Wedding Wednesday: Princess Marina's Gown

HRH Prince George, Duke of Kent and HRH Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark

November 29, 1934

London, United Kingdom

They were a dazzling pair, Sir Henry "Chips" Channon wrote, and he wasn’t the only one swept away with Marina and George, the royal wedding couple of 1934. She was a chic exiled princess, daughter of Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark and the former Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia; he was a handsome prince, son of King George V and Queen Mary. They married in a London decked out in British and Greek flags, with ceremonies first in Westminster Abbey and then again in a private Greek Orthodox ceremony in Buckingham Palace.

To no one’s surprise, the stylish and striking Marina married in a gown that was the picture of 1930s glamour. It was designed by Captain Edward Molyneux, a couturier with salons in Paris and London that Marina had worked with in the past. His creation seems simple from afar, with a sheath silhouette and a draped cowl neckline. But the drama is in the details: the trumpet sleeves, the wide train, and most of all the fabric. It's the fabric that brings me to post this dress today, as I can't help but be reminded of another recent dress of intricate silver ornamentation - that of the new Hereditary Grand Duchess of Luxembourg.

The fabric

Marina’s gown was made of silver and white brocade with a raised English rose design. Deemed too delicate to sit in storage waiting to be sewn, it was woven in under two weeks in Lyons and shipped tout de suite to London, where a team of seamstresses created the dress. (At the Princess’ request, the seamstresses included a group of Russian refugees as her way of showing sympathy for the people displaced by the revolution in her mother’s home country.) The silver fabric glimmered in the lights on that foggy November day, making quite an impression for the bride.

She also glittered with diamonds, becoming a far more bejeweled bride than recent Windsor weddings had seen. Her long tulle veil was topped by a tiara, still then not a requirement for a British royal bride as we think of it now, which was one of her wedding gifts (and will be our topic tomorrow). Her large diamond necklace of 34 stones was a wedding present from the King, whose family order she proudly wears in the wedding photographs.

The wedding was the start of a life together which is still remembered for its glamour…and its troubles. They had three children, Prince Edward (the current Duke of Kent), Princess Alexandra, and Prince Michael. Michael was born not even two months before his father’s tragic death in an airplane crash in Scotland while serving in the Royal Air Force in 1942. History has marked Marina’s widowhood with talk of her husband’s relationships with other men and her money troubles, set up by the couple’s overspending and lack of funding for their royal life. (She began auctioning off treasures for funding during her lifetime, something which has been continued from time to time by her children.) Gossip aside, Marina served the royal family until her death in 1968.

How do you feel about this version of a silver gown?

Photos: Illustrated London News/National Portrait Gallery

Weekly Royal Fashion Awards: October 21-27

Sadly, it can't be weddings and tiaras all the time. Here's to the ladies that were back to the regular royal working grind last week, minus the things we've already chatted about:

Best in Sparkle

Princess Letizia

At a literature awards ceremony; audiences in Oviedo; the closing concert of the XXI Musical Week in Oviedo; the annual Prince of Asturias Awards ceremony; visit to Bueno

You know what's sad? That little hair ornament might be the closest thing we'll get to a tiara on Letizia this year. Let's all console ourselves with hugs from adorable traditionally dressed children.

Best in Usual

Princess Mathilde

Visiting the International Design Biennale; visiting Luik; attending a concert for the Festival van Vlaandoren with the rest of the royal family (Princess Astrid, pictured); at an academic meeting

A thoroughly typical week for Mathilde, so much so that I am distracted by the fabulousness of Princess Astrid at the concert, in her shiny dress and her pink (pink!) gloves - as I couldn't help but wonder on Twitter, she may have come straight from washing up the dishes, but it's irresistibly fantastic nevertheless.

Best in Trips

Princess Máxima

Máx made a quick, not highly publicized trip to Nigeria as a part of her role with the U.N. in inclusive finance. Good work, even if it meant missing a potential tiara appearance.

Worst in Muppet

Crown Princess Victoria

At a U.N. Seminar; at an awards ceremony; visiting Gothenburg; at the opening of the Friends Arena

Listen…first,Victoria stole Big Bird’s apron. And now she’s wearing Kermit’s jacket and shoes made the shaved pelt of a Cookie Monster. I’m all for color, heaven knows I’m happy to get away from a sea of blergh, and if this were flattering in any way I’d probably be all on board…but it must be said: leave Sesame Street alone! Let's stick to the flattering faux animals, like that leopard dress up there.

Who piqued your interest last week?

P.S.: I hope all of you in the path of Sandy are safe and sound.

Photos: Getty Images/Belga/Ku Leuven/RVD/All Over Press

Tiara Watch: In Denmark and Norway and the Netherlands, Oh My!

When it rains, it pours! So long we were in a tiara drought, and now the royal world is just lousy with the things. Oh, why can’t it be like this all the time…

The Danish royal family welcomed the President of Slovakia for a state visit last week, which naturally included a glittering state banquet. Crown Princess Mary wore her wedding tiara with the pearl option, along with her fabulous aquamarines. I wondered if she’d use the pearl option to showcase some of the great pearl jewels she has, and sure enough – she’s on it! I also love this older Kenth Fredin gown, which seems swishy in all the right ways.

Princess Marie showed up in one of those gowns that always seems to be fresh off the homecoming dance sale rack – though her usual diamond floral tiara does seem a tiny bit more legit than the Homecoming Queen’s. Queen Margrethe paired the Baden Palmette Tiara with what seems to be her favorite gown of the year, and Princess Benedikte wore Queen Ingrid’s Star and Spike Tiara.

Earlier they all welcomed the President at the airport, Mary and Marie in chic hats, Benedikte in a koosh ball hat, and Marge in her Teletubby topper.

On the second day of the visit, Mary made a well-coordinated appearance alongside the First Lady (in a Prada suit with a colorful Paul Smith scarf and matching accessories) before attending the return dinner with the rest of the family. And it’s here that Marie redeems herself, looking infinitely more festive than the rest of them with her little sparkles.

The Dutch were also in on the state visit action last week. Queen Beatrix welcomed the President of Italy for a low-key trip, highlighted by a state dinner where the dress code seems to have been something along the lines of “dress up, if you want, I guess…”. Beatrix wore the all-purpose Rose Cut Bandeau, and Princess Margriet went tiara-less (the horror!). Yes, this was sorely missing Princess Máxima, who was on a visit to Nigeria.

Also dodging her tiara-wearing duty last week was Crown Princess Mette-Marit, who missed the annual gala dinner for the Parliament. In her absence, Queen Sonja wore Queen Maud’s Pearl and Diamond Tiara, and Princess Astrid wore the Vasa Tiara.

And the state visit fun has just begun: the British will have their first state visit of the year later this week.

Photos: Abaca/BestImage/SN/Quirinale/ANB

Gold Star: Another Royal Wedding Ahead!

Princess Madeleine of Sweden (the youngest child of King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia) has announced her engagement to her boyfriend, Christopher O'Neill. And I have to say, this announcement has Gold Star written all over it.

First, I give it a gold star for timing. Just when the low starts to set in after the Luxembourg wedding, just when we begin to realize there's not another huge European royal gathering anywhere in the near future - BAM! Mads and Chris save the day! What kind and generous people they must be. Gold star!

Next, I have to give them a gold star for the announcement. That's cuteness. Watch to the end. Gold star!

A gold star is certainly in order for the ring. That's just classy. Gold star!

Madeleine also gets a gold star for the bounce back factor, because this is not her first time at the engagement rodeo. She announced her engagement to beau Jonas Bergström, a Swedish lawyer, in 2009. But allegations of cheating on Jonas’ part became a public scandal, and the engagement was called off in 2010. Madeleine fled to New York City, where she made a home and met Chris, who works in finance. Gold star for (what we hope will be) a happy ending!

And now they’re set to marry in the summer of 2013, and I’m set to freak out over what should be another tiara extravaganza. I don't expect it to be quite as grand as her sister Crown Princess Victoria's wedding, but I think we're in for a good sparkly show. All. The. Gold. Stars!

I think it's a little too early to speculate on a dress designer, but it's never too early for tiara speculation. The Swedish royals have a wedding tiara tradition happening with the Cameo Tiara, and that's what I'm putting my money on. That and the family wedding veil. I know some of you have a bit of a problem with the Cameo Tiara, but I think Madeleine and her superb tiara hair can make it work. What are you guessing so far?

Click here to see the tiaras Madeleine's worn so far.

Photo: Kungahuset

Event Roundup: The Royal Wedding in Luxembourg

It's time to wrap it up and take one final glance: the wedding of the Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg and Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy was one of the last truly grand weddings on this scale we'll have in Europe for some time, as Guillaume is the last of the current batch of heirs to marry. Make sure you've gotten your fill!

The Civil Wedding

The bride, groom, and close family kick off the wedding festivities.

The Pre-Wedding Gala Dinner

Gowns upon gowns and tiaras galore!

The Bride and Bridal Party

An Elie Saab Couture royal wedding gown.

The Lannoy Tiara
Stéphanie's family tiara, worn on her wedding day.

The Religious Wedding

Fashions and hats from the royal ladies.

Runway to Royal
A look at the runway versions of some of the fashions on display.

Guest Jewels
A spotlight on some of the jewels worn by the guests at the religious wedding.

The Gentlemen

The men at the wedding, with looks back to their dashing style at the gala dinner.

Tiara Thursday: The Five Aquamarine Tiara

The pre-wedding gala dinner in Luxembourg was great, wasn’t it? Of the night’s tiara surprises, the new-to-her tiara on the Countess of Wessex seems to have caused the most widespread confusion, so we’ll try to tackle that today. I’m calling it the Five Aquamarine Tiara, a name which is totally boring but conveys about all that we know for certain about this tiara: that it currently features five aquamarines set in a diamond surround. (It also differentiates this tiara from some of the other aquamarine tiaras in the family, which is key because this is about to get confusing.)

The Five Aquamarine Tiara

Sophie’s tiara was once worn by the Queen, but it was a piece that many jewel watchers (including me) assumed had been dismantled. Its reappearance has sparked a reexamination of what we do (and do not) know about the aquamarines in the Queen’s collection. And so before we can get to the Five Aquamarine Tiara, we must briefly discuss another one: the Queen’s Brazilian Aquamarine Tiara.

The Brazilian Aquamarine Tiara

Queen Elizabeth has an entire parure of aquamarines assembled from gifts from Brazil early in her reign, and it is headlined by a tiara she commissioned from Garrard. The last additions to this tiara were the fan-like scroll motifs between the larger stones. Of this last addition, the Royal Collection says: “In 1971 the tiara was adapted to take four scroll ornaments from an aquamarine and diamond jewel given to The Queen by the Governor of São Paulo in 1968.” Leslie Field’s The Queen’s Jewels adds that the jewel in question was described at the time as a "v-shaped ‘hair ornament’”.

The fan/scroll motifs in question

The question of which jewel was added to the Brazilian tiara is where the Five Aquamarine Tiara enters the discussion. It was worn by the Queen during a tour of Canada in 1970, and hadn’t been seen since then. The fact that it is aquamarine, could potentially be described as a “v-shaped hair ornament”, and was last seen in 1970 (prior to the 1971 changes) added up to an assumption that this was the gift from São Paulo that had been dismantled.

The Queen in the Five Aquamarine Tiara

Obviously, we now have to rethink that connection. I have seen people interpret the previously assumed connection between these two tiaras to mean that Sophie’s tiara is composed of pieces from the Brazilian Aquamarine Tiara in some sort of convertible manner, but if you look closely at the form of the Five Aquamarine Tiara and the “scrolls” in question on the Brazilian, you will see that this can’t be the case. The pieces are completely different. I’ve also seen people assume that the Brazilian tiara has been dismantled to recreate the Five Aquamarine Tiara, which I don't believe could be true either - the stones are different sizes, and the Queen still uses the Brazilian tiara.

The provenance of Sophie’s tiara remains a mystery. It’s possible, I suppose, that it could still be part of the Brazilian aquamarine set – perhaps it was once a larger tiara and was cut down to provide for the Brazilian Aquamarine Tiara, or perhaps there were more gifts included that we don’t know about.

But the theory that I am increasingly leaning toward is the one of total mystery: this tiara never had anything to do with the gifts from Brazil, and came from somewhere else. Maybe it has something to do with Canada (given the Queen’s initial outing), maybe it was a gift or inheritance from elsewhere, maybe it was one of Queen Mary’s treasures. A mystery.

Wherever it came from, it has now graced the Countess of Wessex’s head, we assume as a loan from the Queen. It’s sort of funny to me that this is the tiara she was allowed to wear, since she already has an aquamarine tiara, what I call the Wessex Aquamarine Tiara. (But then again I suppose when the Queen offers something to you, the proper response is “Thank you, ma’am”, and not, say, “Can I see something in an emerald?”) It suits her, though it has a particularly high base just like her wedding tiara, which can be unattractive when her tiara hair isn’t just so. Sophie’s necklace at the Luxembourg gala dinner was also on loan from the Queen, the King Faisal Necklace (click here to read about that on the Queen’s Jewel Vault). Her Majesty loaning things out is not an everyday occurrence, so this makes another interesting development apart from the tiara.

What’s your theory about this tiara?

Photos: Cour grand ducale/Getty Images/Rex

Tiara Thursday: The Lannoy Tiara

We touched on the tiara worn at the royal wedding over the weekend, but we’ll put it in Tiara Thursday form just because. And we’ll have two Tiara Thursdays today because I’m still riding my tiara high, and I figured you lot wouldn’t mind.

The Lannoy family tiara is made of platinum and diamonds, 270 old-cut brilliants to be exact. The scrolling natural design includes a few feature stones: a set of larger brilliants, and a large pear shape diamond inverted at the top of the tall center. The design is outlined in tiny platinum gilded pearls. It was made by Altenloh in Brussels, a silversmith and jeweler and former court jeweler to the Belgian royal family.

Center detail and the tiara in use from the front (top) and back (bottom)

This was Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy’s tiara of choice for her wedding to the Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg. Other brides to wear the tiara include Stéphanie’s sisters and sisters-in-law, so she was certainly following in the family tradition. It’s a petite tiara in spite of the large stones it includes, and the size plus the platinum setting must make it a fairly light piece to wear – always a plus on a long wedding day.

Stéphanie on her wedding day

It remains to be seen if Stéphanie, as Hereditary Grand Duchess and eventually Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, will ever wear this tiara again, or if she’ll stick strictly to Luxembourg royal tiaras from now on. If she does wear this one again, I hope she’ll consider anchoring it down a little bit better…

Oops...the tiara flies up while leaving the cathedral

Was this the tiara you were hoping to see on Stéphanie on her wedding day, or were you hoping for another?

Photos: Cour Grand Ducale/Vic Fischbach/Getty Images

Wedding Wednesday: More Jewels in Luxembourg

I love going back and taking a more detailed look at the outfits from big royal events. After the initial judgment has passed, you can find some real gems in the details. And in the case of this past weekend’s royal wedding, I mean that literally: there were some interesting jewels on display on the guests.

Since Mary already had her rubies with her for the gala dinner, she went ahead and wore the smallest version of the earrings with one of the pearl options at the wedding. Marie-Chantal spiced up her rather drab outfit with some large modern diamond earrings.

Brooches had their day in the sun too. Mathilde’s making a royal wedding tradition out of wearing this huge diamond brooch which belonged to Queen Fabiola. Annemarie borrowed a sapphire and diamond brooch from the Dutch collection, while Victoria chose diamonds and pearls.

The queens are the ones you expect to sport brooches galore, and they didn’t disappoint. Margrethe went romantic with the diamond daisy brooch she wore on her own wedding day. (She wore it to William and Kate’s wedding, too.) Silvia went for it with historic pearl earrings and a brooch from the Bernadotte collection, plus a diamond necklace and pearl bracelet. And Paola has two brooches on – one on her hat, one on her coat.

Lalla Salma’s jewels were a gorgeous complement to her royal blue dress and red locks, though even with this much glitter she didn’t take the prize of most ornamented.

No, that award is shared between these two Dutch magpies. Queen Beatrix wins in terms of carats, sporting big diamond earrings, a diamond necklace, bracelet, and open frame diamond brooch. (Anyone that casually wears a diamond rivière to a day occasion will forever win my heart. This is a fact.) But my Máxima wins in terms of creativity. She’s worn bits from the Borneo set of jewels, given to Queen Wilhelmina for her investiture, using them as earrings and a belt buckle of sorts. It just goes to prove: there’s a jewel in the Dutch collection for every possible outfit. (Or perhaps I should say: Máxima will find an outfit to go with every jewel in the Dutch collection. And that’s why we love her.)

Which “casual” jewel is your favorite?

Photos:  Getty Images

Random Royal Appreciation: Partying with the Windsors

The Windsors were out and about in force last night, shall we check in?

Let us first spend a moment with Charles and Camilla at the premiere of the new James Bond movie, and let us spend that moment gazing at Camilla's necklace.

A new-to-Camilla piece, and it's amethysts to boot! Now, I'm never really sure whether I like heart-shaped stones (heaven help us if she starts to reenact her favorite scene from Titanic), but I am sure that I like pieces unearthed from the vaults, and I believe that's just what we have on our hands here.

The heart-shaped amethyst necklace immediately reminded me of a piece discussed in Leslie Field's The Queen's Jewels which was a wedding gift from Queen Alexandra to the Queen Mother in 1923. It's described as "three rows of small pearls interspersed with eight large oval amethysts, each surrounded by brilliant-cut diamonds. Hanging from the front largest cluster is a heart-shaped amethyst pendant surrounded by brilliants, and from the four side clusters hang oval amethyst drops surrounded by brilliants." According to Field, it was given to the Queen sometime after her own wedding. Allowing for inevitable redesign and variance in description, it seems a good match to me.

And also, Windsors, if you're going to start spreading your jewels around (see: Camilla there, plus Sophie in Luxembourg), hows about we get some new diamonds for our friend Kate, hmm?

The Duchess of Cambridge tagged along with the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Princess Royal, Prince Edward, Princess Eugenie, and who knows who else for a reception honoring Team GB Olympic and Paralympic medalists. The Queen was in refreshing ice blue, Anne in sharp red, and Kate in a customized version of an ALICE by Temperley dress (below). I think I'd rather have the original, myself, but oh well.

Kate was sporting the same diamond bracelet (and earrings too, I believe) we've seen her in multiple times since her wedding. I love that she's finding as many reasons as she can to wear the diamonds she has, and I think some variety is in order. C'mon Lilibet, make it happen. (And speaking of QEII, the low-down on her diamond selections for the evening can be found at the Queen's Jewel Vault, as always.)

Photos: Getty Images/PA/MyWardrobe

Runway to Royal: The Luxembourg Wedding

I don’t know about you, but I have the most massive tiara and couture hangover from this weekend. To soothe my symptoms of withdrawal, I have a couple more posts for you on the fabulousness we just enjoyed. Hey, we’re not going to see another event like this for a good while, so we better take it all in. First, a little comparison from runway to real royal life: who adapted it best?

This is legit couture – made just for you, so runway matches aren’t exact. So many of you noted multiple similarities between a lot of the Elie Saab gowns, and I don’t disagree with you. As with most ornate creations, it doesn’t help that we can’t pick out the fine details like we would be able to if we were standing right in front of the dresses. But I can’t get enough of it either way, so I remain firmly on Team Bring It On. For the record, Marie-Chantal's was my favorite - a true classic.

Also for the record, there were Elie Saab ensembles that didn't float my boat. Sorry, Clotilde. I'm still upset there wasn't a legit tiara (I just love the pink tiara she wore on her wedding day sooooo much, I'm complaining about its absence again), and the wedding outfit needed some color somewhere in the worst way.

I guess this is something of a classic silhouette for Mary; she’s worn these tiered gowns in the past, and I won’t lie to ya, they’re never my favorite. But they are probably spectacular in motion.

I was surprised how many of you hated Sophie’s outfit for the wedding. All I know is this: I watched the arrivals live, and it was like one long parade of standard suits and shiny suits and standard suits and shiny suits. Sophie was a breath of fresh air, totally striking in her black and white. And I couldn’t tell there were horses in the print – something which seemed to bother several of you on a deep level - until looking at photos.

Some found Caroline’s dress for the gala hideous, but I say to you: rejoice, for she stopped short of matching boots. (I actually quite like it, especially when you compare it to some of her recent evening choices).

What I loved about both Astrid and Margaretha was that I would never in a million years have selected these dresses for these two ladies. But here they are, workin' them like nobody's business.

Máxima is my favorite runway to royal example: she's given this Jan Taminiau dress so much more life with her feather boa on steroids and her rubies. Bless her and her flamboyance.

This is only a selection, feel free to post other runway finds in the comments!

Who had the best runway interpretation?

Photos: Getty Images/Cour grand ducale/Style.com/Jan Taminiau/Jesper Høvring/Bruce Oldfield

Things That Make You Go Hmm...: Victoria the Hula Girl

I didn't know Sweden had hula girls!

Crown Princess Victoria attends a Star for Life Choir concert wearing Swedish brand Altewai.Saome.

I didn't know you could make jewelry out of Legos!

This has been most educational. I'd like to thank Victoria for selflessly sacrificing her personal style to teach us this important lesson.

(And now that we're all learned up, can we never wear this again? Excellent.)

Photos: Belga

Royal Trip Report: The Belgians in Turkey

Last week, before scooting over to Luxembourg for the big royal wedding, Philippe and Mathilde visited Turkey on an economic mission for Belgium. And there was some fabulousness, and some averageness, and some orangeness.

Day 1 arrival; Day 2

Orangeness. I really think if she went a week without wearing orange, I wouldn’t recognize her. (Can you tell it’s just not my favorite color? But it seems to be hers, so fair enough.) Note Phillipe’s tie: the couple that matches together stays together, apparently.

Day 4, in Dries Van Noten

Averageness. This is a totally typical Mathilde silhouette, but with an un-typical print. Innnnteresting…and just a touch psychedelic, like if you look too long you’ll be sucked through the vortex. We should move on, just in case.

A concert on Day 3; more events on Day 2 in Zara

Fabulousness. First, the purple. It’s PURPLE, do I need to expound? I do not. And then the white, which might just be my favorite Mathilde outfit of the year. I love her in pure white, and I’m loving the shaping. I gather she received the necklace as a gift while there, but it works perfectly too. Jumpy claps!

The Luxembourg Royal Wedding: The Gentlemen

We've thoroughly gone over the ladies' outfits from all the wedding festivities, so now it's time to give the gentlemen some attention. Today, a selection (just some, not all) of the men from the religious wedding. 

Left to Right: Grand Duke Henri, Prince Félix, Prince Sébastien, Prince Louis, Grand Duke Jean, and Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg

Luxembourg lads to start, then. Henri and the groom (who we covered earlier) are the only ones in the immediate family in uniform, and both wore the golden orange sash of the Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau, the highest chivalric order in Luxembourg. (It is shared with the other Nassau branch in the Netherlands, where it is a house order and is not the highest national honor.) But all of these guys were born knights of the order (the miniature lapel pins you spot are from the order), and we did get to see them in their ribands at the pre-wedding gala dinner.

L to R: King Albert, Prince Philippe, and Prince Laurent of Belgium; Prince Lorenz, Archduke of Austria-Este (husband of Princess Astrid of Belgium), and his son Prince Amedeo

Both King Albert (who is Grand Duke Henri's uncle) and Prince Philippe have the Gold Lion sash, while Laurent has the blue Order of Civil and Military Merit of Adolph of Nassau, which is the order below the Gold Lion. As for Lorenz and Amedeo, the combination of their ties pays tribute to the orange and blue of the House of Nassau (even if it's just a coincidence, it's a handy one!). For the gala dinner, Lorenz wore the Adolph order.

L to R: The Prince of Orange, Prince Henrik and Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark, King Harald and Crown Prince Haakon of Norway

Normally, the rules for orders in foreign countries are as follows: you wear the highest order you've been given of the country you're visiting, and if you have none of those, you wear the highest order you have from your own country. Most of the men followed that, except for Willem-Alexander. He chose to wear the lower of the orders he has from Luxembourg, the Order of the Oak Crown. The lovely Luxarazzi suggested this could be a special tribute to the relationship between the Netherlands and Luxembourg because the Oak Crown was created by Willem II, who was both King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg. Makes sense to me! The rest of the men shown here followed the regular rules, with Harald and Henrik in the Gold Lion, and Haakon and Frederik in the Adolph.

L to R: Prince Daniel and Prince Carl Philip of Sweden, the Prince of Asturias, King Constantine and Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece

Handsome Carl Philip and Felipe missed out on the gala fun from the evening before, but made up for in their dashing uniforms on the wedding day (both in the Adolph order). I don't know if it's because of his wife's style influence or just his personal panache, but Pavlos is my personal favorite of the non-uniform men. At the dinner, Constantine wore the Gold Lion sash, Daniel wore the Swedish Order of the Seraphim, and Pavlos wore the Greek Order of the Redeemer.

L to R: The Earl of Wessex; Prince Hassan and Prince Rashid of Jordan; the Prince of Liechtenstein; Crown Prince Naruhito of Japan

Is it just me or is there something a teensy bit sinister about a uniform with black gloves? Look out Sophie, Edward could sprout a handlebar mustache and start twirling it at any moment. Anyway, he's wearing the Order of the Garter since he has no orders from Luxembourg and the uniform of the Rifles (he's Royal Colonel of the 2nd Battalion). I spotted Prince Hassan wearing the Order of al-Hussein bin Ali the previous evening, and the jolly-looking Naruhito in the Japanese Order of the Chyrsanthemum.

L to R: King Simeon of Bulgaria, the Duke of Parma, the Duke of Braganza, the Prince of Venice and Piedmont, the Prince of Preslav

Just a few last gentlemen to finish us out. I didn't see the Duke of Parma at the dinner, but here are links for the rest of the gentlemen in various orders: Simeon, Duarte Pio, Emanuele Filiberto, and Kyril. And as I said, this is just a selection of the royal men in attendance at the wedding.

Do you have a favorite?

Photos: Getty Images/Cour Grand Ducale/Christian Aschman/PPE/Reuters