elizabeth Middleton Mountbatten-Windsor, Duchess of Cambridge, wore the Cartier 'halo' tiara (which some have called the Cartier 'scroll' tiara as well), which was made in 1936. It was purchased by the Duke of York (later King George VI) for his wife, The Queen Mother. Then-Princess Elizabeth received it as an 18th-birthday present. As is the trend for all special royal jewels, Queen Elizabeth II's sister Princess Margaret Rose, Countess of Snowdon, as well as her daughter, Princess Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise, The Princess Royal, borrow it on occasion.

It has a rolling affect with the scrolls that move across the two-layer diamond base to converge in a central ornament surmounted by a larger, more round-brilliant diamond, similar to a miniature crown shape (IMHO). To me, the scrolls almost look like paisley, and I think it was a fabulous choice for her to wear this tiara as her hair is dark enough to show off its features without it looking TOO showy. Certainly when compared to her other options, which you can see here. I was thinking it was a bit understated for the Prince of Wales' wife, but maybe this tiara is her warm-up piece as she gets used to wearing larger ones.


Please read The Preppy Princess's post!

Sidebar - it has been a long time since there has been a Duchess of Cambridge! I had no idea it has been so long, but the history behind this title is pretty interesting.

The last Duchess of Cambridge was Princess and Landgravine Augusta of Hesse-Kassel (Hesse-Kassel was a former German Grand-Duchy). She married one of the many sons of George III. She died at the age of 91! She was the mother of three children, including Queen Mary, the Duchess of Teck. She was the beautiful and popular wife of King George V.

The first Duchess of Cambridge was Queen Consort of King George II, Wilhelmina Charlotte Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach. She was of the House of Hohenzollern, married into the House of Hanover. She was incredibly popular as well as influential and gave birth to eight children.

Last sidebar - Catherine did her own makeup, allegedly, chin chin!

Photo credit: REUTERS, Aestheticus Rex for the collage pics - please read her post as well!

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