Wonderful Weekends (Official Portrait of the Earl and Countess Cartwright)

Yet another official portrait released by a prominent Noble Family from the former Empire of Scot-Britania is posted on our Wonderful Weekends slot. This one is a far more "casual" set of portraits omitting coronets and crests. There is no set rule for these portraits as they are strictly speaking not state portraits but an attempt by the relevant Noble Family to portray themselves officially. thus they also portray personal preference and the unique identity of those particular individuals. Today we share the portraits of His Lordship the Earl Cartwright and the Countess Cartwright. 

Here we see the Noble couple with the Earl wearing his chain of office and the Countess wearing jewellery from her own collection. 

The Countess also opted for a portrait with only herself in it. She is appropriately portrayed in the Mayorial Hall of the City of Cartwright in Britania. 

Fascinating Fridays (Countess Cartwright Interview and Castle Tour)

Country living forms a major part of the Royal/Noble lifestyle. Aside from Royal Families employing the use of holiday retreats in the form of vast hunting estates or villas by the coast, many Noble Families also own country houses and the like. For many of these Noble Families the house may even be the original seat where the family permanently resided many ages ago as representatives of Royal Authority in distant parts of the Kingdom. Countess Cartwright granted this blog a special interview featuring her as the newly wed Countess and mistress of Cartwright Castle. Since popularity for the aristocracy is increasing in the democratic countries of Scotney and Britania we thought we would take a look at this boomingly popular Noble Lady. Let us take the tour and also get to know the new Lady Cartwright. 

We were welcomed right in front of the slightly foreboding medieval residence of the Earls Cartwright. The original castle was built more than 650 years ago but has undergone many alterations eventually ending up as a vast country mansion. Hints of the original towers remain but it has long since lost any of its genuine ability as a fortress. Lady Cartwright has enjoyed moving into her new home as she is a history scholar and relishes the great opportunity her new husband has afforded her as "caretaker" of this family treasure. 

Some of the castle interior like the chapel has seen almost no alteration since it was built, as can be seen in this photo. This part of the castle has great historic significance as it displays medieval building techniques like very few others on the island of Scot-Britania. The Coumtess has decided to make the castle available for architecture student tours by appointment. 

The historic lounge of the castle is in essence a museum and as such is never actually used. All the period  furniture is extremely old with documented histories. This is Lady Cartwright's favourite room as her studies in histories centered around historic furniture and its development. She has considered doing her thesis using this room as a starting point. This room is also famous for 400 year old tapestries and other original decorative features.

Castle Carwright's armoury has been altered into a relaxing lounge as can be seen in this photo. Modern couches blend strangely well with original wood fittings and suits of armour. The room's angle allows for very pleasant sun in winter making it the Carwright's favourite room in the castle. 

Married now for a mere nine months Mairi D'Bacquemme, of Noble decent herself, did find it daunting to marry into the formidable Carwright Family with its close ties to the Imperial Family of Scot Britania. The tumultuous history of Scot-Britania was not unfamiliar to her and her own Family's rough past but her exceedingly Continental upbringing was decidedly more worldly than that of her conservative husband. However love always prevails and in this case will endure as these opposite characters seem to have made for a match in heaven. In this photo Lady Cartwright poses in the castle's vast and very ancient library. This library is the only one in private ownership that has been declared and International Heritage Site in its own right and may never be sold. The Carwrights are obliged to preserve it for posterity and failure to do so will divert ownership of it to the state. 

The original medieval vineyards, long since abandoned as a commercial viability have been "repaired" and altered into a formal garden behind the stately home. The Countess felt it would serve as a quaint link with the castle's distant history as Scot-Britania's then only wine producing farm. The vineyard allows for long strolls and grape snacking in season. There is also a maze and a water fountain where relaxing moments may be spent on park benches.

Especially for our blog the new Countess donned the Carwright Amethyst Tiara and a formal dress for this portrait in the castle's entrance hall. Its seems the former red carpet addict has come a long way since her jet setting relationship with Viscount Hayz but has retained her sophisticated glitz. Now the married and settled Countess Cartwright has seemingly found her niche alongside her husband and his Scot-Britanian Noble heritage. 

Tiaras and Trinkets on Tuesday (Generational Tiaras)

One of the "functions" of jewellery, if not its primary function,  is to serve in the sphere of sentimentality. Often, not just in Royal Families, jewels travel across generations as family heirlooms that remind the wearer of loved ones that might even have passed on.This is an even greater reality when jewellery pieces are of great financial value and even more so when historic value is added to boot. It is the historic factor that add to the significance of Royal jewels. These jewels, made to honour great historic events and influential people, have come down the various Royal family lines to still sparkle in our modern era. In todays post we will not discuss the great Crown Jewel Collections but rather the more personal jewellery that have been inherited for generations, alluding to bygone eras and people.

The first famous jewel collection in our discussion is the Queen Crystobel I Wedding Gift Diamond Parure or more accurately, the Ladies of Scotney Diamond Parure. The confusion with the name stems from the fact that this parure was indeed the young Queen Crystobel I's Wedding Gift but it is more appropriate to honour the giver than the receiver or the event. Thus seeing as all the aristocratic ladies of the Kingdom of Scotney arranged for the gift to be created and presented to the Queen, it is officially named the Ladies of Scotney Parure. 

The gift of this grand set of jewellery, made from indigenous Scotney Pearls and rare Indiana Diamonds was a grand gesture from the Scotney Nobility. The Duchess of Argyle, Countess Dysart and Baroness Ferguson headed up the committee of prominent Ladies who raised the capital for purchasing the Parure as a gift to be presented as a symbolic blessing from the women of  " the entire country" as it were.

Unfortunately we have no photographic documentation of Queen Crystobel I wearing the parure except for this single photo from 1983. She is seen wearing only the tiara from the set. The parure was inherited by her daughter Quenn Crystobel II of Scotney, who became Empress Crystobel of the United Empire of Scot-Britania. 

The parure survived the revolution and it is still owned by the Imperial descendants of Empress Crystobel. In this photo from 2011 we see her wearing the full parure with the tiara. This set of historic jewellery may soon to be seen on the head of Princess Odeliah, daughter in law of Empress Crystobel. 

It is obvious that there is a vast collection of jewellery in the Imperial collection that has been passed down from former generations but only some are either, extremely historic or exceptionally rare by virtue of the size of the stones. One such piece is the can be seen in the photo above worn by Empress Crystobel. The Imperial Sapphire Tiara was originally made in Ruskiana as a gift from the Tzar of Ruskiana to the visiting King and Queen of Britania in 1896. That year the Imperial Family of Ruskiana celebrated it Bicentenary and hosted the greatest State Ball the world had ever seen. As part of the display of Ruskian wealth the Tzar decided to bestow spectacular Tiaras, as gifts showcasing Ruskian craftsmanship, upon all the wives of the visiting monarchs. The tiara has been passed down the Britanian line ever since. Currently it is still owned by the Crown Prince Imperial. 

Here we see princess Odeliah wearing the historic tiara in 2011. 

The Hispanian Royal Jewellery Collection also several inherited pieces that are quite old. However one parure has been very well documented as its been worn by many generations. 

 The Hispanian Ruby Parure of Queen Esperanza is very beautiful, impressive yet not over the top. It did not start off as a complete parure nor as a set inclusive of rubies. The story begins with a diamond tiara owned by Queen Esperanza which is also where the parure gets its name from. The original tiara can be seen without the rubies in the photo above taken in the 1930's.

The original tiara was a gift from the noble women of Hispania, who clubbed together to present a worthy present to their new Queen upon her marriage to King Carlos X, the great grandfather of the current Queen. The tiara was set with diamonds only in those early days however, Queen Esperanza ended up with what she must have thought to be too many diamond tiaras and on her ruby anniversary decided to have them swapped for rubies. Before that even took place she had acquired through inheritance a demi-parure of rubies that just asked for a tiara to be added, so everything joined together to form the spectacular set that we can enjoy today.

The present Queen of Hispania's mother, the Dowager Princess of Cataljone wore the rubies for her last official portrait in 2010.

Queen Maria has often worn the set and also lent it to her sister on occasions where she represented the Hispanian Monarchy.  

The Princess of Cataljone, as heir to the Hispanian throne has also officially worn the set but has added a modern single strand necklace in preference over the bulky historic one. 

The Grand Principality of Wallachia boasts very old historic jewels but few with a personal touch. One parure of diamonds carries the sentimental inheritance aspect however albeit not the oldest of sets. 

Princess Xenia's mother, seen in the photo above, is the younger sister of the Duke of Swann's father. As a Princess by birth she left her country of origin with a dowry of Swanobian ancestral jewels. The Swann Dowry Diamond Parure as it has now become known is one of the most dazzling in the Wallachian collection. It consists of a Fringe Tiara, a matching Fringe Necklace and Earrings in the shape of a cross. The set was made for Princess Suzanna's mother on her 25th wedding anniversary and was then left with Princess Suzanna to become a part of the Wallachian Jewellery Collection.

Princess Xenia, the current ruler of Wallachia often wears her mother's Swanobian Dowry Diamond Parure.

The Imperial Jewels of Ruskiana are imbued with centuries of history. However very little of the vast Imperial Collection remains today. Yet, the current pretender to the Ruskian throne did gain a part of her family's history by an almost miraculous turn of events. 

In this photo taken in 1949, Her Imperial Majesty Tzarina Feodorovna, wife of Tzar Alexander III wears the more religious and traditional uncut ruby beads and iconic cross from the Imperial Ruby Parure along with the tiara. She is the long desceased great great grandmother of Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna, the current pretender to the Ruskian throne. Many pieces of family jewels survived by escaping with members of the extended Imperial family. However the Imperial Ruby Parure was thought to have been lost to history as no records of it exists in the archived catalogue of the Bolshevik Government who annexed the Imperial jewels after the revolution. The jewels were in fact smuggled out of Ruskiana by an ancestor of the current Duke of Swann and hidden in a Hanoverian warehouse. There they were forgotten, only to be discovered in a sealed chest kept in the back of an old car that was proven by old documents to be the property of the Duke of Swann. In reclaiming his grandfather's car in 2013 did it reveal the lost Ruskian treasure that was then handed over to the Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna. 

 Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna wears the more fashionable necklace, earrings and brooch along with the tiara. 

The many Noble Families in Europa also have sentimental ancestral jewels with historic provenance. 

This Platinum, Diamond and Aquamarine Parure belonged to the Dukes of Marlboro. 

The Marlboro Aquamarines have come down the inherited line to Sir Michael Jennings, the brother of the current Duke of Marlboro, who married Princess Isabella of Hispania. She is now the proud wearer of her husband's ancestral jewels. 

The Earl of Cartwright has also passed another Aquamarine Parure that belonged to his great grandmother, was worn by his mother as can be seen above, on to his new wife. 

In this photo the new Countess Cartwright wears her husband's Family Aquamarines on her wedding day. 

There are much more such stories to be told than one can imagine as the total amount of jewellery pieces and their individual histories, no one has dared to even attempt to count. We hoped you enjoyed the few recounted her. 

What's Up Wednesday (Cartwright D'Bacquemme Wedding and Swann Engagement)

Since the wedding of Queen Gloria of Normandia last year we have had what seems to be a tsunami of weddings. Here is yet another wedding, this one of the Earl Cartwright and Madame Mairi D'Bacquemme and more to come in the next two weeks as well.

Many of the Nobility with close ties to the Imperial Family observed the official time of mourning for Empress Crystobel. Some took it so seriously that they even moved important events in their private calendars in order to observe it. The Earl Cartwright being a distant cousin of the The Crown Prince Imperial went so far as to postpone his wedding by two weeks. It thus took place on 17th August 2013.

Royal weddings can be very elaborate affairs but this was sleek and very private held at the Ritz Pariseum Hotel in Franconia. Only close family were invited, partly due to the subdued atmosphere and also since strictly speaking these were the nuptials of  "former" nobility only. However the Pariseum media were granted this photo shoot.

The new Earl and Countess Cartwright. The very simple and modern wedding dress was designed by renowned designer Madame Frumsetta. The Countess Cartwright opted for her  mother-in-law's Family Aquamarine Tiara as her "something blue". The groom looked the part of a handsome new husband perfectly. 

The full compliment of family, from left we see the soon to be wed Duke of Marlboro and his fiance Madame Francine D'Bacquemme, then the mother of the bride the Dowager Marquise D'Bacquemme, the bridal couple, the mother of the groom the Dowager Countess Cartwright and the groom's sister and her husband the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Serbieski.  

The bride and groom flanked by their respective mothers.

We wish the couple all the best for the future.

Elsewhere at Sorgenfrei Castle, another private function took place this past weekend and was announced to the press. Princess Marie-Elizabeth, sister to the Duke of Swann is engaged to the Arch Duke Otto Von Fulco D'Este. The happy event took place on a private weekend away in the Switzer Confederacy. Even though Princess Marie-Elizabeth is of high rank and the Arch Duke is the pretender to the historic dynasty that ruled Fulco D'Este, we will for the time being have to be content with very small events in the wake of Empress Crystobel's death. Most Royals will continue to observe a level of subdued decorum. We are fortunate that since the Princess is the highest ranking female of a reigning dynasty that official photos have at least been released.

The event carries the official sanction of the Duke of Swann who released his statement of consent and well-wishes in the Swanobian press today along with this press photo set.

Princess Marie-Elizabeth wears a red gown from the South African Designer Stephanie Swart coupled with the Fulco DÉste Ruby Parure. It is protocol for a Royal bride to show her acceptance of an engagement by wearing jewels from her husband-to-be's family.

The wedding date is expected to fall in early 2014 considering the current mood. This is in concert with even this year's traditional Imperial and Swanobian joint Birthday Ball being cancelled in favour of small and private events.

We can however look forward to what will be a wedding celebration to remember. 

Memory Monday (Serbieski Wedding 2008)

In the vein of Royal Weddings I thought it might be great to mention one that took place in 2008. Even though the Crown Prince Imperial's Ball in 2009 flung Royalty as a media phenomenon back onto the world stage in 2009, some Royal events did still take place before that. Remember that the 96 Revolution did not annihilate all things Royal and many families that were even ousted did still live their lives, albeit in quiet humility. 

One event took place with such modesty but still had a hint of times gone by with tiaras and all. This was the wedding of the current Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Serbieski. The then Prince Karageorgevich pretender to the throne of Serbieski, was living in exile in the Islands of Arcwhite and chose to have the wedding there. His Bride, the Lady Davina Cartwright was the sister of the Earl Cartwright and distant cousin to the Imperial House of Scot-Britania. If the wedding took place only a couple of years later it would have been a far grander affair due to the high profile of the couple. Unfortunately due to the revolution, at the stage of the wedding it was still believed that Empress Crystobel and her son had died, the Queen of Hispania and her family were living in seclusion, outside the public gaze and Normandia and Syldavia were still Republics. Regardless, this entirely private event was attended by some high ranking Royal friends. The Lady Arcwhite gave her consent for the marriage to be legally performed within her nations borders but could not attend due to diplomatic relations with the states of Syldavia, Scotney and Britania who did not recognize the titles of the couple but could then at least recognize their marital union. 

From left; Princess Augusta of Scot-Britania, the Baroness D'Rothchild (sister of the Groom), the Bride Lady Davina Cartwright, the Groom Prince Paul Karageorgevich (now the Grand Duke of Serbieski), The Dowager Countess Cartwright (mother of the Bride) and the Duchess of Roswind. The small amount of guests shows the tense climate within which the wedding took place.

The then, new Princess Karageorgevich wore the Karageorgevich Nuptial Tiara and a traditional Serbiesk wedding dress. Her sapphire necklace has since been sold at auction to raise much needed funds this year before the onset of the Syldavian Restoration. The Groom wore a traditional uniform with the Order of the Ublient badge and sash. That Order, he was still head of in 2008 until it passed to the Wallachian Throne upon Serbieski's mediatized restoration within the Kingdom of Syldavia this year. This event went largely unpublisized except for a small report in a local paper but now it is told to the world amidst other great Royal events where it belongs.