Sweden

The Haga Princesses

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7th August 2023
When Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten, died in 1947, he left behind a nine-month-old son and heir and four daughters who collectively became known as the Haga Princesses. Although the four Princesses were older than their brother, they were not in the line of succession as Sweden did not adopt absolute primogeniture until 1980. So who were these sisters?The eldest of the four is…
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Sweden

A romantic and reluctant queen

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6th August 2023
She was the royal who insisted she would only marry for love while he was a prince with a broken heart and no desire to wed again. However, on a summer’s day, exactly a century ago, they fell in love in London and began a royal romance that would lead to a crown and…
Sweden

Blood is thicker than water! A look at how King Carl XVI Gustaf's parents shaped his reign

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5th August 2023
King Carl XVI Gustaf is about to celebrate his Golden Jubilee. And after 50 years of reign, many Swedish citizens barely remember a life without the current King on the throne.His reign has another peculiarity: Carl Gustaf inherited the throne directly from his grandfather at 27. His father, Prince Gustaf Adolf, never had a chance of even becoming Crown Prince, passing away in an…
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Sweden

The steel of Sweden: the unusual tiaras that sparkle in the Bernadotte collection

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4th August 2023
The Swedish Royal Family has a knack for jewellery, and that’s especially true of their steel tiaras. There are two steel cut tiaras in their vault: the Steel Cut Tiara and the Steel Cut Bandeau.The Cut Steel Tiara dates back to Queen Hortense of Holland’s time—she was the granddaughter of Empress Joséphine—and lived as queen consort between 1806 and 1810.The steel tiara is…
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Norway

An ultra modern tiara for a very modern queen

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4th August 2023
One of Queen Sonja’s most modern and unique tiaras was a gift from her husband on her 60th birthday.In 1997, Queen Sonja was presented with the Modern Gold Tiara, crafted by Millie Behrens. The tiara features golden strips of metal set with diamonds in the spacing and…
Luxembourg

The sparkling citrine in Luxembourg's royal collection

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4th August 2023
The stones at the heart of this Luxembourg tiara have long been a mystery to royal watchers: are they topazes or are they citrines?The Grand Ducal Household has never officially declared which gemstones are used in the tiara, so nearly every article about it calls it the Citrine (or Topaz) and Pearl Bandeau.The tiara is made up of oval citrines—or topazes—set on a yellow gold band and…
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