Grand Duchess Maria-Ana’s Pearl Négligée Brooch

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Today marks the 160th Anniversary of the Death of Grand Duchess Maria-Ana of Luxembourg, who was born on this in 1861! Born Infanta Maria-Ana of Portugal, daughter of the deposed King Miguel of Portugal, she grew up in the Austro-Hungarian Empire before marrying the Grand Duke of Luxembourg and having six daughters, two of whom became Grand Duchesses, among them Grand Duchess Charlotte. After serving as Regent of Luxembourg between 1908 to 1912, Grand Duchess Maria-Ana lived mainly at Schloss Hohenburg in Bavaria, before joining the Grand Ducal Family when they fled Europe into exile in the United States, where she passed away in 1942. To mark the anniversary, we are featuring one of Grand Duchess Maria-Ana’s most splendid heirlooms, her Pearl Négligée! Continue reading →

Greek Royal Family’s Ball in London, 1986

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King Constantine II and Queen Anne-Marie of Greece hosted a spectacular Ball for Royal Guests and Relatives from around Europe at Claridge’s Hotel in London on this day in 1986, to celebrate Queen Anne-Marie of Greece’s 40th Birthday, Princess Alexia’s 21st Birthday, and the Christening of Prince Philippos. Exactly 33 years earlier, King Constantine’s parents hosted a Return Banquet at Claridge’s Hotel at the end of their State Visit to Britain in 1963.

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Queen Anne Marie’s Van Cleef & Arpels Suite

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Happy Birthday to Princess Alexia of Greece, who turns 56 today! The eldest daughter of King Constantine II and Queen Anne-Marie of Greece, granddaughter of four Sovereigns, and niece of Queen Margrethe of Denmark and Queen Sofia of Spain, she has attended a plethora of glittering occasions, wearing a plethora of royal heirlooms, but today’s piece has garnered some attention, by appearing at sale last year! Continue reading →

Dutch State Visit to Germany | Day 2

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King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of The Netherlands are on a State Visit to the Federal Republic of Germany at the invitation of Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, from July 5th to the 7th, which was originally scheduled for June 2020. The State Visit is a confirmation of the good relations between the two countries, politically, economically, scientifically and culturally. As a neighbouring country, Germany is the Netherlands’ most important trading partner, an ally in the European Union, the United Nations and NATO. The State Visit, with a particular focus on the city of Berlin, concludes a series of regional visits that the King and Queen have made to Germany since 2013.  Continue reading →

British Parliament to restore Queen’s prerogative to dissolve Parliament

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The Parliament of the United Kingdom is set to start debate on legislation that seeks to revive the Queen’s power to dissolve parliament that was formerly exercised by virtue of the royal prerogative.
A. V. Dicey, a constitutional theorist from the 19th century, described the royal prerogative as “the remaining portion of the Crown’s original authority, and it is therefore … the name for the residue of discretionary power left at any moment in the hands of the Crown, whether such power be in fact exercised by the King himself or by his Ministers”. Continue reading →