Forget the dress — whatever puff of silk or column of white satin Kate Middleton decides to wear on the day of her wedding to Prince William in April. The real drama for this conventional but modern-minded queen-to-be is what to do about the royal jewels.
There are hundreds if not thousands of them: brooches, necklaces, tiaras, diadems in every color as long as it is not black. Although, come to think of it, with Queen Victoria’s legacy of 40 years in mourning, there are probably a ton of jet black (but definitely not jet-set) baubles.
Like the sapphire engagement ring that inexorably links Kate with Princess Diana, most of those jewels bring with them a lot of baggage. There is another mighty sapphire: a brooch framed in diamonds. In fact, there are several of them; Prince Albert took “Albert’s brooch,” which he gave Victoria as a wedding gift, and made copies of it for their daughters. Then there is a cabochon emerald collar that the stately Queen Mary (Queen Elizabeth’s grandmother) made from her family emeralds, originally won in a lottery in Germany. Diana took the stuffing out of that piece by wearing it around her head like a squaw on a tour of Australia in 1985.
The new bride’s problems start with the headgear. To wear, or not to wear, a tiara? Ever since Courtney Love and hip party people resuscitated the tiara and made it fun, a sparkly headband has become a fashion item. Generations of pink-clad little girls have topped their heads with sparkles, and Kate and her sister Pippa probably pranced around the family Christmas tree with tiaras in their well-brushed hair.
Off With Her Headpiece!
