Royal Round Up: Triple the tiara appearances & double the York princesses

Belgian Royal Family Fashion Japan Imperial Family Jewelry Princess Beatrice Princess Eugenie Queen Mathilde Royal Family of Norway Royal Wedding Tiara Event

Royal Round Up: Triple the tiara appearances & double the York princesses

by katemiddletonreview63 Comments on Royal Round Up: Triple the tiara appearances & double the York princesses

This royal round up features three separate tiara appearances (one that barely makes the count as royal, but whatevs) and two different York princesses. Queen Mathilde and Crown Princess Mette-Marit were out and about at State Banquets while Princess Beatrice was doing the charity thing and Princess Eugenie was attending a service at Westminster Abbey.

On October 11, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde were in Japan for a State Visit and attended a State Banquet hosted by Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko.

Mathilde wore an orange gown with beading which was a nice backdrop for the Order of the Precious Crown (Japan) sash and star. Mathilde wore the Wolfers Necklace Tiara.

The Banquet was attended by members of the Japanese Imperial Family including: Crown Prince Naruhito, Crown Princess Masako, Prince Akishino, Princess Kiko, Princess Mako, and Princess Kako.

Masako wore the Order of Leopold (Belgium) while Mako and Kako wore the Order of the Precious Crown (Japan). Masako wore what OoS calls the Japanese Pearl Sunburst Tiara while the other ladies wore their own parures. The Empress did not wear a tiara as she has not been wearing tiaras for several years.

mathilde-masako-kako-at-belgian-japan-state-banquet

Norway hosted the President and First Lady of Singapore for a State Visit with a State Banquet on October 10.

King Harald and Queen Sonja – in the Modern Gold Tiara and Order of St. Olav (Norway) – attended. As did Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit – in the Amethyst Necklace Tiara, Order of St. Olav (Norway), and a Sandra Mansour lace and brocade gown – and Princess Astrid – in the Vasa Tiara and Order of St. Olav (Norway).

The tiara appearance that barely counts as royal is a bridal tiara worn by Albanian actress Elia Zaharia as she married Leka II of Albania, who is the current head of the House of Zogu.

In 1928, the then head of the House of Zogu, Zog I, proclaimed himself King of the Albanians. Zog I first served as Prime Minister of Albania from 1922–1924 and then as President from 1925–1928 when he proclaimed himself King. He ruled Albania until 1939 when he was deposed by Victor Emmanuel III of Italy and the Italian invasion.

Zog was forced into exile just two days after his son, Crown Prince Leka of Albania, was born. Zog died in 1961 and since then Leka was known as King Leka I even though there was no longer a King of the Albanians. Leka I returned to Albania for the first time since he was a few days old in 1993. He returned again in 1997, the year of the Albanian civil war, when there was a referendum concerning a restoration of the monarchy, which was rejected. Leka I fled in 1997 but did return years later and died in 2011 in the capital city of Tirana.

Since Leka I’s death in 2011, his son, Leka II, is head of the House of Zogu. He’s known at the Crown Prince of Albania, but to some people he’s called King Leka II.

So with all that backstory out of the way, Leka II and Elia married in Tirana, Albania on October 8.

So what tiara did Elia wear to marry the grandson of the first and only King of the Albanians? Why a rams head one, of course! Elia wore a diamond and sapphire tiara featuring the Ram of Skanderbeg as a centerpiece for the diadem. The Ram of Skanderbeg is a national symbol of Albania modeled after the ram-shaped helmet of Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg, a prominent military figure in the history of Albania.

It’s an interesting look for a tiara, but I like it much better than the wedding gown.

Princess Eugenie was at Westminster Abbey on October 12 to attend a service to commemorate the work of William Wilberforce and mark the United Kingdom’s commitment to combat modern slavery. She laid a wreath during the service.

Eugenie was also at the VIP private view of the Frieze Art Fair 2016 in Regent’s Park on October 5.

Princess Beatrice followed in the footsteps of Prince Harry and Prince William and Kate Middleton by traveling through Nepal, India, and Bhutan. Bea spent 9 days traveling by car through the three countries with the team from the Franks Family Foundation (FFF) doing charity work. You can read about Bea’s trip here, here, and here.

Bea also recently completed a triathlon on Mount Etna.

Bea spoke with the Press Association afterward. You can hear her speak in the video below. Bea’s part is over by 1:06. She seems pretty confident speaking to the press on camera. She needs to give Kate lessons.

I kind of wish the York girls were able to be working royals. I think they’d be good at it.


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63 thoughts on “Royal Round Up: Triple the tiara appearances & double the York princesses”

  1. I think everyone looks good in Japan. I know the Japanese princesses get criticized for their “boring” diamond and pearl tiaras, but I like them.

    I’m not sure if I like the Norwegian gold tiara, but points for a bold try. I do love the amethyst tiara. Can someone explain what MM is wearing. It looks like a lace nightgown over a print dress?

    Yea for Eugenie performing well at what I think is an important commemoration. I love her beret, and her dress would be fine without the white napkin panel. She is such a beauty, I wish the Yorks would find a stylist.

    Yea for Bea, too. I hope she continues to get good press that highlights the charity she is visiting.

    If WK would participate in the London marathon for Heads Up, Bea could give them some advice, since she has run it.

    1. Since Harry proposed that people should run for Heads Together in the 2017 marathon, it would be appropriate if he, William and Kate each ran at least part of the race. If they could round up other members of their families (Bea, Pippa, Zara, Mike) all the better.

      2. Would the cousins be willing to help WK promote Heads Together? It seems WK have done their best to alienate them. I think Harry could round up family support if he ran.

        I have no doubt Pips would love to run the marathon for the attention.

        1. Since Pippa is an ambassador for the British Heart Foundation (also a key charity associated with the marathon), I don’t think she’d run for Heads Together. But doubt that she’ll run it anyways–not only because of her wedding, but because if she ran her participation would attract more attention than Heads Together and the royal trio at the finish line.

    2. The mirrored tiaras and necklaces in Japan are stylistically strange to me. I guess that way you never have to worry that one design will compete with another, because they’re the same.

  2. Usually I find Mathilde’s style too matronly, but this orange gown has a lovely color that really suits her! The Japanese royal ladies look lovely, as do Bea and Eugenie, but apart from the little blue hat I find Eugenie’s sartorial choices really odd this time. She has a beautiful body and the waistcoat thing makes her look boxy, so why pick such a piece? The white dress underneath would have looked lovely on its own or with a nice jacket. The white thing in the black dress looks like she’d have pulled a tablecloth with her by mistake when leaving the table. Great to read about Bea’s charity actions. Her dedication to her causes deserves much more credit than it gets! As for the Norwegian royal ladies, Sonja and Mette-Marit give me a strong Little House on the Prairie vibe. I think I read somewhere Sonja’s dress was very old, so it could well be from the 90’s. However, kudos to her for repeating an old piece! Princess Astrid looks lovely as always, and who wouldn’t smile as broadly as she does if you got escorted by Haakon?

    1. I love orange. It can be beautiful when used appropriately. Two of my favorite dresses ever are Charlize Theron and Jennifer Garner’s orange dresses, both worn to the Oacars. I like the color of this dress too.

  3. I like the Japanese royal family women in their jewels – yes they are all much the same unless you look closely at the details – but it is in keeping with their tradition. The Albanian tiara is different for sure but looks nice in the photos. It is a shame that the Yorks have no real opportunity to do any Royal work of note as they seem more committed than W & K who go through the motions …. The Yorks do it through choice ….

    1. The Japanese parures are a little too matchy-matchy for me because the necklaces mirror the tiaras. However, they are quite beautifully detailed and crafted!

  4. I’m curious. So, an Albanian Prime Minister fancied the idea of becoming a ‘king’ and declared himself ‘royal’, ruling for about a decade. His son thought he’d have a crack at it too 50 years later, returning to the country he’d never lived in, yet the Albanian people rejected restoring this ‘monarchy’. Now his son calls himself Crown Prince when the concept of monarchy was rejected and does not exist. WTF? Shouldn’t this prince get a life and get to work? Royalty is a ridiculous concept at the best of times but this takes it to absurdist levels.

    2. Actually, I think the current self-styled crown prince or king is the grandson of the original self-created king. But I thought the very same thing as you–how utterly ridiculous. And yet their wedding was attended by numerous European royalty and even Prince Michael of Kent! Seemed absolutely absurd.

    4. Well, every royal house is self-created at one point due to its power over people or its wealth. I can’t quite get my head around the mindset of the self-titled grandson who wants to reclaim a ‘tradition’ that was, at best, a minor blip on the landscape of a country that doesn’t recognise royalty. He might need a bit of a reality check.

    6. I was wondering at what time do deposed royals stop using their title, if at all? I find the Greek royals still using titles a little ridiculous at this point. Maybe the king could get away with it but his children and grandchildren, not so much!
      I guess their mindset is once a royal always a royal

    7. Heck, we are all royalty without entitlement and easy wealth!

      ++1 to Princess Yorks!
      Lovely, quite dignified rep to HM and the BRF.

  6. For me, the most interesting part is Bea. Seems like since separating from Dave Clark she has been rather adventurous and done a fantastic job. I love how she rocks the no make up look, gets involved, and speaks off the cuff so well.

      1. I agree! A triathlon is such a tough feat. Bea has come a long way since her youth and has proven she can work hard. I hope the press will start treating her better.

  7. Way to go, Eugenie and Bea! These young women are confident and carry themselves so well. As noted above, they do this by choice. They want to help. And they are making an impact too. I’m sure Bea didn’t tell the street kids who sell on the street that their hard lives are “interesting” I am going to vote that the York girls do engagements with Harry. I’m sure he would shine with them.

    The Japanese Royal Family is interesting to me. The laws of succession and Masako’s health, for example, makes me curious to learn more. I’m still on the fence on Mathilde.

    I have to say it: Mette-Marit is a gorgeous and smart woman. She’s an advocate and has taken to her role quote well. But for all that is good on the world, she needs a new stylist. She looks bad. The cuts/styles make her look old and boxy.

    Thanks for the beautiful roundup, KMR!

    1. I’m such big fans of the York girls. I love the video that Eugenie recorded about modern slavery. She shows genuine concern and is well-spoken.

      These two women have really grown into themselves and their confidence level has increased. It makes me sad how much the media beats up on them while they are doing great work. They seem to be held to impossible standards. For instance, first Beatrice was ragged on for being “overweight” when photos of her in a bikini surfaced, and then people were speculating that she was getting “too thin” when she diets and exercises. They’re called lazy for going on vacations, yet get little-to-no media coverage on their charity engagements. I hope the double-standard will end some day. These two and Harry could really turn things around for the monarchy if they were given the chance.

      Mette-Marit is so natural beautiful, but I get sick of her boho/peasant look. I agree that the shapes she wears are usually not very flattering.

      1. Princess Beatrice is very beautiful, in all the latest photos of her shown on the KMR site. She looks healthy and happy; without make-up, she glows. She is a one-in-a-million woman, who looks much better “au natural.” She glows!

        I love Princess Eugenie in her midi dress with the white sash at the hem. It showed off her great figure to perfection. The other dress was boxy and matronly.

        I love the York Princesses. They are not afraid of taking chances, whether with clothes, or carrying out, in honor of their grandparents, their family and country, work and duties, that they volunteer for, as they were cut out of everything by Prince Charles.

  8. CP Masako and Princess Akishina both look lovely. My heart goes out to Masako because she really is brilliant and gave up a very promising career by becoming a royal. I hope she has found happiness.

    I loved seeing Eugenie at the Wilberforce tribute. I like her style and think she is the prettiest of all the young royals. She always comes across as very comfortable in her royal duties.

    The entire Albanian prince thing is laughable. Who supports him? Does he have a legitimate job?

    I must be in a bad mood because I normally support Team Beatrice. But who wouldn’t want to do fun things for charity such as marathoning in Sicily and working with a team in Nepal?

    1. True, I think it sounds fun, but it’s far better than having the Daily Mail constantly showing pictures of sunbathing on yachts. Royal duties are often a bit frivolous and fun…holding koala bears or cutting ribbons amidst cheers. But, if they are done with a great attitude they really do bring positive publicity to causes and to can aid those who do suffer. That’s why I shake my head when Kate and/or William seem very unenthusiastic about certain events. Not that they have to be beaming always with smiles and laughs, but to avoid events without good excuses (St. Patrick’s day, also no Kate at the recent Women in hedge Funds gala) or to rush through an event (Kate at hospice in the Oz/New Zealand trip) make them seem ungrateful for their privileged position, no matter how they say otherwise. I know that’s going off topic from your post, but when I saw the video of Beatrice I realized even more so how Kate is so awkward speaking in front of the press.

  9. I’ve always thought that perhaps the reason why Bea and Eugenie had problems starting a career is because they are sort of in a limbo. Here they have the royal title of princess, are blood royals but are basically out of the loop when it comes to royal work even though they both are more than willing to do it. They could take over the works of HM’s cousins especially the ones who’ve had health problems over the years. Unfortunately it does seem it will never happen.

  10. Where do I begin?! Queen Mathilde looks stunning in that orange gown (love the beading!) and Empress Michiko is looking elegant, as always (doesn’t she have a birthday coming up?). Anyway, I’m so glad that CP Masako was there as I’ve always had a soft spot for her. She went through hell within the palace walls but, God bless him, her husband stood by her 1,000% and supported her every step of the way.

    I can’t see the pictures of Norwegian royals right now (though I could this morning on my phone) so I can’t comment on them.

    I just did a quick read through the Albanians and, I have to admit, I like Elia’s gown!

    Now onto Bea & Eugenie–yay!!!!!!!!

    As many might’ve already known/figured out, I’m totally Team Yorks and I’m so glad that these events are being featured. I actually like the gown that Eugenie is wearing at Westminster Abbey. The white at the bottom? I can see why people are all “eh” but I do like the diagonal slant since it flatters her figure and the little hat gave it the outfit a nice bit of color. I’m “eh” about the outfit for the private viewing but she probably just got there from work so I’ll give her a pass.

    Beatrice rocked that triathlon and her trip to Nepal. She is probably one of the better speakers out of the young royals; clear, strong, confident and knowledgeable. You can tell she worked hard to train for that trek and it was for a good cause! Also, I heard/read that while she was in Nepal, she had lunch with the children (I think she invited them to lunch?) and was with them for hours, answering all of their questions. Huge brownie points from me.

    Sad that William appears to be alienated from his York cousins since they’d be a huge asset to him, especially later on in life (just like HM’s cousins have been a great deal of help and support to her over the years).

    Alright, I’m done for now! 🙂

  11. Beautiful post, KMR. I love seeing gowns and tiaras and found the ladies very elegant and quite beautiful.

    As for Eugenie, I am very impressed by her. She has tremendous poise and really does an excellent job wherever she goes. THe purple hat was darling on her. The dress? Too much skirt and the white panel, a no no. Does anyone know how tall she is? I have the impression she is under 5 foot 5 inches. With that in mind, if it is true, the skirt was too much at the length it was. Maybe a version made for a more petite frame would have worked better.

    Beatrice impressed me,too. She is out there doing what she can and I commend her. The York Sisters seem to always be looked over by the media, or not mentioned in a fair way. They are really special and I hope that their lives will always be happy and that they will will fulfilled by working on things they care about in serious ways.

  12. It’s always wonderful to see CP Masako, really hope she feels better. It has been such a long and difficult journey but great to see her husband supporting her in every way. Fingers crossed they found/will find happiness.

    I feel one tends to forgets Queen Mathilde quite easily as we here in general less about Belgian Royals and she does not have such a presence as Queen Maxima but she looks great in orange and I think overall she does a great job!

    Also, the York girls! They really impressive with the way they support their charities and good causes! I know there has been lot of criticism as they are born princesses but do not work for the monarchy as others, but as they aren’t working royals and still take their position seriously and use their name to support others I applaud them even more.

  13. Hate Elia’s dress
    Love Eugenie’s dress, she has always had a lovely foot and ankle this dress shows it to advantage
    Hate the hat, style and placement
    Mathilde looks fantastic as with all the Japanese ladies and thier jewels

  15. Thank you for the round up KMR.

    I adore the tiaras on the two Japanese princesses after the photo of Queen Mathilde. I apologise I do not know much about the Japanese royal family. It is good seeing the King and Queen of Belgium visiting Japan.

    I like the tiara that Elia wore. It made me laugh about the ram. I hope that the newly wedded couple are very happy together in the years ahead.

    Princess Eugenie attending the service to commemorate William Wilberforce shows her sense of duty and dedication. Eugenie,pacing the flowers down shows a good level of expertise and her posture is very good. I do like the beret that Eugenie is wearing and the other outfit shows that she is not afraid to take fashion risks.

    Hooray for Princess Beatrice. I like seeing Beatrice in her role for charity working with others and well done to Beatrice on the triathlon.
    Both girls are so compassionate and caring individuals.

  16. Beatrice really impressed me cause she seems to really get intoher charities like Prince Harry.I have always thought that the press and people judge the girls because of who their parents are .The dislike they have Fergie and Prince Andrew they project onto the girls.I think they have raised to beautiful young ladies who seem to like doing royal duties and showing support to causes not just behind the scenes unlike William and Kate.Prince Charles might wanna hold back on cutting some of the minor royals positions when he becomes king.He may need his extended family to fill in when W&K can’t be expected to attend an event every year.

    1. It’s true some people don’t like the York princesses because of their parents. I have a friend from Norfolk/Britain who did not like Bea simply because of her parents. Simple as that. She did not know about Bea’s so called vacations or her charitable contributions, she just knew that Bea was Sarah’s and PA child. hehe, Funny thing is now, my friend likes Bea. My friend dislikes that I showed her a very human side to Bea. Even though she hates to admit it she now likes Bea because of her charity work and down to earth personality and this is coming from someone who doesn’t like most of the royal family . Sadly she buys into the who Prince william can do no wrong propaganda.

      Hmm well nothing ever came from PC mouth that he was going to cut down the working royals, but the hearsay was repeated often by the the press that most people think it is fact now. I for one think if it so, that PC is just going to Let happen organically because a lot of the older working royals who are alive now wont be alive forever.

      1. I have to admit that I have not been a fan of the Yorks. And *not* because of their parents. I can see distinctions between one person and another and I do not lay the faults of the parents on the children’s feet. I didn’t think they showed much spark at all. That being said, if Beatrice and Eugenie keep this up (especially Beatrice) I may change my mind about them.

  17. Ok. Has anyone else seen the statements Kate made today? She said George loves fencing and Charlotte loves horses and riding. I had to come on here and see if anyone else saw that.

    I seriously doubt that three-year-old George loves fencing. And Charlotte didn’t give the ponies at that party in Canada a second look. Can’t they say something realistic? Like George likes cars and Charlottes likes stuffed animals? Sometimes when Will and Kate say George likes something I believe them, but fencing? I rolled my eyes when I read that.

    And the woman said that Kate “emphasized that Charlotte has the passion about horses and although she doesn’t echo it, she will do her best to champion and encourage it.”

    Charlotte is 17 months old, I seriously doubt she has a passion for riding. Most 17 month olds like animals, so I can believe that. But to say she is going to champion Charlotte’s love of riding and George loves fencing? Am I crazy or does this seem really outlandish?

    And I think maybe we just discovered the truth about Kate’s “allergy” to horses. She isn’t actually allergic, she just doesn’t like them.

    1. Maybe George likes waving a play sword around (fencing in Katespeak), but Charlotte can probably barely say horsey. This super children stuff is getting old.

    2. I’ll have a post on that later. I’ve been waiting for photos to become available.

    3. If someone can find audio of Kate actually putting together the sentence “Although I don’t echo [Charlotte’s passion for horses], I’ll do my best to champion and encourage it,” I promise to not ever again criticize her for being unable to talk without a script. Or maybe it was scripted, since she knew who she’d be meeting. Anyway, I only wish that the medal-winning equestrian Kate was talking to had responded with, “Gosh, how interesting.”

  18. Really the parents of Eugenie and Beatrice did an outstanding job in raising these 2 young women. They both have done nothing to embarrass their grandmother.

    I am so impressed with Bea and the impromptu interview. Very well spoken. I can only wish the 2 York girls the very best.

  20. Tiaras here, tiaras there, tiaras every where! I love it!!

    I could basically copy most of what everyone has said because I think this was a great post and the ladies all looked fabulous.

    Happy to see Masako attending and looking happy.

    Love, love, love Eugenie’s dress at the service. It is great on her curves. And I can I just be a teensy bit snarky and note that she managed to lay a wreath without flashing the world???

    Beatrice is soaring as well. It was great to see her tackling the challenge. And I think I love that there was no (at least I didn’t see any) promotion beforehand building it all up. She just got on with it and succeeded. And I agree she looks lovely in her photos.

    Now we’ve seen Harry and Beatrice excel on their trips while W&K turned it into a bickering with the press vacation. I would love to see Beatrice and Eugenie added to the BRF roster and for some reason I think it may happen. Realistically, W&K aren’t going to step up their game that much even when William becomes (maybe) Prince of Wales. Harry can’t be everywhere and they don’t want to give him credit for all the work he does, so someone else is going to have to step up to take on some duties and they should go to the York sisters. They are very good at it and appear informed and interested.

    Okay, going to find some more pictures of that ram tiara, it’s wrapped me up in a web of intrigue.

    Thanks KMR!!

    1. My question is why do the Yorks need to be considered “working royals” to be able to do philantropic work? In this day in age, where monarchies are being questioned and considered out dated and expensive, why would they add more to it? This proves that they can do charitable work without being on the roster. Monarchies don’t have a monopoly on charities, yes big names can bring recognition, but they can do that without getting paid from the public funds.

      1. Because they would need actual jobs outside of their charitable work (unless they are working for a charity on the payroll) if they aren’t “working royals”.

        1. They are independently wealthy so don’t really need to work. They could just volunteer for certain charities or do as harry did, and start their own foundation

          1. Bea is co founder of Big change-strive challenge (It’s been around for about 6 years now,) Bea has quite a handful of patronages. Eug has RNOH, which is something personal. They both have shown support towards various charities. They do this without getting paid and recognition. Just because they are not working royals doesn’t mean they don’t do charity work, it’s just the press barely report it or get half the story.

            While, yes the York gals would make great working royals, but I think they currently like their position where they get the best of both worlds, they get the the royal life and freedom without have to fully answer to the public , though some people believe they have to answer to everything so to speak

          2. And that’s my point! They don’t need to be on the roster to continue their charitable work! They can either keep the status quo/balance of work and volunteer work, at least with euginie, I don’t think Bea is actually working at the moment or they can just focus full time on their charitable work. As I stated, we know they have money and their father funds them to some extent so don’t necassarily need a job. So why do they need to be out on the roster? They don’t…..

          3. If they were on the official roster, they’d still be criticized but in a different way. In a slightly less bashing way.

            Now they are attacked because people don’t think they work “real” jobs. That they’re only doing charity work to try to get on the royal gravy train.

            If they only did philanthropy and didn’t get jobs in the real world, the attacks against them would only continue to escalate.

      2. This goes to a very good point: many people – some wealthy, some not – do a lot of charity work and start all manner of worthwhile initiatives. They don’t get paid for it. For aristocrats, the concept of ‘noblesse oblige’ kicks in, at least for some They have independent wealth; why do they need to be paid at extravagant levels to take up charitable works? They’d either want to or not bother. I’d imagine some from the BRF would while others would most definitely not. I’d prefer for the BRF to be paid for state ceremonial functions only, just an honorarium.

  21. It’s just certain people like the idea of the York gals becoming working royals one day. I can understand that appeal. They’d certainly give the Cambriges a run for their money and would be a breath of fresh air. Others don’t like the idea. Depends who you talk to. For now they are not needed officially, though unofficial they seem expected to attend family events. Who knows what the future will bring for these two as nothing is set in stone 🙂 Heck, HM wasn’t expected to be Queen, yet she is the longest ruling monarchy in Britain.

    1. Duke of Kent is 81
      Princess Alexandra is 79

      These two might want to cut back, but cannot because W&K won’t work more. If Beatrice and Eugenie were allowed to be working royals, they could graciously take over the work of these two.

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