It’s that time of year again! For the next few days leading up to the New Year, we have a series of ‘Year in Review’ articles, compiling and featuring the Royal Highlights of 2021! We publish around a hundred articles every month, and the planning and logistics behind them is a tiring but fascinating task so today’s feature is an exclusive look at our personal highlights and the structuring of the over a thousand articles published on the Royal Watcher in 2021!
State Visits 2021 | Royal Weddings 2021 | Royal Tiaras 2021
In addition to many ongoing Royal Weddings, we also marked many important Wedding Anniversaries this year, as well as some spectacular Wedding Balls, which had many Royal Guests and Tiaras:
Weddings
Wedding of Hereditary Prince Bernhard of Baden, 2001
Wedding of Princess Marie Louise of Prussia and Count Rudolf of Schönburg-Glauchau, 1971
Wedding of Prince Philipp of Liechtenstein, 1971
Wedding of the Prince of Naples, 1971
Wedding of the Margrave of Baden and Archduchess Valerie of Austria, 1966
Wedding of the Marquess of Hamilton, 1966
Wedding of the Marquess of Tavistock, 1961
Royal Guests at the Wedding of the Duke of Kent, 1961
Wedding of King Hussein of Jordan, 1961
Wedding of Prince Andrej of Yugoslavia and Princess Christina of Hesse, 1956
Wedding of the Duke of Northumberland and Lady Elizabeth Montagu Douglas Scott, 1946
Wedding of Prince George William of Hanover and Princess Sophie of Greece, 1946
Wedding of Lord Andrew Cavendish and the Hon. Deborah Mitford, 1941
Wedding of Hereditary Grand Duke Georg Donatus of Hesse and Princess Cecilie of Greece, 1931
Wedding of the Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg and Princess Margarita of Greece, 1931
Wedding of the Margrave of Baden and Princess Theodora of Greece, 1931
Wedding of the Count of Paris and Princess Isabelle of Orléans-Braganza, 1931
Wedding of Lady May Cambridge, 1931
Wedding of Prince René of Bourbon-Parma and Princess Margaret of Denmark, 1921
Wedding of Princess Xenia Georgievna of Russia, 1921
Wedding of Crown Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria and Princess Antonia of Luxembourg, 1921
Wedding Balls
Wedding Ball of the Prince of Prussia and Princess Sophie of Isenburg, 2011
Wedding Ball of Princess Marie Louise of Prussia and Count Rudolf of Schönburg-Glauchau, 1971
Wedding Ball of the Margrave of Baden and Archduchess Valerie of Austria, 1966
Wedding Ball of Princess Ileana of Romania and Archduke Anton of Austria, 1931
Wedding Ball of Prince René of Bourbon-Parma and Princess Margaret of Denmark, 1921
We have featured hundreds of Royal Jewels on The Royal Watcher this year, and among those are some pieces which have been the culmination of years of research. While all of these articles were a delight to research and publish, the most important and through articles are underlined:
Princess Alice’s Pearl and Diamond Tiara
Queen’s Bahrain Pearl Earrings
Queen Victoria’s Oriental Circlet Tiara
Princess Caroline’s Diamond Fringe Necklace
Princess Bibesco’s Emerald Tiara
Queen Marie Jose’s Sapphire Necklace
Princess Ileana’s Diamond Tiara
Queen Alexandra of Yugoslavia’s Girandole Earrings
The Family Collection of the late Countess Mountbatten of Burma | 24 March 2021
Queen Tadj ol-Molouk’s Diamond Tiara
Duchess of Kent’s Diamond Brooch
Queen Josefina’s Diamond Stomacher Necklace
Grand Duchess Victoria Melita’s Cartier Sapphire Necklace
Queen Alexandra’s Ladies of North Wales Leek Brooch
Mountbatten Diamond Floral Necklace
Queen Mary’s Diamond Stomacher
Empress Eugenie’s Andean Emerald Cross
Empress Marie-Louise’s Topaz Parure
Queen Helen’s Russian Sapphire Earrings
Princess Margaret’s Sapphire Earrings
Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara
Queen Maria of Yugoslavia’s Gold Cross Tiara
Gloucester Diamond Necklace Tiara
Duchess of Windsor’s Pearl Necklace
The Jewels of Infanta Pilar of Spain
Duchess of Cornwall’s Modern Diamond Suite
Swedish Diamond Epaulette Earrings
Grand Duchess Maria-Ana’s Pearl Négligée Brooch
Queen Anne Marie’s Van Cleef & Arpels Suite
Princess Viggo’s Garnet Kokoshnik Tiara
The Jewels of Diana, Princess of Wales
Queen Anne Marie’s Modern Diamond Necklace
Queen Augusta Victoria’s Tiaras
Princess Margaret’s Star Brooch
Princess Anne’s Diamond Star Brooch
Countess of Paris’ Action Française Tiara
Queen Sirikit’s Diamond Earrings
Empress Frederick’s Shell Tiara
Duchess of Aosta’s Ruby Necklace
Queen Mary José’s Savoy Knot Brooches
Duchess of Sussex’s Birks Diamond Earrings
The Jewels of Princess Märtha Louise of Norway
Queen Sofia’s Diamond Flower Brooch
Hesse Turquoise and Moonstone Tiara
Princess Grace’s Van Cleef & Arpels Diamond Bracelet
Princess Victoria Louise’s Köchert Diamond Brooch
Beauchamp Pearl and Diamond Tiara
Countess Karin Bernadotte’s Tiara
Queen Josefina’s Diamond Tiara
Princess Soraya’s Harry Winston Diamond Necklace
Grand Duchess Maria Kirillovna’s Diamond Necklace
Princess Gina’s Diamond Earrings
Raine, Countess Spencer’s Tiara
Princess Yolanda’s Diamond Tiara
Queen Marie Antoinette’s Diamond Bracelets
Queen Josefina’s Pearl Necklace
Princess Dagmar’s Diamond Floral Tiara
Grand Duchess Victoria Melita’s Emerald Tiara
Princess Grace’s Cartier Diamond Earrings
Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels | 10 November 2021
Princess Fawzia’s Van Cleef & Arpels Diamond Earrings
The Duchess of Sutherland’s Tiara
Princess Maria Francesca’s Diamond Tiara
Princess Sayako’s Diamond Tiara
Queen Elisabeth’s Pearl and Diamond Leaf Brooch
While we have combined elements of our feature biographical articles with many jewel articles this year, there were some notable birthdays and anniversaries that were marked which called for individual articles, including:
Feature
Princess Louise, Duchess of Fife
Princess Hélène, Duchess of Aosta
Sacha Hamilton, Duchess of Abercorn
Gladys, Duchess of Marlborough
Duchess Marie-Caroline in Bavaria, Duchess of Württemberg
Prince Amedeo of Savoy, Duke of Aosta
Isabel, Princess Imperial of Brazil
Fortune FitzRoy, Duchess of Grafton
Royal Relatives of the Duke of Edinburgh
We try to plan our flashback articles around poignant dates, especially ’round’ anniversaries of people’s births deaths and events, with some of the highlights including:
2001 (20 years ago)
Jordanian State Visit to Britain, 2001
Spanish State Banquet at the Royal Palace of Amsterdam, 2001
King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia’s Silver Anniversary Gala, 2001
King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia’s Silver Anniversary Dinner, 2001
Coronation of King Gyanendra of Nepal, 2001
British State Visit to Norway, 2001
Royal Guests at the Wedding of Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, 2011
Engagement of Crown Prince Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, 2001
1991 (30 years ago)
Accession of King Harald V of Norway, 1991
Funeral of King Olav V of Norway, 1991
Crown Prince Haakon’s 18th Birthday, 1991
King Harald V’s Consecration, 1991
Ghillies Ball at Balmoral, 1991
Royal Holiday at Balmoral, 1991
Diplomatic Reception at Buckingham Palace, 1991
1986 (35 years ago)
Prince von Thurn und Taxis’ 60th Birthday, 1986
Queen’s 60th Birthday Party at Claridge’s Hotel, 1986
Greek Royal Family’s Ball at Claridge’s Hotel, 1986
Prince and Princess of Wales’ Middle Eastern Tour, 1986
1991 (40 years ago)
Gala at Claridge’s Hotel, 1981
Royal Guests at the Wedding of the Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer
Christening of Zara Phillips, 1981
The Wedding Ball of the Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer in 1981
Royal Consent to the marriage of the Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer, 1981
Danish State Visit to Japan, 1981
Spanish State Visit to the Vatican, 1981
Christening of Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia, 1981
British State Visit to Norway, 1981
Wedding of Prince Ernst August of Hanover, 1981
Wedding of Prince Antônio of Orléans-Braganza and Princess Christine de Ligne, 1981
Royal Family at Braemar Games, 1981
1976 (45 years ago)
Royal Family at the Montreal Olympics, 1976
1971 (50 years ago)
Prince Charles and Princess Anne in Kenya, 1971
Royal Visit to the Circuito del Jarama, 1971
Princess Anne’s 21st Birthday Portraits, 1971
Christening of Princess Märtha Louise of Norway, 1971
Emperor Hirohito and Empress Nagako meet the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, 1971
Emperor Hirohito and Empress Nagako’s Tour of Europe, 1971
2500th Anniversary of the Persian Empire, 1971
Persian Dinner at Persepolis, 1971
Foreign Royals depart Iran, 1971
State Opening of Parliament, 1971
Afghan State Visit to Britain, 1971
1966 (55 years ago)
Jordanian State Visit to Britain, 1966
Gala at the Teatro Real in Madrid, 1966
Independence of the Kingdom of Lesotho, 1966
1961 (60 years ago)
British State Visit to Iran, 1961
Commonwealth Prime Ministers’ Banquet at Buckingham Palace, 1961
Royal Holiday at Windsor, 1961
Royal Family at Badminton Horse Trials, 1961
Royal Film Premiere of ‘The Guns of Navarone’, 1961
Gala Performance at the Empire Theatre in Liverpool, 1961
Belgian State Visit to France, 1961
Belgian State Visit to the Vatican, 1961
Gala at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, 1961
Christening of Diana, Princess of Wales, 1961
Iranian State Visit to France, 1961
Princess Alexandra in Japan, 1961
1956 (65 years ago)
Iraqi State Visit to Britain, 1956
Greek State Visit to Germany, 1956
1951 (70 years ago)
Princess Elisabeth in Malta, 1951
Royal Film Premiere of ‘Captain Horatio Hornblower’, 1951
Princess Elizabeth at the Vatican, 1951
Opening of the Festival of Britain, 1951
Danish State Visit to Britain, 1951
Flower Ball at the Savoy Hotel in London, 1951
Dutch State Visit to Luxembourg, 1951
Norwegian State Visit to Britain, 1951
Gala Performance at Covent Garden, 1951
Duke of Edinburgh on Mediterranean Fleet’s Summer Cruise, 1951
Summer at Clarence House, 1951
Royal Holiday at Balmoral, 1951
Royal Variety Performance, 1951
Princess Elizabeth’s Tour of Canada, 1951
Royal Film Performance of ‘Where No Vultures Fly’, 1951
Funeral of Prince Carl of Sweden, 1951
1946 (75 years ago)
Christening of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, 1946
Royal Holiday at Schloss Wolfsgarten, 1946
Greek Royal Family return to Greece, 1946
Christening of Queen Anne Marie of Greece, 1946
King Carl XVI Gustaf’s Birthdays
1941 (80 years ago)
Funeral of King Alfonso XIII of Spain, 1941
Funeral of Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, 1941
1936 (85 years ago)
Little Entente Banquet at the Royal Palace of Bucharest, 1936
Duke and Duchess of York at Claridge’s Hotel, 1936
There were also many important programes and documentaries released this year:
Documentaries and Programmes
Prince Philip: The Royal Family Remembers
Princess Diana, Martin Bashir and the BBC
Katharine: The Compassionate Duchess
The Duke Of Edinburgh: In His Own Words
WOW!!! I can’t believe the quality, variety, and amount of content you produced this year! I, for one, greatly appreciate the time and effort you dedicate to your blog. Thank you so much for all your excellent work!
I think there are other European royals pictured, as well.