Programming Note

We are on hiatus, my friends, because I am squeezing in my summer vacation before the summer leaves for good. I will see you in two weeks!

To tide you over in glitter and gowns, indulge in this fantastic documentary on the ultimate glittering event: Queen Elizabeth II's coronation.

Hat tip to The Royal Correspondent blog for posting about this one!

Feel free to chat on this post if you like! Play nice, don't do anything I wouldn't do, etc....

Things That Make You Go Hmm...: Enough with the Fascinators Already, I'm Begging You

Crown Princess Victoria was present for the ordination of a new bishop at Uppsala Cathedral on August 26th.

Dear Victoria,

That is not a hat.

A posh dreamcatcher, maybe, but definitely not a hat.

Just thought you should know.

Concerned about your facial tan lines,
-OoS

Photos: Svenskakyrkan/Skovdenyheter/Sodor

Flashback Friday: A Few of Diana's Sapphires

The end of this month marks the 15th anniversary of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. And since you know I like to do my commemorating in frivolous fashion, I thought a look at the late princess' signature stone was in order. Sapphires and Diana are inseparable in my mind - not only did she have a magnificent collection of them, she had the eyes to bring them out. These are just a few of my favorites from her sapphire stash.

Obviously, we must being with The Ring.

Diana's engagement ring was not a bespoke piece, oddly enough for a royal engagement ring, but rather available from the Garrard catalog to anyone (anyone that could afford it, of course). With its enormous sapphire and surrounding diamonds, it's far from a unique design but yet it's instantly recognizable. Prince William chose to give Kate Middleton his mother's trademark ring to mark their engagement in 2010.

Diana's wedding yielded one of her most impressive sets of jewels, a sapphire suite from the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. The Asprey set included a massive sapphire pendant in a diamond sunray frame suspended from a diamond necklace, a watch with a sapphire and diamond band, a bracelet, a pair of earrings, and a ring. Diana eventually had the watch and the ring reset into new jewels, including another pair of earrings and a choker she famously used as a headband.

She had other pairs of sapphire and diamond earrings in addition to those from the Saudi set. It's been reported that the Duchess of Cambridge's sapphire and diamond earrings are a modified pair from Diana's collection.

The choker seen above is yet another piece out of Diana's sapphire collection, but none will ever quite hold a candle to The Choker to End All Chokers, if you ask me.

Bliss. This egg of a sapphire surrounded by diamonds was a brooch given to Diana by the Queen Mother as a wedding present. Though she wore it a couple times as a proper brooch, she soon performed some jewelry magic and stuck it in the center of seven strands of pearls. Of all Diana's jewels - even the tiaras - I honestly think this is the piece I'd most like to see in use again today. Et toi? What are you hoping to see again?

Photos: Getty Images/Tim Graham/Suzy Menkes/Corbis

Tiara Thursday: The Greek Ruby Parure

We’ve covered one of her trademark tiaras, the large topper for her grand emerald parure, but Queen Anne-Marie has another fantastic parure at her disposal as well: her rubies.

The Greek Ruby Parure Tiara

The flexible Greek Ruby Parure includes a tiara in an olive wreath motif, with berry-colored rubies and diamond leaves. It belonged to Queen Olga of Greece, who likely received at least parts of the parure from her husband King George I. (Some also cite her Russian roots – she was born Grand Duchess Olga Constantinova of Russia – as a possible source for the rubies.)

Left to right: Queen Olga, Princess Olga, Princess Marina, Queen Frederika

Olga left the rubies to her son, Prince Nicholas, and they were worn by his daughter, Princess Olga of Yugoslavia. Olga’s sister Princess Marina, the Duchess of Kent, borrowed the rubies at least once. Eventually they came back to the main Greek royal family and were worn by Queen Frederika, consort of King Pavlos I.

The tiara, necklace, and two brooches displayed with Anne-Marie's wedding gifts

The rubies were among the jewels Frederika turned over to Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark when she married Frederika’s son King Constantine I, and the set has been worn by Anne-Marie ever since. These days, she prefers a shortened version of the necklace.

Queen Anne-Marie

Of the tiaras she now wears regularly – including the Greek Emerald Parure Tiara and the Khedive of Egypt Tiara – this is my favorite on Queen Anne-Marie. Rubies aren't my favorites (neither are wreath tiaras, to be honest), but there's something about the way this one nestles in her hairstyle that just works.

Is this your favorite Anne-Marie tiara, or does your heart belong to another?

Photos: Corbis/EOA

Wedding Wednesday: Valentino Gowns

Have you made your nominations for your Top 10 Best Royal Wedding Gowns yet? (It's actually shaping up to be a close battle, interestingly, so get to it!) If not, perhaps this will serve as a little random inspiration for you: a sampling of some of the wedding gowns out of Valentino's studio over the years.

Valentino is forever popular in the royal set. Several royals have chosen to start their royal marriages with a couture Valentino creation...with mostly good results? Mixed results? You be the judge.

Perhaps the two most famous Valentino gowns belong to Marie-Chantal Miller, worn for her 1995 wedding to Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece, and Máxima Zorreguieta, worn for her 2002 wedding to the Prince of Orange. Put the two side by side, and they have more in common than you might think - but Máxima wins it for me (and will she win it for you? We shall see when your list is complete).

Another bride from the Valentino School of Adornment is of course Sibilla Weiller, who chose the dust ruffle to end all dust ruffles for her 1994 wedding to Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg.

Simpler, but still working that hem detail, was the Valentino creation for Paola de Frankopan's wedding to Lord Nicholas Windsor in 2006 - an Italian designer for a Vatican religious wedding. The dress is a one-shouldered affair covered with a shrug for the church and a long veil.

Archduchess Sophie of Austria picked another relatively simple Valentino for her 1990 wedding to Mariano Hugo, Prince of Windisch-Graetz. I've seen my fair share of dresses with bow overload, but this one gets special marks for nearly accomplishing it with two simple shoulder bows alone.

Clotilde Courau's Valentino gown at her 2003 wedding to Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy had to accommodate the couple's daughter too, born just a few months later. The dress is okay...but it's the colorful tiara I'd rather look at anyway.

And on that expectant note we have one final Valentino wedding creation, and it's my favorite of recent years: Countess Matilde Borromeo's gown for her 2011 wedding to Prince Antonius zu Fürstenberg. The bride (half sister of Pierre Casiraghi's girlfriend Beatrice Borromeo, and at the time expecting the couple's first child) looks lovely in that dress, with just enough detail to keep interest but not enough to compete with that mega tiara (from the groom's family). Love.

Which is your favorite Valentino royal wedding gown?

(Feel free to add others in the comments!)

Photos:  Purepeople/Abaca/Vogue/Hello/Point de Vue

Week in Review: Crown Princess Victoria, 12-18 August

1. At a palace reception, 15 August. Loving the color, obviously, but it's not enough to win the Pretty in Blue award this week...
2. ...since a new picture was released for Estelle's name day. I'll just leave that here for you in case you need some help getting through your Tuesday.

Photos: Kongehuset

Week in Review: Crown Princess Mary, 12-18 August

1. Opening the Odense Flower Festival, 15 August. Bit of a sack, this...no? Best to focus on the kaleidoscope print.

Photo: Fyens

Another Important Question

Waaaay back in 2010, right after I started this blog and before Crown Princess Victoria's wedding, I whipped up a list of my personal top 10 royal wedding gowns. Since then, I’ve gotten two frequent questions:

1. Are you nuts?! Where is {so and so's} gown and why is {whatsherface's} gown on there?!? (Answer: yes, I am nuts, are you new here? And also: Oy! It’s my list, man! I wouldn’t get mad at you for your list...ahem.)
2. There have been so many royal weddings since then, do you ever want to change it?

And the answer there is, yes, I would change it now, but how about we hear from you instead? Much as we polled your top tiaras, it's time to poll the wedding gowns. So, tell me...

What are your personal top 10 best royal wedding dresses?

Go ahead, let me hear it: your top 10 ranked gowns. Leave your votes in the comments below, email me (orderofsplendor {at} hotmail {dot} com), or tweet at me (@orderofsplendor). I’ll leave it open for about a week.

But before you get busy, here’s another thing to consider: I didn’t ask what your favorite dresses are, but what the best dresses are. Maybe the two are the same, and that’s okay. But there’s another component to think about: what makes a great royal wedding dress? Food for thought.

If you need inspiration, check out the Royal Wedding Headquarters page, and go list crazy!

Update: Voting is now closed. Thanks everyone for your contributions!

Tiara Thursday: The Congo Necklace Tiara

As we approach the October wedding of Luxembourg's Hereditary Grand Duke, tiara speculation will be running high. We might as well chat about this one first and foremost, as it is the best known wedding tiara the family has:

The Congo Necklace Tiara

This necklace, convertible to a tiara, features rows of large round diamonds attached to a row of baguette diamonds. It was made by Van Cleef and Arpels and was a gift to Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium on her marriage to Hereditary Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg in 1953. It's often said to have been given by the Belgian colony of the Congo, though others report it as a gift of Congo diamonds from another source, perhaps the bride's father.

Left to Right: Joséphine-Charlotte, Maria Teresa, Marie Astrid, Margaretha

Joséphine-Charlotte wore the tiara on her wedding day (she also wore the Belgian Scroll Tiara for wedding portraits) and the tiara continued to be part of the Luxembourg wedding tradition when it was worn by Joséphine-Charlotte's daughter-in-law Maria Teresa (now the Grand Duchess) as well as her daughters Princesses Marie Astrid and Margaretha for their respective weddings. Apart from weddings, Joséphine-Charlotte used the piece mostly as a necklace, which makes sense. It's very much a bandeau in tiara form, best backed by a veil I'd say.

As a necklace on Joséphine-Charlotte

When she died in 2005, this piece was among the personal possessions left to divide up among her five children. Apparently they had some trouble with the dividing, because in 2006 this tiara was included in a selection of her jewels and personal property offered for sale at Sotheby's. The auction caused outrage and all sorts of questions regarding the reasons behind the possible need for a sale. In light of the controversy, Grand Duke Henri ended up cancelling the auction. (The Belgian Scroll Tiara was another notable piece from that almost sale.)

As a necklace with bracelet, on auction display

The question now is, will this tiara be used as a family wedding tiara in the future? It hasn't been used as such since the early 1980s. (Other brides have not worn tiaras; when Marie Astrid's daughter married, she borrowed one of the Luxembourg floral tiaras instead.) And something about offering it for sale doesn't scream a desire to keep this particular tradition alive to me. We will see come October, I suppose.

Would this be your pick for a wedding tiara?

Photos: Sotheby's/Point de Vue/Corbis

Wedding Wednesday: Luxembourg’s Almost Double Wedding

 HRH Princess Marie Astrid of Luxembourg and HI&RH Archduke Carl Christian of Austria

February 6, 1982

Luxembourg City, Luxembourg

HRH Princess Margaretha of Luxembourg and HSH Prince Nikolaus of Liechtenstein

March 20, 1982

Luxembourg City, Luxembourg

Luxembourg in the early 1980s was experiencing a full on royal wedding boom. In 1981, Grand Duke Jean and Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte’s oldest son, Henri, married. Just a year later, both of their daughters were married – and only a few weeks apart!

The oldest child of the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess' brood of five was Princess Marie Astrid. As an eligible princess, her name was tossed around as a possible match for the Prince of Wales in the press (rumors, rumors). Instead, she married Archduke Carl Christian of Austria, and she did so in a voluminous white gown with an asymmetrical ruffle wrap cinching her waist and additional detail on the skirt and sleeves.

Marie Astrid’s younger sister Margaretha married Prince Nikolaus of Liechtenstein, the third son of reigning Prince Franz Joseph II, the following month. Another white confection was in order, this time with ruffles clinging tightly to the bride’s neck and wrists.

Both gowns are clearly of their time, so to speak, with their use of ruffles and volume. But despite their early 1980s flair, they also manage to recall a bit of their mother’s wedding style from the 1950s. They also echo her in tiara choice, as they both wore the Congo Diamond Tiara just like Joséphine-Charlotte. (More on that tomorrow.)

Both couples are still married; Marie Astrid and Carl Christian have five children, Margaretha and Nikolaus have three (a fourth – their first child, a son – tragically died the same day he was born). And now the family finds itself once again in a royal wedding boom: two of Marie Astrid’s sons announced engagements on the same day last year and will both marry this year, while their cousin Guillaume will marry in October. While we await new Luxembourgish brides, tell me…

Which is your favorite: Marie Astrid’s or Margaretha’s gown?

Royal Olympic Update: The End

Oh, sadness. The Olympics are over. Let's take one last long lingering gaze at our royals in their sporting finest before we kiss the Games goodbye (picking up where we left off)...

The end of the Games finally brought appearances from some of the royals you've been longing to see, including Spain. Well, someone had to give the Cambridges a run for their PDA money.

The Spaniards proved to be most enthusiastic Olympic fans. At times, the suspense was just too much to bear: Which one of us will have to take one for the team and wear the aggressively loud Spain shoes???

And he wears them with aplomb. (Disclaimer: they may not have been as concerned with the shoes as I was. Ahem.) The only thing louder than those shoes is the King of Sweden.

Look at this display of royal team spirit, so ferocious the crowd had to take cover and Queen Sil had to bust out her best side-eye. Can you believe it?

I KNOW. I can't believe it either. But they had those obnoxious official Sweden shirts to live up to, and we don't all have hair to hold us when things get rough.

(Side note: Grumpy Spectator #1 in front of Carl Gustaf apparently had no idea the annoying man behind her was the King of Sweden. When they crossed paths again - she, this time, seated a noise-appropriate distance from the royal couple - they exchanged a merry wave.)

Anyway, back to Kate.

She was everywhere, naturally. In addition to, you know, watching sports, she resisted the urge to steal some medals along with Prince Harry, and spent some quality time catching up with Prince Albert. (Why the covered ears, hmm? It's not like Carl Gustaf was in the house.)

Harry made his much anticipated visit to beach volleyball. Obviously, he came for the bikinis and stayed for the cuddles. And HOLD UP: he's either stolen Aunt Anne's ubiquitous shades...or they're becoming a family epidemic {shudder}.

Naturally the Danish (with support from the Greeks) were in this until the bitter end, giving Christian time to take on his sister in the personality stakes by throwing up his own Bolt. 

Just in time for the end, Mette-Marit returned to take one last stab at the title of Most Enthusiastic Royal - kids included for good measure - and Joachim and Marie put in a brief appearance (they also brought their two young ones).

On Sunday night, it was all over. The Closing Ceremony was not just an opportunity for Princess Anne to get one last shot at adorning every single item of her outfit with the Olympic rings, it was a glimpse of Very Serious Harry.

Harry - or Henry, rather, as he was announced which I'm sure confused a large chunk of the audience - was Her Majesty's official representative, meaning he got the big intro and plenty of shots to show us just how seriously he was taking the whole thing. And he didn't check his nails once. (The Queen is already up at Balmoral, if you were wondering.)

And that's the end. Hopefully someone will throw a tiara event soon to put a smile back on my face, but until then, let's reminisce:

What was your favorite Royal Olympic Moment?

Photos: Getty Images/PA/Abaca/London 2012

Darjeeling Himalayan Railway…

 

Indian themes on foreign stamps…

- Kenneth Sequeira

 

The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR)  nicknamed the "Toy Train", is a 2 ft railway from New Jalpaiguri to Darjeeling in West Bengal, run by the Indian Railways.

It was built between 1879 and 1881 and is about 86 kms.  Four modern diesel locomotives handle most of the scheduled services: however the daily Kurseong-Darjeeling return service and the daily tourist trains from Darjeeling to Ghum (India's highest railway station) are handled by vintage British-built B Class steam locomotives. Since 1999 the train has been a World Heritage Site as listed by UNESCO along with the Niligiri Mountain Railway as an extension to the original destination. Its the 2nd railway to have this honour bestowed upon it, after Semmering Railway of Austria.

A broad gauge railway connected Calcutta (now Kolkata) and Siliguri in 1878. Siliguri, at the base of the Himalayas, was connected to Darjeeling by a cart road (the present day Hill Cart Road) on which "Tonga services" (carriage services) were available. Franklin Prestage, an agent of Eastern Bengal Railway Company approached the government with a proposal of laying a steam tramway from Siliguri to Darjeeling. The proposal was accepted in 1879  by Sir Ashley Eden, the Lieutenant Governor of Bengal

Gillanders Arbuthnot & Co. constructed the railway. The stretch was opened on 23 August 1880, while the official opening of the line up to Darjeeling was on 4 July 1881. Despite natural calamities, such as an earthquake in 1897 and a major cyclone in 1899, the DHR continued to improve with new extension lines being built in response to growing passenger and freight traffic. However, the DHR started to face competition from bus services that started operating over the Hill Cart Road, offering a shorter journey time. During World War II, the DHR played a vital role transporting military personnel and supplies to the numerous camps around Ghum and Darjeeling.

After the independence of India, the DHR was absorbed into Indian Railways and became a part of the Northeast Frontier Railway zone in 1958. In 1962, the line was realigned at Siliguri and extended by nearly 6 km to New Jalpaiguri (NJP) to meet the new broad gauge line there.

Bhutan & Gambia released stamps on this railway line as part of the Famous Trains / Locomotives across the world.

India Post issued  a commemorative stamp on Centenary of  The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway on 18 December 1982.

- Kenneth Sequira, Dubai (UAE) : email -  kenneth.sequeira@hotmail.com

Also Read….The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway and its Locomotives by Vikas Singh

CATHERİNE, DUCHESS OF CAMBRİDGE WATCH THE OLYMPİC HOCKEY

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge attends the Women's Hockey bronze medal match between New Zealand and Great Britain (more photos)

 photos(daylife:getty images)