Tiaras and Trinkets on Tuesday (Jewellery worn by Princess Donatella, the Duchess DiGiorgio)

The pretender to the throne of the Kingdom of Romagna is the beautiful and stylish Princess Donatella, Duchess Di Giorgio. Growing up in complete ignorance of her Royal heritage it must have come as a shock to her when, with the weight of the title of Princess on her mind, her eyes fell on the inheritance left to her in a Switzer Bank safety deposit box. The current collection of historic jewels however is vastly diminished from the days of the Romagna Kingdom before the Great War. What is left is essentially the private jewels that belonged to Princess Donatella's grandmaother.

For this official portrait taken in 2012 the Duchess Di Giorgio opted to combine elements of the two major sets of jewellery in the DiGiorgio Royal Collection. This was essentially her first public appearance and for that purpose she wanted to reflect, not just her own style and individuality but more so the historic roots of her and her Royal heritage. 

The Di Giorgio Diamond Parure may be considered as the central feature of the collection of jewels thus far worn by the Princess. The Parure is of exceptional quality and value and fit for a queen as it was designed for one. Originally worn by Princess Donatella's great grandmother, it may be considered a type of Queen Consort's Crown due to its imposing presence especially combined with the large necklace and the rest of the set. 

The Queen Elena Imperial Topaz Demi Parure is set with Topazes of a rich pink hue referred to as Imperial Topaz. The set was made as a wedding gift for Princess Donatella's  grandmother, the last Queen of Romagna. It consists of a brooch, earrings, an A-symmetric necklace and a strand of pearls. 

The Corvi Cameo Tiara was originally a full parure of which now only the tiara remains after the rest was lost during the Great War. The Cameos originally belonged to the Counts Corvi who in the early 1800's married off one of their daughters into the Royal Family of Romagna. 

Today the Corvi Tiara has been worn with pride due to its strong cultural links to Romagna in this pseudo State Portrait taken of Princess Donatella last year. It was paired with parts of the Diamond Parure. 

The Corvi Tiara and the pearls strand from Queen Elena's Topaz collection also made their appearance at the wedding of Princess Marie-Elizabeth where Princess Donatella acted as bride's maid. 

Many of the Romagna Royal jewels have been lost and may never be recovered but one more small tiara of exceptional design is left in the collection. Princess Donatella wore it for the first time a few weeks ago in Perlistan as can be seen above. the tiara is so delicate that a close-up view is required to truly appreciate it. 

The Art Nouveau Bandeau was made from Gold Diamonds and Platinum in 1917 for the 18th birthday of Princess Donatella's grandmother when she was still an unwed Youssopoff Princess. The tiara is a testament to a lost era and craftsmanship and as such of immense historic and artistic value. 

To see this lady of style, heritage and beauty come down the red carpet is an awesome sight and for the public to enjoy the visual appeal of the jewels is not just pretty but also a cultural and historic privilege. 

Wonderful Weekends (Official Portrait of Princess Donatella, the Duchess DiGiorgio)

Princess Donatella of Romagna has followed like many other pretenders this year in releasing an official portrait. These portraits all follow the current wave of Royal popularity, linking the historic past with the contemporary Renaissance.

Here we see Her Royal Highness sporting historic jewels, Royal Crest and is photographed with the Throne of Romagna. The portrait was taken in the DiGiorgio Palace Museum in Romagna by special permission. 

The Princess wears the Corvi Cameo Tiara inherited from her Corvi Committal ancestors along with Romagnian Royal Diamonds. 

Memory Monday (Duke of Swann's Rolls Royce Tour Part 1 Franconia, Romagna and Reichenthal)

After the Duke of Swann found his great grandfather's lost and forgotten Rolls Royce in an abandoned warehouse belonging to his cousin in Hanoveria, he decided to have it repaired and to take it on a "road-trip" style tour of Europa with the intent on finishing in Muren. Here the car was to be entered into the Sorgenfrei Castle Museum, partly as a showpiece and also to be used for weddings held at the Castle that belongs to his other cousin, the Crown Prince Imperial. Prince Daniel was actually on the first league of the trip in Franconia  when the news came of the shocking death of his aunt Empress Crystobel. The assassination of the Empress Crystobel left the entire Europa in aghast and the Duke of Swann, as her nephew, went to be with the family in urgency. Thus the road trip was belated and only resumed on the weekend of the 10th of August. 

The tour began in Hanoveria, took a massive round trip through Franconia where Prince Daniel visited wine farms and historic castles. Then followed the first "official"stop in Romagna where the Duke of Swann visited the Duchess Di Giorgio. The good friends had some business to discuss but mainly the purpose of the visit was to give the Duchess' media image an "official" boost as her public profile increases in her native land.

From there the Duke zipped through a bit of Syldavia and visited his friend the Grand Duke of Reichernthal. Here the Duke also had personal reasons for visiting but as far as officiality goes was needed to arbitrate a political tension that arose between the Grand Duke and his aunt Princess Sonja. The contention was so serious that it threatened Reichenthal's inclusion in the Syldavian Electorate. It was amicably resolved and as we know the establishment of the Syldavian Electorate is now old news.

Finally the tour stopped in Muren, first for a belated birthday visit to the Seeress and then at Sorgenfrei Castle, the intended final destination.

Here we see His Royal Highness driving his Rolls Royce in entourage with his staff and security. Next to him sits Miss Kitty Spice, the world renowned journalist reporter who joined him for the first two days of the trip. She then left to cover the fateful story of the Empress assassination in Britania only to rejoin later for an official interview with Grand Duke Lothair of Reichenthal.

The Duke of Swann arrives at the Duchess Donatella who heartily welcomed her friend at her Alpine Castle, Castillo Corvi. 

The Duke of Swann took the liberty of delivering the water colour painting the Duchess purchased from the Duke's Art Exhibition which closed in July. Her Royal Highness was very excited to finally be able to hang it in her residence. 

A close up of the water colour painting. The "political" alliance between the Duchess and the Duke of Swann has helped to boost the popularity of the Di Giorgio's Family in Romagna. The former exiled family used to rule the old Kingdom but they have been asked back and serve in many capacities as custodians of Romagnian history and serving in charitable causes. 

From Romagna the Duke of Swann moved on to the small former Kingdom, now mediatized Grand Duchy of Reichenthal. Here he stopped for private reflection at the famous Statue of the Imperial Eagle of Unification. 

The massive solid brass statue was originally intended as a gift from the people of Reichenthal to Emperor Christian and Empress Crystobel of the United Empire in 1995 but ended up never being delivered due to the Revolution. It now stands as a testament of Reichentalian craftsmanship but also as a haunting reminder of a bygone era and a very personal one for the Duke of Swann of his deceased aunt. 

The Duke of Swann is greeted by his friend and very casual Head of the Reichenthal Electorate Dynasty, Grand Duke Lothair. 

A last glance is shared as the two Royals prepare to leave for Castle Reichenthal together in the old Rolls Royce. 

Time for some tea and sweet delicacies in the Grand Duke's study with his wife, as they also welcome Miss Kitty Spice. 

Miss Spice was set to do an interview about the Grand Duke. This feature will be blogged at a later stage as well. 

The Grand Duchess Azantha joined her husband for the interview. The Duke of Swann was scheduled for some business meeting leaving let them get on with the interview. 

Later that evening the Duke of Swann was honoured with a banquet by the Royal Family of Reichenthal. The event was very informal by Royal standards although tiaras were required. No State Regalia like Orders of knighthood or ballgowns were required. Princess Sonja of Reichenthal was also present. The Duke of Swann at this stage insisted on seeing her in order to initiate negotiation with the Princess who at that stage was inciting a political opposition to the Syldavian Electorate in Reichenthal.

Also at the banquet was Grand Duchess Azantha's elder sister, the Shahbanou of Perlistan. 

Reichenthal is world famous for all kinds of old-worldly crafts. The nation's carpenters for instance have through the ages been responsible for the creation of most of the Europan thrones. They also excel in the fine art of statuary. This early medieval statue is of the founding father of Reichenthal, the famous, Carl-Joshua the Great.

After yet another lengthy chat on all the Reichentalian arts and history the guests assembled in the "small throne room"  for the obligatory, group photo, especially for the media. 

So the very eventful stop in Reichenthal ended with a feast and the Duke of Swann left the next morning for Muren. That part of the trip we will post on in next week's Memory Monday slot. See you then. 

Wonderful Weekends (Weekend Horse Ride and Breakfast)

The Duke of Swann's friend the Duchess Di Giorgio, claimant to the throne of Romagna, allowed a media coverage of her birthday gift to the Duke. Her Royal Highness booked a lavish breakfast and horse riding excursion for her friend last weekend. The Duke does not often get the chance to enjoy nature and expressed tangible excitement at the opportunity. The small but extremely high budget trip took place at the most exclusive Syldavian mountain resort, the famous Middlewood Hotel. 

After the 5-star breakfast in the hotel the friends joined the horses at the stables after which the Duke of Swann set out onto the vast mountain estate in total privacy along with his close friend and body guard who remains unnamed and not photographed for security purposes. The weather was perfect and the Duchess was very happy things turned out the way they did even though she was unable to join due to a small horse riding accident that took place a few weeks before. 

The Duchess bids her friend adieu after breakfast as he is about to leave on his two hour out ride into some of the most beautiful outdoors Europa has to offer. 

Wonderful Weekends (Official Portrait Duchess Di Giorgio)

It has been such a great and busy week and there was even time for some dancing on Friday night. 

Well, I will end this great week with my customary State Portrait although this isn't a actual "State" Portrait but would have been if Romagna was still a Kingdom. Princess Donatella the Duchess Di Giorgio, had special portraits taken to celebrate her inheritance of her title in a bold move. She decided to stand up against her country's ban on her heritage and has granted special publishing rights to the media of her story and the photos, proclaiming her Royal history. She has not been arrested or reprimanded and the President of Romagna is seemingly not against her actions. Let's hope for the best. Princess Donatella will certainly be a great ambassador for her country if her conduct at Queen Gloria's wedding sets a standard. 

Here we can now enjoy the new Princess in full glory.

They look amazing. 

"To be or not to be" Thursday (The Duchess Di Giorgio)

Earlier this year a young woman from the country of Romagna was invited for an Espresso by her grandmother.  They met up at their favourite cafe in the city of Milaine where Donatella thought she would spend another happy moment with her "Nunu". However, her grandmother had a very serious discussion planned.

After the regular pleasantries and catching up with family gossip Donatella was confronted by her grandmother locking eyes with her and the question; "Do you remember your crazy uncle Emanuel?" Memories flooded her mind as she recalled how her uncle was taken away in an ambulance while shouting: "I am the King! You will pay for this!" She had almost completely forgotten the incident and soon after was sent to a Pariseum boarding school, where she spent most of her time before reaching adulthood. But there and then, over a cup of espresso, Donatella's life was to change forever. 

She listened like a child being told a fairy tale, drawn into the deep recesses of her family history and her grandmother's familiar voice was all that soothed the final shock. Her uncle wasn't mad as was the intended ruse which always ended in a hushed dismissal of the family scandal. Uncle Emanuel's grandfather, Donatella's great grandfather was the last Crown Prince of the old Kingdom of Romagna. After losing the Great War the monarchy in Romagna was abolished, along with the fascist government it supported. The family wasn't exiled but rather stripped of their wealth and titles and given secret asylum if they willingly gave up the right to ever mention their true identities or any rights to reclaim the throne. They did and one generation later, all was forgotten as the former Royal family "disappeared" from history and raised their children as normal citizens. The crazy uncle somehow came on the truth and broke the silence but was "taken care of" by government officials posing as psychiatric doctors. Emanuel had no children and if normal succession laws are followed, the Royal line of Romagna passed to his younger brother, Donatella's father and then to her. The conversation stopped, while the romantic traffic noises of Milaine gently drew Donatella back to the real world. It must have felt, in weight of responsibility, much the same as any other Prince being told he would actually rule a country. History is everybody's responsibility and Donatella had to face hers.

The NOW tabloid made record sales for reporting the speculations in March as to what Donatella's future was to be.

Her grandmother chose to break the silence just like her mother in law did when she told her. They did it in secret and were sworn to silence but times have changed and Donatella was going to hear more than just the fairy tale of titles. Her great grandfather passed on verbally, the codes to a vault in a Switzer Bank where money was left for his eventual heir when the climate was right to tell the world of the secret Royal Family of Romagna. Thanks to recent world events and two monarchies being restored, Princess Nina of Romagna, technically the Dowager Queen of Romagna decided to pass the story, responsibility and the codes to her 35 year old granddaughter. Donatella will now launch her family onto the International stage. She has engaged the best lawyers to challenge the laws in Romagna relegating her family nameless like orphans without a past. "A restorartion of the monarchy is not as important as knowing who you are and being who you are.", the Princess was quoted to say in a press conference held at the Switzer Bank on the day earlier this year when she went to claim ownership of her inheritance. It seems she has nothing more than a moral agenda as can be expected from a well brought up young woman who has never gotten anything for free in her life. She knows that this "crown" didn't fall in her lap to serve vanity but that if she wears it humbly, it will serve the entire world. 

Also in the vault was the remainder of the Romagna Royal Jewels. Among which this tiara in diamonds with matching choker is complimented by Imperial Topaz earrings and a brooch.

The Duchess Di Giorgio, mindful of the jewellery's historic value had them appraised and repaired for use, by the famous Royal Jeweller and Antique Dealer, Princess Augusta. 

Here the Duchess tries the fit of the newly restored antique choker dating from the 1800's along with its matching tiara.

Duchess Di Giorgio then set about to have an official photo taken to commemorate her new found Royal status. She is proud of her heritage and has become a crusader for the lost Royal history of her country. She hopes that this portrait will spark new interest and publicity in her story. Here she is seen with Princess Augusta and Madame Frumsetta to discuss her entire look that is to match the historic jewels.

Madame Frumsetta suggests the incorporation of a fur stole, made from the finest quality "fake" fur in order to be eco-friendly. 

One step closer to transforming this city-girl into looking like the princess she really is.

A dress was bought at auction and entirely refurbished by the talented Madame Frumsetta. This choice was made for two reasons; to use a dress that once belonged to a historic Royal figure and to save money. The salmon pink calf length dress once belonged to Empress Crystobel and was sold at auction to raise money for a children's feeding scheme in Africana. So even the money wasn't wasted. We see in the picture, Princess Augusta comparing the Pink Topaz brooch to the shade of the dress. 

So we have a new Royal on the block. We look forward to seeing Her Royal Highness, the Princess Donatella, Duchess Di Giorgio, Countess Corvi, strutting her stuff on the world stage. To see the result of her portrait we will have to wait until it is released in the press which will probably end up being posted in one of my "Sunday Portrait Regulars".  She is apparently also invited to the wedding of Queen Gloria next week so excitement will no doubt be high for her and her fans alike. 

“To be or not to be” Thursday (Madame Frumsetta)

Ei Alteta Contesa Nikoliana Doamna z Frumusete Knyaginya de Bo’hemia. This is the full title and style, in her native Syldavian tongue, of the person we know as Madame Frumsetta. Yes Madame Frumsetta the international couturier to Queens of state and stage. In English is would read, Her Illustrious Highness Countess Nicole Doamna Frumsette, Princess of Bo’hemia.

Madame Frumsetta poses in "welcome" at her Swann Studios.

By birth Madame Frumsetta is technically what we would refer to as a Royal Countess or Princess of the Blood in a Sovereign County. The former independant Royal County of Bo’hemia now falls in the restored Kingdom of Syldavia following the revolution and has become a province of Syldavia in the same fashion as the former Kingdom of Serbieski. With the restoration it has been agreed that Serbieski and Bo’hemia would be mediatised to non-independant Noble status. This means that the head of the former Royal Houses will not rule in their own right but will enjoy legal Noble status based on the former title with uniquely high precedence afforded above other Nobility. All this might sound very interesting, complicated and important but Madame Frumsetta does not care for titles and has not shown interest in claiming her right to the aforementioned status. She prefers being an international player and could be seen as Queen of fabric, lace and style. It is for this reason that she has never attended a formal Royal event but rather we get to see her creations in her absence but who knows what the future holds?

Madame Frumsetta has studios in the Big Apple, Pariseum and in the Swann capital and counts among her clients, Queen Gloria of Normandia, the new Queen of Syldavia and the Crown Princess Imperial. It is rumoured that she will be responsible for the dress to be worn by the new Queen of Syldavia at the upcoming Investiture.

Despite her Noble heritage by blood, Madame Frumsetta is of humble Gypsy upbringing. This is due to two reasons. The Royal House of Bo’hemia was by tradition of Gypsy origin and culturally held a semi-gypsy lifestyle and traditional culture. It was the only “moving” court in Europa with the Count of Bohemia travelling his nation in a sort of Circus/tent style procession. The family never owned a Palace in the 210 years of their dynastic existence, preferring what came to be affectionately known as "The Counts Caravan". Secondly the revolution expelled her family from the then new democratic Republic of Syldavia, which absorbed the small region even though the locals were in favour of them staying. They were then relegated to a true Gypsy lifestyle travelling with other gypsies in the rural areas of Franconia presenting real circus acts in the former Royal Tent. This restored some of the family wealth but never the dignity. Madame Frumsetta decided to make a name for herself and set out to use what finances were available in order to live her dream of being a fashion and costume designer.

One of the gypsy caravans that formed part of the State Moving Court. It survived the expulsion of the Royal Family and has since been kept in the Syldavian Museum of History.

Her talent swiftly carved a niche in the film and theatre industries in Americania. Soon her talent was also required in Europa but she never fully hit the fashion set until 2010 when a very famous Gloria van der Bilt walked into her Swann Studio. The slightly eccentric and self assured Gloria came with an obvious, due to press, request which at the same time was astronomically unbelievable to Madame Frumsetta. Gloria was the new Queen of Normandia and required an Investiture Dress of State. She demanded that the dress would capture the sober majesty of the event, combined with a respectful hint of Normandia’s medieval history and that it would at the same time not ignore Gloria’s modern and funky identity and that using the national colour of light blue was a strict requirement. Not a tall order? It was dumbfounding also considering that the deadline was no less than three months. The result put the designer on the international map forever. Her understanding of theatre combined with her understanding of eccentric client requirements and produced a dress of historic proportions.

The preliminary design sketch for the Normandian Investiture Dress. 

Fitting a Faux fur to one of her clients, in this case the Duchess d'Giorgio.

Madame Frumsetta has excelled in her passion. She sees it as preceding her need to make a living and even as preceding skill as she believes that passion overrides money and drives skill to its max. We hope to see far more from her and cannot wait to see if she secured the Syldavian Investiture Dress order. Good luck Nicole.