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Philatelic show to mark 78th anniversary of ‘Sati Sulochana'
March 3 is an important day in the 78-year-old history of Kannada films. Sati Sulochana, the first Kannada talkie film, was released on that day at Paramount Cinema (now Parimala) near City Market.
Over 1,000 stamps
To mark the 78 anniversary of the film, Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy has organised an exhibition on “World Stamps on Cinema” on March 3. Over 1,000 stamps representing important personalities and events in world cinema will be displayed on the occasion.
Philatelist Jagannath Prakash with the help of M.R. Prabhakar is presenting this philatelic picture of celluloid media. (The two-day exhibition will be on till March 4 at Badami House at Corporation Circle.)
I can't think of a more appropriate way to celebrate the birth of a future tiara-wearing Swedish princess than a festival of tiaras, can you? (As though we needed an excuse in the first place.) Anyway, I thought I'd take this opportunity to fill in a gap in my coverage of the new parents' wedding: we never talked specifically about all the tiaras that attended Victoria and Daniel's wedding in 2010. And seriously, this wedding was quite the tiara battle royale (including some surprises, delights, and rarely seen treasures). Just one of the reasons this event reigns as my current favorite royal wedding...
Left to Right: Queen Silvia, Crown Princess Victoria, and Princess Madeleine of Sweden
The Swedish ladies set the bar high for their tiara-wearing guests. Queen Silvia brought out her big gun, the Braganza Tiara. Not only was it an amazing appearance of that tiara, it was an amazing feat of tiara-wearing: that's a heavy beast, and she had it on for hours! Silvia set a trend for other royal ladies who also brought out their big guns, and her daughters set another trend we saw on several other women: the brand-new-to-you tiara appearance. Victoria carried on her family's bridal tradition by wearing the Cameo Tiara for the very first time, and her sister Madeleine wore the Connaught Diamond Tiara for the very first time.
Princesses Margaretha, Désirée, Christina, and Birgitta of Sweden
The Swedish collection is huge and luckily for us, all four of the king's sisters were on hand to display even more gems. Margaretha delighted tiara watchers when she appeared in the aquamarine kokoshnik once worn by her mother Princess Sibylla - it hadn't been seen in so long, many had assumed it was sold! Désirée and Christina both used tiaras that are often passed around in the family (Queen Josephine's Amethyst Tiara and the Six Button Tiara, respectively) while Birgitta scooped up the Nine Prong Tiara that we most often see on Queen Silvia.
Countesses Marianne and Gunilla Bernadotte; Princess Désirée of Hohenzollern
We even got a wee glimpse of some tiaras from the edges of the Swedish royal family, including diamond numbers on Marianne (wife of the king's late uncle Sigvard Bernadotte) and Gunilla (wife of the king's uncle Carl Johan Bernadotte). Meanwhile, Princess Birgitta's daughter Désirée wore one of Birgitta's wedding presents, a pearl tiara.
Queen Sonja, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, and Princess Märtha Louise of Norway
Next-door neighbors Norway also turned it out for the occasion by playing a little tiara switcheroo. Sonja followed Silvia's example and brought her big gun, Empress Joséphine's Emerald Tiara, a completely expected choice (though her coral pairing was...well, less expected and also less explicable). But Mette-Marit got to wear Queen Maud's Pearl Tiara for the first time, and Märtha Louise unexpectedly borrowed the Amethyst Necklace Tiara that's been in Mette-Marit's possession for the last few years. Sisters-in-law sharing tiaras, I love it!
Queen Margrethe and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark; Queen Anne-Marie and Princess Alexia of Greece
Denmark brought more big guns for us: Margrethe wore the Pearl Poire Tiara, which is sort of her version of a big gun even though it's not exactly a whopper (comparatively, I mean - not that it's anything to sneeze at), as did Mary with the Danish Ruby Parure. Mary's use of the rubies - the first time she'd worn them outside of Denmark - was a wonderful tribute: the rubies are best known for their time on Queen Ingrid's head, and Ingrid was a Swedish princess who married her Danish crown prince in the very same Stockholm cathedral Victoria and Daniel tied the knot in. (Margrethe's tiara has Swedish connections too, being one of the many pieces of Danish royal jewelry that came over from Sweden.) Anne-Marie also brought her rubies, something of a surprise as she often opts for her emeralds at the biggest occasions, and Alexia wore her diamond tiara which she always wears.
Princesses Benedikte, Alexandra, and Nathalie of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg; Carina Axelsson
Over in the other arm of the extended Danish royal family, the Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburgs emptied out the jewel vault in the fashion they usually do: the Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg Fringe for Benedikte (this is her version of the big gun), the Floral Tiara with its small central emerald for Alexandra, the Star and Spike Tiara for Nathalie, and the spikey diamond tiara we normally see on Carina.
Queen Sofia, Princess Letizia, Infanta Elena, and Infanta Cristina of Spain
From Spain, we had a slight tiara shakeup as Cristina wore the Cartier Diamond and Pearl Tiara for the first time. As much as I loved it on her, it made me crave more tiara fun from the rest of the ladies who all brought typical tiaras (Sofia in the Mellerio Shell Tiara, Letizia in the Mellerio Floral Tiara, and Elena in the Marichalar Tiara). Wouldn't it have been fabulous if Sofia had gone for one of her bigger ones and shook things up even more down the line? See, you give me a little bit, and I just want more.
Queen Beatrix, Princess Máxima, and Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands; Princess Mabel of Orange-Nassau
Similarly, I have to say I ended up wanting more from the Dutch ladies too. Beatrix wore the Mellerio Ruby Tiara, Máxima came in the Rose Cut Diamond Bandeau, Laurentien opted for Queen Emma's Diamond Tiara (with a single ruby, which gives it something of a blemished Cyclops look), and Mabel stuck with the tiara she wore on her wedding day and on all of her tiara occasions to date. An impressive show, and yet greedy me wishes the generous lending policy of the family foundation had resulted in some new showings.
Queen Paola, Princess Mathilde, Princess Claire, and Princess Astrid of Belgium
A less impressive collection than the one in the Netherlands actually brought us one of the biggest surprises of the day: a brand new tiara! Belgium used most of what they have, with Paola in Queen Elisabeth's Diamond Bandeau, Mathilde in her one and only Laurel Wreath Tiara, and Astrid in her constant from her husband's family, the Savoy-Aosta Tiara. If I had to guess in advance which of these ladies would pop up in something new, I'd have told you Paola or Mathilde, but no - it was Claire! Her new diamond and pearl tiara made a second appearance in 2011 in Monaco, giving hope that it's here to stay.
The Countess of Wessex, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg, Princess Sophie of Liechtenstein
Sophie made do with her usual wedding tiara (I like to think that expression says, "Why, guys? Why do you hate my tiara so?"), but Maria Teresa and the other Sophie delighted with appearances of two tiaras we don't see all that often: the Luxembourg Empire Tiara, a.k.a. the Mother of All Big Guns, and the Habsburg Fringe Tiara, a.k.a. the fringiest fringe that ever fringed.
Queen Rania, Princess Sarvath, and Princess Rym Ali of Jordan
No big guns at all from Jordan, which is sad. Sarvath and Rym both brought tiaras they've worn before, and they're perfectly lovely; my beef is with Rania here. The Boucheron Bracelet Tiara is just what it says - a bracelet! Tiara opportunities are so rare for her, I'm still sad she didn't seize the day and do it up right.
Crown Princess Margarita of Romania, Crown Princess Katherine of Serbia, Princess Kelly of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Princess Anna of Bavaria
Last but not least, some non-reigning royal ladies brought a lovely selection of gems not so often seen for your viewing pleasure: Margarita in the Romanian Greek Key Tiara, Katherine in a diamond tiara which is surprising because she tends to go tiara-less (perhaps she made a one-time loan?), Kelly in a beautiful turquoise tiara that formerly belonged to her husband's great-grandmother, and Anna in a tall sunburst number that belongs to her mother-in-law Princess Ursula.
The royal palace has published a new picture of Estelle taken in Haga Palace Gardens while Prince Daniel and Princess Victoria walked with the baby. The photo was taken by Prince Carl Philip
Princess Mathilde visited the 'Pedagogisch Centrum Wagenschot', an educational center that offers help to youths with serious, long term problems, emotional and behavioural problems and with mental disabilities, in Eke(more photos)
In another installment on the coronation of Elizabeth II, today we're taking a look some of the items from the crown jewels that played a big role in the coronation ceremony. Not every piece in the crown jewels, mind you; we'll just touch on some of the items that were directly presented to or placed on Queen Elizabeth during that marathon ceremony in Westminster Abbey.
During the coronation, Queen Elizabeth was dressed in garments of cloth of gold which belong to the crown jewels. The Mantle - the outer robe shown above - was made for George IV in 1821 and is woven with various national emblems; the Supertunica underneath was made for George V in 1911. The Stole, at right, was made new for the 1953 coronation and incorporated plant and flower emblems from the Commonwealth just as the coronation gown did. The Spurs (shown here on the ground at the left) were also presented to the queen as a symbol of chivalry; they date from Charles II, 1660-61, as do most of the crown jewels which were recreated after the restoration of the monarchy.
The queen was presented with the Sovereign's Orb (above left) to carry, a hollow gold sphere decorated with hundreds of gems and made in 1661. The Armills (above center) were placed as bracelets on her wrists; these were newly made for the 1953 coronation and were a gift from the Commonwealth. They represent sincerity and wisdom. The Sovereign's Ring (above right), dating from 1831 and composed of rubies over a sapphire surrounded with diamonds, was placed on her finger.
Multiple swords are used during the coronation; the only one directly presented to the monarch is the Sword of Offering, elaborately jeweled and made for George IV in 1820. Two sceptres were presented to the queen to hold while she was crowned: the Sceptre with Dove (above on the top) and the Sceptre with Cross (above in the middle). Both were made in 1661, but the Sceptre with Cross was modified for the 1911 coronation to hold the First Star of Africa, also known as the Cullinan I diamond. The largest part of the famous Cullinan diamond is 530 carats (shown in the detail at right above).
The most significant object in the crown jewels is St. Edward's Crown, made in 1661. The gold crown is set with multiple types of stones including sapphire, amethyst, tourmaline, citrine, and topaz; the stones are set in white enamel acanthus leaf mounts. It is intended to be used only once in a reign: for the actual moment of crowning. All other events involving a crown traditionally use the second monarch's crown, the Imperial State Crown.
The queen after crowning, with her robes of gold, both sceptres, and St. Edward's Crown
King Edward VII is one of the exceptions to this rule; after his coronation was postponed once due to his ill health, he wasn't deemed well enough to bear the weight of the gold crown (a hefty 2.23 kilograms or 4.9 pounds). Thus, he was crowned with the Imperial State Crown and St. Edward's Crown was placed on top of his coffin when he passed away. It was also too heavy for Queen Victoria, and wasn't used by William IV or George IV either.
The most famous piece in the crown jewels is the Imperial State Crown (the front is left above, the back is center). Lighter than St. Edward's Crown at .91 kilograms or 2 pounds, it is easier to bear for its frequent use, which includes each State Opening of Parliament. It is set with over 3,000 stones, including several famous gems: the Second Star of Africa (also known as the Cullinan II, a 317 carat diamond shown in the top right detail above), the Black Prince's Ruby (which is actually a spinel with a small ruby plugging a hole, shown in the center detail), the Stuart Sapphire (bottom above), St. Edward's Sapphire, and pearls belonging to Elizabeth I. I'll let the lady herself explain the rest:
Because it is used so often, the crown has been redone several times. It received a major overhaul before the 1937 coronation of George VI - it was in such disrepair that the cross fell off during the funeral procession for George V. It had another makeover before the 1953 coronation, including lowering the arches to make it more feminine for Elizabeth II.
The Imperial State Crown, Armills, Orb, and Sceptre with Cross all feature prominently in Cecil Beaton's famous coronation portraits.
As I said, this has been no attempt to chronicle the entire stash of crown jewels - entire books have been written on that (if you're looking for a recommendation, Anna Keay's The Crown Jewels is a recent publication with gorgeous photos and readable text - an excellent starting point). But they're always worth a glance in any quantity, because such magnificent and historical items are rarely in use anywhere else.
Of course, the crown jewels are on display at the Tower of London, and are basically a must-see for royal fans and magpies alike.
Photos: Royal Collection/Queen Elizabeth II/Anna Keay
Receiving the President of Finland, Tarja Halonen, at the Royal Palace, 21 February. The brooch on Victoria's dress (shown in the detail, and identical to the one worn by Queen Silvia for this event) was a gift from President Halonen, who designed it herself. This was billed as Victoria's last engagement before maternity leave, and it's a good thing - the baby arrived straight away!
Leaving the hospital with the new princess, 23 February.
The princess was born on Thursday, and on Friday her names and title were announced: Her Royal Highness Princess Estelle Silvia Ewa Mary, Duchess of Östergötland. (I'll just say this: man, I am glad I didn't have any money riding on that. Color me surprised!)
We finally have some pics of the little star, and her first fashion update too: her cardigan was knitted by her great-grandma Alice. Adorbs. We will have a little party in the future tiara-wearer's honor later this week. Stay tuned!
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