My 10 Favourite Swedish Tiaras

- Ipshita Rhea Peters

It’s not easy writing a blog post when the only instructions given are, and I quote: "Write anything you please. Just mention the royals somewhere."

As it turns out, I will be writing about the royals. Specifically, the Swedish royal family. My knowledge on this subject isn't nearly as vast as Nikita’s, but my love for all things Swedish and sparkly does leave me with enough data to compile a list of my 10 favourite Swedish tiaras.

So. Without further ado.

10. Swedish Diamond Bandeau Tiara

A Bandeau, but definition, is a narrow band worn on the head to hold the hair in place, which makes it more of a fancy headband than a tiara. Whichever the case, it is undeniably pleasing to look at.

Important Appearance : 2008 Nobel Prize Gala Dinner. Worn by Crown Princess Victoria. 

9. King Edward VII Ruby Tiara 

This tiara was a gift from King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra to Princess Margaret of Connaught, on her wedding to Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden. After her death, it was inherited by her son Prince Sigvard, who later sold it to king Gustaf VI Adolf. Since then, Queen Silvia has worn it on multiple occasions.

Important Appearance : The wedding of Prince Joachim of Denmark and Alexandra Manley, 1995. Worn by Queen Silva. 

8. Baden Fringe Tiara 

Popularly dubbed as the Crown Princess’ signature tiara, the Baden Fringe is yet another wedding gift. Given to Queen Victoria of Sweden by her parents (Grand Dude and Duchess of Baden) for her wedding to Crown Prince Gustaf of Sweden in 1881, the tiara was left to a family foundation, and has since been worn by many members of the family. Recently, it has been primarily used by the Crown Princess.

Important Appearance : Nobel Prize Banquet 2014. Worn by Crown Princess Victoria 

7. Six Button Tiara

This particular tiara is of immense historical importance to the royal family. The buttons on the tiara were part of the crown of King Carl XIV Johan, used for his coronation in 1818. These 10 buttons were later removed an used to create two separate tiaras: the Six Button Tiara and the Four Button Tiara. The Six Button was allegedly intended for Princess Lilian, wife of Prince Bertil, but has been used by many royal ladies over the years.

Important Appearance : 2011 Nobel Prize Awards. Worn by Crown Princess Victoria. 

6. Braganza Tiara 

[As worn by Queen Silvia, left]

This French tiara belonged to Amélie of Brazil, wife of the Duke of Braganza. After her death in 1873, it was inherited by her sister, Queen Josephine of Sweden, and has remained in the family ever since. The Braganza has traditionally been worn by Queens, except once in 1937 by Crown Princess Louise. Recently, Queen Silvia has been using it exclusively for state visits and official portraits. 

Important Appearance : Queen Elizabeth II’s state visit to Sweden. Worn by Queen Silvia. 

5. Swedish Laurel Wreath Tiara 

Made in Boucheron, the Laurel Wreath is popularly remembered as one of Princess Lilian’s signature pieces. Another wedding gift, it was given to Princess Margaret of Connaught by her grandmother-in-law, Queen Sophia of Sweden, and was later passed on to Prince Bertil. It was frequently used by Princess Lilian.

Important Appearance : King Gustaf VI Adolf’s birthday, 1962. Worn by Princess Lilian. 

4. Modern Fringe Tiara 

One of the more recent additions to the family’s jewels, the Modern Fringe can be worn as either a tiara or a necklace. Although the personal property of Queen Silvia, it was allegedly a 10th anniversary gift from King Carl Gustaf. It has since been one of Princess Madeline’s favourite tiaras. 

Important Appearance : Princess Madeline’s Wedding, 2013. Worn by the bride. 

3. Leuchtenberg Tiara 

A wedding girt from Napoléon to Princess Augusta of Bavaria, Duchess of Leuchtenberg, on her marriage to Eugène de Beauharnais, this tiara has been a regular guest at Nobel Prize ceremonies. It was inherited by Josephine’s daughter Augusta, the Queen Consort of Oscar I of Sweden, as has been frequently used by Queen Silvia. Currently , it is part of a parure of jewellery, including earrings, a brooch, a necklace, and two hairpins.

Important Appearance : 2011 Nobel Prize Banquet. Worn by Queen Silvia. 

2. Connaught Tiara

Known as Princess Sibylla’s Tiara, this tiara is yet another wedding gift for Princess Margret by her parents, the Duke and Duchess of Connaught. It was inherited by her son Gustaf Adolf, who later gave it to his wife, Princess Sibylla, as a wedding present. The Connaught Tiara was later worn by many royals, including Queen Silvia on her first public appearance.

Important Appearance : Crown Princess’s Victoria’s Wedding, 2010. Worn by Princess Madeline. 

1. Cameo Tiara 

The Cameo tiara is not at the top of this list because of fine looks or craftsmanship (although it certainly lacks in neither of the two), but due to its significance in the family’s history.

One of the oldest jewels in the family, the Cameo Tiara was a gift to Empress Joséphine by her husband, Napoleon, in the early 1800s, back when such tiaras were more popular. It was inherited by her granddaughter, Josephine of Leuchtenberg, who brought it to Sweden through her marriage to King Oscar I of Sweden and Norway. The tiara was then passed through many royals- Princess Eugénie, Princess Margaret, Princess Sibylla, Queen Ingrid of Denmark- until it finally came to rest with the current King of Sweden.

Traditionally, the tiara has been used as a wedding crown. It was worn by Princess Brigitta and Princess Désirée on their wedding days, in 1961 and 1964 respectively. Later, the current Queen wore it for her marriage to King Carl Gustaf in 1976. To further the tradition, Crown Princess Victoria wore it for her wedding to Daniel Westling.

Seen on the head of any Swedish royal, this tiara can cause any fan (myself included) to break down into tears. A symbol of power and heritage, the Cameo certainly fits the wedding tradition of wearing "something borrowed."

Important Appearance : Crown Princess Victoria’s Wedding, 2010. Worn by the bride.

~

Contrary to what Ipshita thinks, she actually knows a lot more about Sweden's Royal Family and their tiaras than I do, but who am I to tell her that she's wrong.

This is truly the pièce de résistance of all the guest posts on my blog. Not only is it so obviously about royalty that you couldn't possibly think otherwise, but TIARAS!

The Swedish Royal Family is so appropriate for a tiara post, because their collection of tiaras is not only gorgeous, but also vast, which means that there's a tiara in there for everyone. And the best part is that this post comes a week before Prince Carl Gustaf's wedding to Sofia Hellqvist - a perfect occasion for the ladies of the family to bring out their tiaras in all their splendour.

Ipshita has her own blog, Euphoniour, on which she writes poems and posts about music and her dog (You can read that by clicking HERE). Apart from the Swedish Royal Family, she loves Gerard Way, and Maggie Stiefvater, so if you have that in common with her, you can follow Ipshita on Twitter or on Pinterest.

She also has the most adorable pet squirrel.

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Louis the Pious

- Upamanyu Acharya

Three years of fleeting, inescapable darkness,

Eclipses of sun and  moon;

Espied orange, velvet flames – burning 500 feet long,

The bridge that stood strong, in their memories atleast.

Up in the sky, a streak of red, enveloped in Various shades

of white and blue and orange. A comet, a sign –

The falling of a star that burned forever;

Charlemagne, King of the Franks and the Lombards,

Emperor and Augustus

of the Holy Roman Empire.

Feeble and fragile, he leaned on his heir

The red haired, broad shouldered heir.

Slivers of sunlight smoldered

Through stained-glass windows

Where the oaths and vows were imposed

“To guide the churches of God, and

To defend them against wicked men.

To show unstinting compassion to his sisters

and His younger brothers,

His nephews and all of his kin.”

He kissed the ground, that heir, praying

And the holy men relaying

Vivat imperator Ludovicus

When Louis the Pious arrived in Aix-la-Chapelle

he took care to resolve Charlemagne's will,

He called the clergy and the holy men

Set to promulgate God’s decree on the Carolings.

He drove his sisters, the large mob that they were,

Out to nunneries and estates granted by father.

Uncle Adalhard, Noirmoutiers and Wala to Corbie,

Bernhard to Lerins, and Gundrada to Poitiers.

He sent them all away.

Sons, daughters, siblings and trees.

He began that moral search, with paper in heart

Investigating words and words within words

Seeking the deeper meaning in morals of Aix-la-Chapelle

With hunts for prostitutes and strangers at court

And within brick walls of nobles, and the Jews;

the constantly clinking merchants, and the cacophonic clergy.

The sins in the eyes of God, overseen, omniscient,

Were to be watched by beggars and children

As they were whipped out

One by one,

With lashes in the marketplace.

Vivat imperator Ludovicus

~

This poem is taunting me. Taunting me because I know so little about the French, or the Holy Roman Empire, or really anything that happened before 1066.

If you want, you can read more about Louis, King of Aquitaine (that fairly large duchy in France of which Eleanor of Aquitaine was once Duchess) here, or here, or on Wikipedia, or by emailing Upamanyu and asking him about it. He may never reply, but it's worth a shot.

Upamanyu also has his own blog, on which he writes things that go completely over my head, but seem to be brilliant. You can read it by clicking HERE, (I've written a couple of posts or him too, so see if you can find those) and if you're viewing the desktop version, there are a bunch of icons on the top right that link to his Twitter and various other social media profiles, so follow him on whichever of those you want.

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Star Ahoy!

- Neha Makhija

Empty, empty, empty. There was absolutely nothing in sight. The nothingness was uncomfortable, unnatural, uncanny. Frantically, she looked everywhere at once. Her hands and head worked in tandem, hysterically going through every cupboard and cabinet, investigating every shelf and drawer, rummaging through all sorts of containers and jars. Nothing.

Even the cheese slices in the fridge were over. Yes, there were some apples around, a papaya too, unflavoured biscuits and those distinctly funny tasting chips. But she wasn't going to eat that. It wasn't like she was famished. Actually, she wasn't even remotely hungry. She sat down on the floor rather despondently, giving up on her snack search. She was just bored.

But the universe is so awesome. It is literally awe-inspiring in the truest sense, unlike the undeserving mundane that we overuse the word awesome on. The smallest mysteries of the universe are inexplicable to the greatest minds that have ever lived. There are more things to think and do than the number of seconds you've lived. Or ever will live.

That was all excessively wonderful, yes. But what was she supposed to do about this? She was still bored.

Her eyes were supposed to be resting. No internet, no books, no television. Only natural stresses to your eyes. Have adequate light around you. Make sure it isn't harsh, industrial light. Have like a soft, fluffy sort of light. A light light. Blink naturally. It’s good for you. Fine. She swore she would be completely natural. For the next fifteen minutes. Thirty seconds down.

“This is useless”, she declared to the headlights of a car that were blinking furiously from across the road. They blinked back in agreement. The billboard flickered in approval. A red signal flashed its assent from a distance. An aeroplane went by, twinkling in concurrence. A lone star sparkled its endorsement from heavens above. She blinked. That star was weird.

She wasn't quite sure; she had no firsthand experience with stars. But there was something striking about this star. It was big and bright and twinkled as merry as jack in the box, a far cry from the usual variety. The usual variety of stars, she reflected sadly, were mere dots, visible only by gawking at every part of the sky until your eyes popped out. Maybe this was the North Star, the beacon of explorers through the ages...except it wasn't in the north. It could be Sirius, the Dog Star; she knew that it held the distinction of brightest star in the sky. She opened the constellation app on her phone, pointing it starwards like a sceptre. The map on screen swung into motion, and arrived at a fragment of the sky containing obscure, seemingly minor stars she had never heard of. There were the planets Venus and Mars in the mix too. Could this ‘star’ be Venus? It was called the evening star after all.
But it twinkled. Planets don’t twinkle, right?

She stared at with focused ferocity, trying to gorge out its mysteries by ogling. Giving up on that, she keyed in “Do planets twinkle??” on her phone. (Yes, her eyes were supposed to be relaxing, but she was sure staring your eyes out didn't count as repose either.) Deftly and experiencedly, she judged all the results. No, no, not really, sorta, not as much as stars, yes, no. Hank Green suggested, rather cryptically, that planets don’t scintillate- at least not as much. Maybe this was Venus; that would explain its larger size. Or maybe it was ongoing battle between the Black Eyes and the Whirlpoolians, and the Whirlpoolians had just dropped their first quasar bomb (just=24 million years ago).

She treasured mysteries, and was happy that she was always going to have stuff she didn't know, but the fact that this star/not-star would set pretty soon and she would never know what it was, saddened her. It would be so different, if she could see the thousands of stars hidden behind the city lights every day. She would be able to, painstakingly, chart out all the dots and their movements. She would be able to see the stuff of NASA pictures, seafarer fables, big-budget Hollywood movies, Van Gogh and of explorers’ tales.

Technology was a boon, she had decided on that early on. And stars were clearly visible in the fourteenth and fifteenth century, but the Hundred Years’ War still took place. It is not like the presence of twinkling specks brought complete wisdom and inner peace to everyone underneath them. But she still yearned for the stars. Why, why couldn't they have both technology and stars? She didn’t want firecrackers. Firecrackers tried too hard, trying to pack in loud colours and vivid noises where a simple twinkle would suffice. And no matter how advanced the firecracker is, you can always spot the smoke it leaves as it huffs and puffs into non-existence. It was a pitiable substitute.

She wanted stars.

Would she really give up streetlights, house lights, nightlife, headlights, the entire night transportation system to look at dots which were available to her in glorious HD right on her fingers? “YES”, her heart whispered fiercely. But she wasn't so sure.

~

In case you're having trouble finding it in all that science, the reference to the Royal Family here is the Hundred Years War, which was fought between the Kings of England and France in the Middle Age, so technically, it's alright. Apart from that, it's about stars. 

I've known Neha for a few years now, and the most fascinating thing about her is that everything fascinates her. Literally, everything. I've seen her write odes to popcorn, because that's just who she is. 

Neha also has her own blog, Colossal Curiosity (HERE), on which she writes about things like Solar Impulse, the slowest plane in the world. Don't miss it if you like slow planes or popcorn (or science, or Neha). She also just joined Twitter a few months ago, and last week was her birthday! So go and say 'Hi'. And happy birthday.

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My Unhealthy Obsession

- Vaishali Ramesh

The month of my long-awaited and dreaded finals, I spent all my free time watching Downton Abbey. The show, for those of you don't watch it, follows the lives of a wealthy family who live in a typical Georgian Country house, and let me tell the house was huge. The show is all about the Crawley's three daughters and their not so perfect lives.

At first glance, this show seems atypical to the Victorian Era, ball dances and butlers. But it's not just that, its much more. I can't pin point a specific thing I liked about it, was it the arrogant Mary, or the patriarch Lord Grantham? It was neither, it was Maggie Smith's sass.

Maggie Smith whom I like to fondly call Professor McGonagall, is the head of the whole family. She quietly blends into the background when necessary but also puts people in their places at the right time. She has this insane ability for mocking people in the subtlest way possible and also being able to smooth it over, with the same amount of ease.

For a devout fan, I skipped a few episodes in between owing to the fact that my head hit the pillows promptly at ten every night, the exact time when the show was aired on the idiot box. To make up for this loss, my friend used to catch me up before every exam. Soon unable to stand the slow pace, she went ahead and saw the whole season. Now catching me up became redundant. I so obviously would not be able to contribute helpful comments to her narration. I was hence left in a loop, do I waste precious sleep hours watching the show or do I stay up like an owl? Sleep won.

Soon after finals ended, I sat down for three days straight and watched the whole show till the very end of the current season, deciding to watch it on television thereafter. Curiosity sated, I moved on to more important things. Three weeks later, too busy to do anything other than sleep or work, I discovered that the show had moved ahead on TV. They were well into the next season. Floundering for time to catch up, I struggled to get back on track with the show. After multiple episodes and still not reaching the mark, I gave up.

In some ways, my obsession with the show is a bit like Nikita's. We both were obsessed with something British and captivating. Although hers started way before mine and has lasted longer than mine, it was an obsession all the less. Be it Prince George or Lord Grantham, cuteness was abundant.

So what I am trying to say here is this, some obsession are like mine. Short lived and it completely draws you in. While others are like Nikita's. Long lasting and it makes you so stalkerish that you are ready to forgo sleep and watch the Royal Family at five in the morning. What so ever it may be, don't fret when the obsession wears off for you will find a new and more entrancing one, like I found Chris Evans.

                                                                             ~

I should point out that I'm not a stalker, and that I don't watch the Royal Family at five in the morning (except for that one occasion when the Cambridges were in Australia, and I just had to see George get off the plane).

Anyway, that was Vaishali's post about her 'unhealthy obsession' with Downton Abbey. As you might remember, I absolutely adore Downton Abbey - I watched it non-stop during my exams, and Matthew's face was pretty much the only thing that kept me sane for those three weeks - so I get where she's coming from.

Vaishali also has her own blog called Prolix, which she runs with her friend (and for which I once wrote a guest post that was not about the Royal Family, and yet entirely about the Royal Family because that's the kind of person that I am) so go and check that out HERE. It's a fun read.

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