Luxembourg State Visit to Belgium: March 20-22, 2007

[Henri M.]

Grand Duchess Maria Teresa

This time she wore the Elisaveta Michailovna Diademe with greater effect (more rounder, as a crown) than in The Hague, last year.

The Grand-Duchess in The Hague

The Grand-Duchess in Brussels

But I disagree with the ladies praising her hairdo: in bothcases I thought it was ill-fitting for such a grand piece. I remain with my mantra: please wear your hair 'up' when placing a diademe.

By the way: the jewels in The Hague (all diamonds) did suit the Grand Duchess better than the jewels worn yesterday. That dog collar made her look more overweight than she already is (looks too tight around her neck).

 

[alexandresylvie]

link for Galadinner (Source Belga.be) BelgaPicture

 

[Stefan]

Out of my heart (correct me if I'm wrong)

Only during the Spanish State Visit she wore the Medinaceli Diademe (Spanish Wedding Gift Diademe) on her hairdo.

During the Swedish State Visit she wore a few prongs as a necklace, combined with aquamarines.

So the Spanish State Visit was the only one on which she wore a diademe, after de death of her spouse, King Baudouin.

Then she wore the spanish wedding Gift tiara as a necklace on this Visit. I think she wore it also on a later State Visit as Necklace but again with Aquamarines.

 

[dazzling]

Pictures from the gala are great, its nice to see everyone dressed up & the beautiful tiaras. Princess Astrid is in a beautiful elie saab couture gown, that color looks great on her though i dont like the hair, she is wearing a beautiful tiara.I liked everyones outfit for the dinner, all looked very elegent. Maria-teresa's dress is not what id like to see her in, though it was a nice color. why does Mathilde keep wearing the same tiara over & over? its a nice one,but ive not seen her in a different one

 

[Henri M.]

Why does Mathilde keep wearing the same tiara over & over? its a nice one,but ive not seen her in a different one

Because she has only one diademe.



The Queen
- Diademe of the Nine Provines (Gift from the Antwerp Diamond Industry and the Belgian people)
- Small Art Déco Bandeau

Queen Fabiola
- Medinaceli Diademe (Spanish Wedding Gift Diademe)
- Small Wolfers Diademe (Gift from the Antwerp Diamond Industry)
- some bigger and smaller jewels

The Duchess of Brabant
- Laurel Leaf Diademe (Gift from the Belgian Nobility)

Princess Claire
- Small converted necklace

You see that the Belgians hardly have purchased any pieces. It mostly are gifts.
It also are not very old pieces. They also lack parures, demi-parures, substantial bracelets, broches, etc.

Princess Astrid has no jewels from the Belgian royal family but from the House of Savoia-Aosta (heirlooms of her spouse).

 

[Stefan]

Because she has only one diademe.

Perhaps she could loan the bandeau from Queen Paola like she has for her Wedding Day. Also she worn the new necklaces last year in Sweden and Luxemburg. perhaps she could convert them to small tiaras. Wonder if Astrid could wear the grand emerald necklace she wore last mont in Oslo as tiara. Also Paola has a small necklace which she wore last year during the dutch State-Visit who would make a nice little tiara. In her years as Princess of Liege she has worn the necklace which she wore yesterday evening as tiara but not anymore after becoming Queen.

 

[viola]

Grand Duchess Maria Teresa looks wonderful, and wow the tiara.

 

[Shadiyah2086]

Princess Astrid's dress looks like something you'd wear to the prom. Not to a state dinner. I think it would have looked better if it was different colour like a royal blue or a forest green. Not bright yellow I mean way to make yourself stand out.

 

[anneke]

on PPE Agency some beautiful pics of the visit to the town Brugge.
The grand duchess Maria Teresa and queen Paola.

 

[Sira]

Maria- teresa looks wonderful.

I agree with you Elmabruin.
The colour of the dress suits her very well.

 

[lisamaria]

But I disagree with the ladies praising her hairdo: in bothcases I thought it was ill-fitting for such a grand piece. I remain with my mantra: please wear your hair 'up' when placing a diademe.

By the way: the jewels in The Hague (all diamonds) did suit the Grand Duchess better than the jewels worn yesterday. That dog collar made her look more overweight than she already is (looks too tight around her neck).

I don't think MT really has a face for an updo, not everybody does. I know I'm alone with this, but I hate the tiara she is wearing. Very Miss Havisham, on anyone par maybe GD Josephine-Charlotte.

Queen Paola is very beautiful and Queen Fabiola... sheer, pure style. She is very much in the same league with Coco Chanel and Diane Vreeland

 

[Kelly]

You see that the Belgians hardly have purchased any pieces. It mostly are gifts.
It also are not very old pieces. They also lack parures, demi-parures, substantial bracelets, broches, etc.

Princess Astrid has no jewels from the Belgian royal family but from the House of Savoia-Aosta (heirlooms of her spouse).

Is there any reason as to why they do not have any other pieces? Have they been sold in the past years?

 

[Stefan]

Is there any reason as to why they do not have any other pieces? Have they been sold in the past years?

A few tiaras where given to Princess Marie-José when she married the future King Umberto II. of Italy. Then the big Cartier diamond tiara who was in the posession of Queen Elisabethj was left to her oldest son King Léopold III., his second wife Princess Lilian who inherited it after his death sold it at auction which was a bigh shame as it was a really beautiful tiara. And from a lot of pieces it is not known what hapened to them. For example the emerald necklace/Tiara of queen Astrid was not seen for at last 50 years. it can be assumed that a lot of pieces are still in the vaults of Queen fabiola but as she is not to fond of jewels she doesn't wear them. perhaps a few pieces will sho up after she has passed away.

 

[Marengo]

Some have been auctioned by Princess Lilian and some were inherited by GD Josephine-Charlotte of Luxembourg and Queen Marie-Jose of Italy.

They probably don't have the money to buy some new pieces (or they prefer to spend the money otherwise). This branch of Coburgs was never that rich, I believe. Most of Leopold II's Congo money went to his daughters and mistress(es?) instead of to his nephew Albert I.

 

[Marengo]

And from a lot of pieces it is not known what hapened to them. For example the emerald necklace/Tiara of queen Astrid was not seen for at last 50 years. it can be assumed that a lot of pieces are still in the vaults of Queen fabiola but as she is not to fond of jewels she doesn't wear them. perhaps a few pieces will sho up after she has passed away.

Didn't GD Maria-Theresa wear that necklace yesterday

 

[Sancia]

Am I the only one to think that princess Astrid does urgently need a fashion advisor?

 

[Hereditary Mapmaker]

Yes - the Belgians seem to have less jewels and smaller jewels than the other families. But I don't understand what all the discussion is going to do to change that. If it mattered so much to them, they would purchase more. Or better yet, if it matters so much to the members of this forum, perhaps they could pool their resources, purchase an appropriate piece or parure and donate it to the Belgian Royal Family, just as many pieces came into the vaults of just about every other dynasty. I also find it somewhat offensive that some people (on other forum sites) are suggesting that Queen Fabiola has some sort of responsibility/obligation/moral imperative to give her personal jewelry to the other Belgian women or to leave it to them after her death. I doubt that she would ever see this but I hope she does exactly what she pleases with them, as they are her own property.

Back to the issue of the Belgian jewelry, IMO Queen Paola doesn't appear to greatly enjoy the time, work, and effort involved with these events, so maybe she doesn't really care. As far as her hairdo at this event, I think she looked great. Her hair style didn't cover up the tiara. The tiara didn't overwhelm her because her hair was a little longer and styled differently. And the hairstyle itself seems contemporary and makes her appear younger.

Mapper

 

[Stefan]

Didn't GD Maria-Theresa wear that necklace yesterday

No i meant this one

 

[tdarlene]

Princess Mathilde was really beautiful at the gala dinner, she looked just great, I liked especially her dress.

 

[tdarlene]

PPE Agency and Getty Images have some photos of today:

PPE Agency

Getty Images - Unsupported browser detected

 

[flcty]

Am I the only one to think that princess Astrid does urgently need a fashion advisor?

No your not the only one, Danielane. Heck I couldn't even tell what color it was when I first saw a pic of her.

 

[Henri M.]

Is there any reason as to why they do not have any other pieces? Have they been sold in the past years?

It has to do with specific family-conditions and situations.

In the Orange-Nassau family all possessions acquired in all those centuries by all those ancestors became in hands of two heiresses who were a single kid (Queen Wilhelmina 1880-1962 and Queen Juliana 1911-2004). Between 1934 and 1937 the royal family even did count of no more than.... two persons: Queen Wilhelmina and her daughter Princess Juliana. Also the family is much, much longer a reigning family. The Netherlands Queen can still wear jewels with diamonds or pearls once worn by Mary of Orange born Stuart (1662-1664), which is an unbelievable provenance, of course.

The present Belgian dynasty came on the throne in 1831 and did actually acquire an impressive number of jewels. But many Belgian princesses engaged in prestigious marriages but lost all due to disasters, to sale, to break-ups, to inheritances.

Princess Charlotte of Belgium (daughter of Leopold I) became Empress of Mexico, but revolution broke out, her husband Maximilian was executed and she returned to Belgium, broken, with a mental illness and a progressive form of paranoia. From the imperial treasures hardly anything was left. She was totally dependant on the dotations from her Belgian relatives and her Austrian in-laws.

Princess Louise of Belgium (daughter of Leopold II) married a distant relative from 'the rich side' of the dynasty Saxen-Coburg and Gotha. But she had a dazzling lifestyle and a hole in her hand. She managed it to spoil both her own as well her husband's fortune on a glamorous lifestyle. After a divorce, a forced interment in a psychiatric clinic and a remarriage she died in extremely poor circumstances.

Princess Stéphanie of Belgium (daughter of Leopold II) married the Austrian Heir, Archduke Rudolph. Her prestigious marriage did cost a fortune in her dowry which was loaded with art, jewels, gold- silver and crystalware. The marriage was a drama. Her spouse committed suicide with his maîtresse at Mayerling Castle. As dowager she was allowed to keep all her jewels and privileges, as long as she did not remarry. But she felt in love with a Hungarian count, a 'mesailliance' in the eyes of both the Belgian and Austrian Court. She lost all her privileges. In the end she died in a Benedictine convent.

Princess Clémentine (daughter of Leopold II) had a good marriage, for a change, with Prince Napoleon Victor Bonaparte. Her dowry was not as grand as her sister Stéphanie's, but did also not grow because Prince Napoleon was no member of a reigning dynasty and had to manage his lifestyle with his estate. Most likely her jewels ended with her daughter Princess Marie Clotilde, who got 10 children.

The contributions of jewelry to the collection by Queen Elizabeth, Queen Astrid, Princess Lilian, Queen Fabiola and Queen Paola were pretty minimal. It is rumoured that King Leopold wasin financial troubles and sold magnifique jewels in the 1950's and 1960's. In the 1920's the Diademe of the Nine Provinces was a gift. After WWII the only major addition was a gift as well: the Medinaceli Diademe, chosen by Madame Franco herself.

 

[Princess Robijn]

Princess Mathilde looked amazing this evening, she wore the red dress she also wore in Sweden last year.

PPE has pictures

 

[Henri M.]

Earring = pendant

Princess Mathilde looked amazing this evening, she wore the red dress she also wore in Sweden last year.

PPE has pictures

Tonight the Princess wore one of her earrings (she wore yesterday) as a pendant. A sort of light rose stone.

 

[fanletizia]

Princess Mathilde looked amazing this evening, she wore the red dress she also wore in Sweden last year.

PPE has pictures

Poor Queen Fabiola

 

[SASSY]

Poor Queen Fabiola

Are you referring to her clothing?

 

[le soleil]

queen fabiola was fabulous!she looks great in her dress and her jewels matches her outfit!maybe fanletizia was referring to the tiaras!

 

[fanletizia]

queen fabiola was fabulous!she looks great in her dress and her jewels matches her outfit!maybe fanletizia was referring to the tiaras!

I talk about to that she walks very curved, is she ill?

 

[drimal]

Nice pics about the State Visit of the Grand Ducal couple in Belgium on wort.lu

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d18/drimal_/romanov/visite_01.jpg
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d18/drimal_/romanov/visite_03.jpg
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d18/drimal_/romanov/visite_05.jpg
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d18/drimal_/romanov/visite_06.jpg
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d18/drimal_/romanov/visite_07.jpg
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d18/drimal_/romanov/visite_11.jpg
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d18/drimal_/romanov/visite_12.jpg
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d18/drimal_/romanov/visite_13.jpg
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d18/drimal_/romanov/visite_14.jpg
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d18/drimal_/romanov/visite_20.jpg
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d18/drimal_/romanov/visite_24.jpg

 

[dazzling]

i cant get over myself how god mathilde looked in the red dress. Queen fabolia is looking good for her age but she does have a wardrobe problem, its great to see her with the family at varioues events.