The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh's State Visit to Italy

Hello everyone! I thought it’d be nice to provide a little background information on the State visit to Rome and the Holy See that Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh will undertake on Thrusday, 3 April.

 

Flags of Italy (being unfurled down the side of the Colosseum) and of the Holy See.

 

 

This will be in every respect a flash visit, with the Queen and the Duke only staying for a day. The official announcement from the Palace provided a bit more information on the day’s engagements:

The Queen, accompanied by The Duke of Edinburgh, will visit Rome on Thursday 3rd April. Her Majesty and His Royal Highness are visiting at the invitation of the President of Italy, President Napolitano.

The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh will visit the Presidential Palace where they will attend a private lunch hosted by The President.

Following the private lunch Her Majesty and His Royal Highness will have an Audience with His Holiness Pope Francis at the Vatican.

This is the fourth State visit to Italy by the Queen (previous ones where in 1961, 1980 and 2000), although there have been a number of private visits in between (the Queen actually celebrated her 25th birthday with a party at Villa Adriana, near Rome, during the course of one such private visit).

 

1961: the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh with former senator and Prime Minister Mr Andreotti on the steps of the Altare della Patria in Rome, which holds the remains of the Unknown Soldier. 

This is also the first foreign visit for the Queen and the Duke in three years, so that’s something to celebrate as well!

 

The Queen in Rome, on the 1961 visit, with the famous Capitoline Wolf bronze sculpture.

 

The Queen is Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Merit of the Republic, the senior order of knighthood of the Italian Republic.

 

 

Again from the 1961 tour, the Queen in Turin with industrialist Giovanni Agnelli, head of automotive company Fiat.

 

In 1961, HM and Prince Philip stayed for four days, and made quite an extensive tour, visiting Naples, Venice, Florence, Turin and Rome, where they also went to the Holy See for an audience with Pope John XXIII.

 

 

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh meeting Pope John XXIII (the Queen is wearing what appears to be Queen Alexandra's Kokoshnik tiara)

 

Another 4-day visit followed in 1980, this time with stops in Genoa, Naples and Pompeii, Palermo, plus, again, Rome and the Vatican, where the royal couple met Pope John Paul II.

 

 

The Queen and Prince Philip meeting Pope John Paul II in 1980 (HM wears the Grand Duchess Vladimir tiara, set with pearls).

 

 



A shorter, 3-day visit in October 2000, to Milan and Rome, where the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh again had a chance to have an audience with Pope John Paul II.

 

 

The Royal couple arriving at the Apostolic Palace ahead of their audience with Pope John Paul II in 2000 (you can see the Queen - in less formal attire than on the previous two visits - wearing the impressively large Richmond brooch with pearl pendant, a present from the town of Richmond to her grandmother, Queen Mary).

 

 

 

The Queen is officially received by the then President of the Italian Republic, Mr Ciampi, at the beginning of her 2000 visit and, below, looking out across the Roman Forum from the Capitoline Hill terrace in the company of Rome's mayor, Mr Rutelli.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not strictly related to the upcoming Rome visit, but I love this photo of the Queen toasting former Italian President of the Republic, Mr Ciampi, when he paid a State visit to the UK in March 2005.

 

The Queen was due to visit Rome again in March last year but, as some of you may remember, she was unfortunately taken ill with a stomach bug and the trip had to be postponed.

 

The Queen with President and Mrs Napolitano, whom she'll meet again on Thursday.

So, here we are now, awaiting this new - albeit brief - royal visit!

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh will meet the President of the Republic, Mr Napolitano, and Pope Francis. He is the fourth Pope the Queen has met during her reign (she met Pope Benedict XVI in Scotland, when he paid a visit in Septemebr 2010).

 

 

 

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh receiving Pope Benedict XVI at the Palace of Holyroodhouse during the Pope's State visit to Scotland in 2010.

In an extraordinary break with tradition, Pope Francis will not receive the royal couple at the papal State apartments, inside the Apostolic Palace, preferring instead to opt for the less formal surroundings of Domus Sanctae Marthae, where the Pope’s private apartment is located.

So, of course, whether the Queen will still wear all black, as Vatican protocol dictates, or not, is a matter for debate. I’m rather curious to see if there’ll be a change of clothes, and also what outfit the Queen will choose for this visit!

I’ll keep you posted as soon as updates are available on Thrusday!

Be Ispired by the Style of Marie Antoinette!

Terribly late, but as they say, better late than never! Here's my second post on my Parisian escapade - this time we go back to the "beauty" and "books" part of the blog title, with a look at some gorgeous Marie Antoinette-inspired finds!

 

Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette silhouettes in the ticket office of the Palace of Versailles.

  

 

The central courtyard.

 

 

The Hall of Mirrors, one of the most remarkable features of the Palace (photo Wikipedia).

I have always been intrigued by the figure of Marie Antoinette - on my last visit, to learn more I turned to the brilliantly informative, yet highly readable, "Queen of Fashion", by Caroline Weber (available from Amazon), which takes a comprehensive look at the Queen's sometimes ill-fated style choices.

 

 

This time around, I opted out of non-fiction reading materials, and turned to the fab Marie Antoinette trilogy by Juliet Grey:

 

 

 

Full of historical details that will satisfy even the most die-hard history buffs, these three novels (I'm currently in the middle of n. 2) are a pleasure to read and, although fictionalised, allow the reader to learn quite a lot on the transformation of Marie Antoinette from Austrian archduchess to France's powerful and reckless queen.

 

I was also inspired by some new make-up releases in the Dior collection. Following up on the Chérie Bow collection for Spring 2013, the French fashion house this year came up with the truly drool-worthy Trianon collection, inspired, of course, by Marie Antoinette penchant for pastel colours and is reminiscent of the atmospheres at Versailles!

 

A look below at the products available in the collection:

 

 

Via Coco's Tea Party.

 

 

I got myself two of the nail polishes, as seen above - Porcelaine, which is a pale, slightly shimmery baby blue, and Perlé, which in truth is something truly fabulous and which I hope will form part of the permanet Dior make up collection (it will, I believe). On the Dior website, it is described as a frosted effect nail polish (should be used on top of a pale coloured polish for best effect, in my opinion), inspired by the porcelain of the 18th century. It is a matte pale mauve on application, but I find I like it best with a glossy top coat applied on top - in fact, I can hardly stop admiring my nails when I have it on!

 

So, will you too be inspired by the current trend for all things Marie Antoinette?

If so, be sure to take a look at my collage below and see if you can find something that inspires you!

 

 

1. Estée Lauder Paris Macarons Pure Color Nail Polish Collection for Spring 2013 (limited edition, alas, but some of the shades regularly crop up on eBay);
2. Ladurée Marie Antoinette rose infused tea, 8.40 (loose leaf) or £12 (tea bags);
3. "Marie Antoinette" film by Sofia Coppola (available on Amazon);
4. L'Oreal Paris mini nail polish in 202 Marie Antoinette (approx. £4.99);
5. Ladurée Marie Antoinette macarons (the ganache filling is Marie Antoinette tea-flavoured);
6. "Let Them Eat Cake" Marie Antoinette earrings available on MariannaLondon on Etsy (approx. 18.90);
7. Marie Antoinette Paris Pastel Collage Mood Board, from LauraLaurentSalon on Etsy (approx. £12);
8. Marie Antoinette silk scarf, from EmmaKisstina on Etsy (approx. £97).

Hope I have inspired you to unleash your inner style queen!

Now, I'm a bit hungry after all this writing, so I'm off to nibble on a macaron... :)

 



 







Cartier "Style and History" Exhibition in Paris

Today's blog post is about my recent visit to the fabulous Cartier exhibition at the Grand Palais in Paris, closing tomorrow, 16 February.

 



As soon as I saw the first photos of the jewels on show, I just knew I had to go and visit, and luckily I was able to arrange a mini-break in Paris earlier this month! Of course, one of the first stops during my visit was the exhibition.

 

The interior of the Grand Palais, with images of stunning jewels and precious stones projected on the walls and ceiling.

 

 

The exhibition featured nearly 700 pieces: jewels, watches, clocks, and everyday objects given a luxe makeover, like picture frames, clutch bags, cigarette holders, inkstands and vanity cases, all encrusted with priceless gems.

 



From the Cartier Facebook page, a photo of the stunning Flamingo brooch, made for the Duchess of Windsor in 1940 (have a look at the Duchess's lapel to gain an idea of the sheer size of this piece!).

 

 

Another piece from the Duchess of Windsor's collection: a bib necklace of amethyst, turquoise and diamond set in yellow gold (1947).

 

 

A selection of early-20th century diamond and sapphire sparklers: from top to bottom, a pendant, brooch-pendant and a large stomacher brooch.

 

 

Queen Elizabeth of the Belgian's diamond diadem, created by Cartier in 1910 (more info on this particular piece can be found in this post).

 

 

One of the tiara display cases - one word: wow!

 

 

The official poster for the exhibition, featuring a 1914 diamond, onyx and pearl tiara in a stylized kokoshnik shape (via the Cartier Facebook page, as above).

 

 

Ceremonial necklace and choker commissioned in 1925 by Sir Bhupinder Singh, Maharaja of Patiala. The diamonds in the necklace alone weigh a whooping 1000 carats.

 

 

A brooch made in 1923 for American heiress and socialite Marjorie Merriweather Post, incorporating seven 18th-century carved Mogul emeralds.

 

 

Marjorie Merriweather Post wearing her emerald brooch in a 1929 portrait by Giulio de Blaas (via Jewels Du Jour).

 

 

Pearl, diamond and ruby necklace (can be broken down into a bracelet and a shorter necklace), 1930.

 

 

Flower brooch belonging to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, featuring the Williamson diamond, the finest pink diamond ever discovered (and, at 23.60 carats, one of the largest).

 

 

The Queen wearing the brooch (via the Daily Mail).

 

One of the highlights of the exhibition (for me, at least!) was the presence of another stunning piece on loan from the Queen - something in itself very unusual - the delicate, understated Halo tiara, of royal wedding fame!

 

 

 

Via People.

 

 

Me and that tiara - definitely one of the highlights of the trip! :)

 

Then, after a good three hours spent at the exhibition, I emerged starry-eyed but in need of refreshments, and what better place to indulge my sweet tooth than Ladurée on the Champs-Elysées?

 

 

 

The exhibition catalogue and other exhibition-related merchandise are available to buy from the Grand Palais online shop here.

 



 

This is a wonderfully informative video from the Cartier official YouTube channel about the exhibition (more options and shorters videos available here).

 

All photos my own except where otherwise stated.

 

See you in a few days with another post on my Parisian ramblings! Au revoir!

 



A New Outing for the Nizam of Hyderabad Necklace

Last night the Duchess of Cambridge attended the annual Portrait Gala at London's National Portrait Gallery. While the dress was no surprise for dedicated Kate-followers, as it was a repeat Jenny Packham piece, debuted only a few months ago to the 100 Women in Hedge Fund gala in October last year (and, frankly, even back then I found it a bit...well, meh, lacking that certain something for an evening function!), what really excited me this time was that she had accesorised it with a stunning necklace, on loan from the Queen: the Nizam of Hyderabad necklace.

 

 

It was the first time the Duchess had worn publicly this particular piece and, yes, it does make a welcome change from seeing her in costume jewelry! Although I, for one, am thrilled to be able to pop to my local Zara and buy the exact same necklace she wore, I'm equally chuffed to see her embracing a different side of her royal role by raiding the Palace jewel vaults, so to speak, and appear in public adorned with some serious, heavyweight bling!

 

The history of this piece dates back to the time of the Queen's (then Princess Elizabeth's) own wedding to the Duke of Edinburgh in 1947. The Nizam of Hyderabad was the monarch of the historic Indian State of Hyderabad. The last Nizam, Osman Ali Khan, reigned from 1911 until the end of British colonial rule in 1948 (below, on the cover of TIME magazine, 22 February 1937).

 

 

Wishing to present Princess Elizabeth with a suitable gift on the occasion of her wedding, the Nizam left instructions with Cartier's London branch and the Princess choose a necklace and a tiara, whose design was (aptly) based on an English rose.

 

The tiara was later broken up: the three main rose motives were detachable and were kept and used as brooches by Her Majesty, while the rest of the stones were used to create what is known as the Queen's Burmese Ruby tiara.

 

 

The Queen attending the 2011 edition of the Chelsea Flower Show, wearing the largest rose brooch dismantled from the Nizam of Hyderabad tiara (photo Telegraph)...

 

 

...and in Australia, during the royal tour of 1954, wearing the two smaller twin brooches (photo Pinterest).

 

 

The Queen wearing the Nizam of Hyderabad tiara and another wedding present, the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Bandeau necklace, part of the famous Mrs. Greville bequest (photo Pinterest).

 

 

The Queen wearing the Burmese Ruby tiara, created using diamonds from the broken up Nizam of Hyderabad necklace (via Mad Hattery!).

 

 

The Queen painted by Sir William Dargie in 1954, wearing the necklace and the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara (via Pinterest).

 

 

The necklace is made up of diamonds in a platinum setting and is currently 38.5 cm long (the chain, which was originally made up of 46 collet diamonds, was shortened at a later date to 38 to better suit the Queen).

 

 

Photo Royal Collection.



 

 

 

A stunning historic Cartier piece, which brings us nicely to my next post, about my recent visit to the Cartier exhibition currently on at the Grand Palais in Paris - stay tuned for updates!

 

(All photo of the Duchess are taken from the Daily Mail article you can read here).