The Prince and Princess of Monaco's Wedding: The Tiaras

Oh, bliss! There hasn't been this much bling on parade since Crown Princess Victoria got hitched last year, and I have been longing for a good show ever since. With many due thanks to Al and Char, let's dive in:

Left to Right: Princess Charlene of Monaco, Queen Paola of the Belgians, Queen Silvia of Sweden

Strange to include Charlene with the sovereign consorts now, isn't it? She's moving on up, but not in bling...yet. This is a new piece, the Diamond Foam Tiara, and a stretch to call it a tiara methinks. Paola is sporting her bandeau tiara which once belonged to Queen Elisabeth, and Queen Silvia wore the Nine Prong Tiara. I can never decide if that one is a little too comical, or just jolly enough, if that makes any sense. (Probably not.)

L to R: Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, Princess Máxima of the Netherlands, Princess Mathilde of Belgium, Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway

Victoria wore the Baden Fringe Tiara, which is one of the pieces that made me love fringe tiaras. It frames her like a halo! Mary wore her wedding tiara without the pearls she had added last time, so now we know that she has indeed made a convertible piece (well played, Your Royal Highness). Máxima wore the aquamarine parure, Mathilde wore her laurel wreath (the only tiara she has, poor love), and Mette-Marit wore the same diamond daisy tiara she wore at her own wedding.

L to R: Princess Madeleine of Sweden, Princess Marie of Denmark, Princess Claire of Belgium, the Countess of Wessex

Like the ladies above, Madeleine wore one of her favorite and most frequently worn pieces: Sweden's modern fringe tiara. I love how this one just seems to float, with no real connection between the diamonds or the wearer's head. Marie's wedding tiara (also her only one) has the same effect. Tiara magic! Princess Claire wore the diamond and pearl tiara that she debuted at the Swedish royal wedding. Many people wondered if the piece was a loan at the time, since the Belgians aren't so prone to adding to their jewel collection, but now it looks like it's hers to have and to hold. And the Countess of Wessex joined the ranks of the ladies paying nostalgic tributes to their own bridal days by wearing her wedding tiara.

L to R: Princess Astrid of Belgium, Princess Caroline of Hanover (and Monaco), Princess Michael of Kent

Princess Astrid is married to Prince Lorenz, the Archduke of Austria-Este, and this is a tiara from his side of the family: the Savoy-Aosta tiara. It's lovely, though that picture of Astrid is not (many apologies to HRH!). Caroline wore a sapphire necklace in her hair in tiara fashion, perhaps because so many of the family's other tiaras are on display? (And one doesn't know how she feels about wearing her husband's family tiaras nowadays - Ernst was notably absent from all of the wedding festivities.) And Princess Michael, who has quite an impressive collection, showed off her jewel creativity by wearing diamond daisy brooches in her hair. The pieces were inherited from her late mother-in-law, Princess Marina.

L to R: Crown Princess Margarita of Romania, Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia, the Duchess of Braganza, the Duchess of Castro, the Hereditary Princess of Baden

Representing the non-ruling houses, Margarita wore the same Greek key motif tiara she wore at the Swedish royal wedding, and Maria Vladimirovna wore a tremendously grand kokoshnik. (I can't help but wonder if that's all real? I have doubts.) The Duchess of Braganza's tiara looks like it could also be a necklace, and is quite modest. The Duchess of Castro's tiara is made of diamonds and rubies in a dragonfly motif, which might creep me out a bit. (Bugs!) And the Hereditary Princess of Baden is wearing some kind of brooch/button affair that I know nothing about.

UPDATE: A few last tiara pictures have popped up!

L to R: the Margravine of Baden, the Hereditary Princess of Liechtenstein (circled), Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg

The Margravine of Baden wore a diamond and ruby tiara in a wreath motif, which strikes me as almost a cross between Mathilde's laurel wreath tiara and Queen Anne-Marie of Greece's ruby wreath tiara. Sophie of Liechtenstein has still managed to avoid photographers, but here at least we can see the magnificent Liechtenstein Fringe Tiara, which is one majorly tall and sparkly fringe (she also wore it to Crown Princess Victoria's wedding). And Maria Teresa dipped into her amazing collection and pulled out her favorite, Grand Duchess Marie Adelaide's Tiara, as well as a diamond and sapphire necklace that can also be worn as a tiara.

Delicious, isn't it? Can we have more parties like this? Who do we need to talk to about this?

(See the gowns on these ladies right here!)

Do you have a favorite?

Photos: Newscom/Svenskdam