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. 

Memory Monday (Style Icons Part 4 Princess Kirsten Youssopoff)

We finally return to our "Style Icons" for the first time in over a year with today's installment. We might not share one every week but plan on doing a few over the next few weeks.

Her Royal Highness Princess Kirsten, the Princess Youssopoff may truly be considered a style icon. She joins our list among our previous notaries, Queen Maria of Hispania, Princess Augusta and Princess Xenia of Wallachia. We aim with these posts to give a broad view over several years of the particular Royal's individual expression of identity through their unique taste in fashion.

As a young Princess, Kirsten was born to wealth and privilege as a member of the ruling House of Hanoveria. One might say she was born to style and good taste with nothing to prove as well being a high ranking Royal in her own right. She had the freedom and means to be who she felt like being and her sense of duty and the responsibility of setting an example was clear. In the above pictures we see the young Princess as she stepped out into the public scene. As left the 2009 engagement of her cousin the Crown Prince Imperial and at left the wedding of the same saw her wearing family jewels and keeping within the bounds of moderation and dress code. During these early years she did not make big splashes but also did not fail to turn the odd head. Her style was fresh but did not take any risks. 

Not unscathed by tragedy, the Princess faced the hardship of losing her father to an assassin's bullet and herself required plastic surgery a few years later after surviving one herself. With a help of the surgeons knife and her own coming of age gave us a Princess with  radiant beauty and a seemingly new found defiant confidence. These years before her eventual marriage saw the Princess attack the red carpet with a vengeance and she was quoted to say: "A bullet cannot hit its mark in the face of a blinding glare'.  Her style obviously bolder style became more sophisticated but remained within the bounds of good taste.

The inevitable came in the form of one of the wealthiest Royals in the world. Prince Felix Youssopoff, and his vast resources, was what it was going to take to harness Kirsten. The loving and exuberant match was obvious for all to see and the engagement and wedding took place in 2011. Even though her wedding dress was more "poofy princes" than expected, the effects of her marriage on her fashion sense was to make more than a few ripples on the style Richter scale.

The first event attended by the new Youssopoff Princely Couple was diplomatic, official and a front page affair. The Investiture of Queen Gloria of Normandia saw Princess Kirsten and her husband representing the Ruskian Imperial Dynasty. This required strict protocol adherence but also afforded her an opportunity to be put on the map like never before. Kirsten dropped a style bomb that hit the sweet spot like none other. With this gold Barbie International couture design and the sleek Youssopoff Comet Parure she was second only to Queen Gloria as an attention grabber. A total slam dunk as upstaging the Queen would have been insulting.

Since then Princess Kirsten has supported her husband and the Ruskian Empress in pretense at many official and otherwise gala functions. Her look is young, sleek and attention grabbing without overstepping bounds.

At less formal affairs we can see the Princess taking more risks with colour, hemlines and more "risque" designs.

A combination of Youssopof and Hanoverian family jewels allows the Princess to pull all the stops when necessary but she remains confident in her "nothing-to-prove" mode allowing for a cleaner, sleeker look.

She is also not beyond wearing outfits more than once as this photo in comparison with the one above, second from right, proves.

From bold black and white at the 2012 Christmas Ball (top left), to traditional princess at the Syldavian Investiture 2012 (top right), to sassy pink  and then sexy silvery sleek at the 2013 Christmas Ball, Princess Kirsten flicks that Richter scale every time albeit sometimes less and sometimes more.

At the 2013 funeral of Empress Crystobel, her aunt, the Princess was obviously toned down but her true nature as remained undiminished under hat and with diamonds.

Her undeniable glamour and the spectacular Youssopoff diamonds (seen above) will always draw a crowd and the media. This factor she has unfailingly harnessed in favour of the many charities she support as was seen at this year's charity auction of a sapphire parure.

The Princess is one of the few who has experimented with her look but always with success as this stylish outfit proves. Worn a few weeks ago it was her latest red carpet appearance to date and we look forward to many more as she keeps up the good fight of inspirational shining in the face of predjudice. May this Princess inspire the Princess in whichever heart it may be found.

Wonderful Weekends (Official Portrait of Viscount Faraway)

In the current vein of official portraits released by Scotney and Britanian Nobility, Viscount Faraway has also made this portrait available to the public. It shows the young Viscount and Admiral of the Fleet in the Principality of Swann standing next to his Coronet of Rank. As per tradition the portrait also features the Family Crest of the Hyland Family that he is a member of. The crest shows the family's link to a maritime history reaching as far back as the mid 1600's.

His Lordship Admiral Viscount Faraway, Baron Hyland and Second Sea Lord of Swann.

What's Up Wednesday (Shahbahnou Women of Influence Meeting)

The pretender to the Perlistani throne, Princess Farah, Shahbahnou of Perlistan hosted a meeting in the Perlistan capital yesterday. Since her welcome back into her native country, the Shahbahnou has been very active in many charity causes one of which being women's rights. This event is the largest Royal gathering in Perlistan since the 96 Revolution and constitutes the largest political gathering of women in Perlistan in its history. The meeting sought to gather the most influential ladies of title in pretense, this all in aid of raising awareness of abuse against women and women's right especially in third world countries. 

Her Imperial Highness Princess Farah, Shahbahnou of Perlistan as she is now officially referred to since her repatriation to her native country and her ceremonial place without political power being secured. She looked spectacular in rubies and red couture gown. 

The guests were all the most prominent women of title but in the capacity of being without official political power. Thus, those ladies who are all from former monarchies. Above we see Princess Augusta of Scot-Britania, the very wealthy antiques dealer and aunt to the Crown Prince Imperial and in green, the Crown Princess of Ophiri. 

The Duchess Di Giorgio is the pretender to the throne of the former Kingdom of Romagna. 

Princess Marie-Elizabeth is in the unique position of being a member of the reigning Royal Family of Swann and a member of the Fulco D'Este dynasty which is in pretense. As such she wields exceptional influence in Europan affairs and has often spoken on behalf of major charities. 

In the center we see the wife of Prince Felix Youssopoff of Ruskiana. As wife of a Nobleman in pretense in the former Empire of Ruskia, she too holds some political influence as her brother reigns in Hanoveria. However her husband is the wealthiest business man in Ruskiana so her financial clout often outweighs her political influence. 

The Crown Princess Imperial, Princess Odeliah could never have imagined how her life would have changed in the last five years. She has gone from farm girl to veritable empress in exile, to being welcomed on her husband's arm, back into what was to be her husband's empire. Politically the former monarchy of Scot-Britania has never been more popular even though there has not been a restoration and their welcome will undoubtedly be secure. Arguably, Princess Odeliah is the most influential woman in the world and her humble yet powerful support lends great value to any cause she chooses to back. 

Princess Odeliah looked characteristically smart in a rarely worn Aquamarine Parure. 

The full compliment of guests also included the Marchioness of Londonderry at far left and after the press conference and photo opps sat down to dinner and speeches before the next day's conference. 

Tiaras and Trinkets on Tuesdays (The Argyle/Dysart Jewellery Collection)

The Duchess of Argyle has the privilege of having access to two historic jewellery collections. Since her marriage to the Duke of Argyle, the now Duchess of Argyle has had many opportunities to dip into her own Noble family's jewellery collection and that of her husband. 

We became very familiar with the Dysart jewellery over the years as both sisters often had to play tag team between the only two tiaras available to them. Pictured above we see at left the more modern Dysart Amethyst Tiara in its original form as it was worn in 2011 by Lady Ferrox. At right we see the traditional Dysart Diamond Parure that has been in the family for more than 150 years. 

The Coronet of an Earl, as worn within the former Kingdom of Scotney and Empire of Scot-Britania is another traditional part of this Noble Family and has been used by the head of the family for over 200 years. 

In 2012 the Duke of Swann thanked the then still Countess Dysart for allowing the Imperial Birthday Ball to be held in Glencoe Castle with this awe inspiring necklace. The Swann Choker, as it has been dubbed is said to have become a firm favourite. 

The tiara pictured above seen alongside the entire Dysart Diamond Jewellery Collection has since this photo been lost to history after its disastrous sale and dismantlement. Lady Ferrox, the Countess' sister suffered a mental breakdown and sold the tiara to con-man syndicate who by the time the authorities caught up with them entirely destroyed the antique tiara. 

Since the Countess' marriage and elevation to the courtesy title of Duchess some impressive changes has been noticed in her jewellery. Not withstanding her access to the Argyle Ducal Jewellery, the Duchess also had her amethyst tiara altered to enlarge its overall presence in keeping with her rank. The almost Imperial size new amethyst tiara can be seen pictured above. 

This close up helps us appreciate the detail of this now very imposing tiara. 

The Argyle Aquamarine Demi Parure does not include a matching tiara. The Countess Dysart seems to have received it a an engagement present from her fiance, the Duke of Argyle. The demi parure was made for the Duke's mother to celebrate her 40th birthday and includes aquamarines the former Duke won in a wager against Prince Nikolai Youssopoff. It was the first piece of Argyle jewellery the new Duchess ever wore in public and she chose to do so at her engagement party. 

For her wedding day the Duchess combined parts of her Dysart diamonds with the Argyle Diamond Tiara symbolizing the amalgamation of these two historic families in marriage. 

The Argyle Diamond Parure is said not to be of a particularly pleasing design to the new Duchess. She has however worn it several times showing respect and solidarity to her husband and his family. 

In this photo, taken in 2013 at the Christmas Ball, the Duchess pairs the Argyle Diamond Tiara with what seems to be a new sapphire necklace and earrings. The Duke is known to own a large collection of unset stones of which we may presume this new set of jewellery was made from for his new wife. 

The new Argyle Sapphire Necklace in close-up view. 

The Duchess of Argyle is reputed to love amethysts and was very lucky that apart from the light coloured Dysart Amethysts, the Argyle collection also boasted a magnificent amethyst parure consisting of deep coloured stones. This set has also been in the family for generations and recently graced the head of the new duchess in a set of official portraits. 

The last piece of Ducal jewellery is the coronet of rank afforded to the Dukes of Argyle. If we ever have the good fortune of seeing an actual coronation we may see these ancient coronal relics in use as they were intended. 

Memory Monday (Duke of Swann State Tour of the Island of Banbury and Annual Knight's Meeting)

This year has seen many "unprecedented" and surpprising events take place. For the Annual Knight's Meeting it was decided to use the small island of Banbury as the venue. Banbury is a remote island that falls under the sovereignty of Swann but that is also semi-autonomous in some respects. By tradition the island is ruled by the closets male relation to the Duke of Swann that is not the heir to the Swanobian throne. The Duke of Banbury and Grand Master of the Order of Malta then rules this distant outcrop of the Swanobian State in trust of the Duke of Swann under a marshal law type of system. 

The current Duke of Banbury and Grand Master of the Order of Malta (pictured at left above)  is the Duke of Swann's younger brother, Prince Dennis of Swann. In his capacity as ruler of the related state he is referred to as His Illustrious Highness, the Duke of Banbury. The Duke of Swann made his first visit to the island in more than ten years last week along with his sister Princess Marie-Elizabeth, the Arch Duchess of Fulco D'Este (pictured at right above). This was since it was agreed that this year's Annual Knight's Meeting was to be hosted by the Island in the name of the Principality of Swann. Apart from the logistic and formal reason it was also a bit of a family reunion between the sibling who haven't gathered under one roof since before the Duke of Swann's ascension to the throne.

This map shows the location of the small island in relation to Swann and the rest of Europa.

The estranged brothers were formal but couldn't hide controlled smiles, obvious expressions of being glad to see each other. The customary handshake was not just for show but also welcomed the Duke of Swann as representative of the Annual Knight's Meeting to the island. 

The Duke of Banbury has been known to be a bit of a joker as can be seen in his "naughty" expression in this, what was meant to be a formal photo opp. 

Princess Marie-Elizabeth struck a far more regal pose for this, her photo opp. The Duke of Swann was to host an evening gala as per tradition for all the heads of the Orders of Chivalry the day after his arrival. The event did not include his sister or the Duke of Banbury even though the Duke of Banbury yielded his palace to his brother for the evening. 

The full gathering for the Annual Knight's Meeting included from left; Prince Louis D'Pont Du Lac, Queen Gloria of Normandia, The Grand Duke of Hanoveria, Queen Maria of Hispania, The Crown Prince Imperial, King Nikolas of Syldavia, The Duke of Swann, Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna of Ruskiana and the Princess of Wallachia. 

At this year's event many crucial matter were discussed, among which the Crown Prince Imperial's return to Scotney and Britania was of highest priority. Its affects on the various Orders of Chivalry will indeed have far reaching consequences with both positive and negative potential. For the last and almost cosmetic topic, it was decided to allocated a coloured ribband to the reactivated Franconian Order of the Holy Spirit. The Crown Prince Imperial as preeminent Grand Master bestowed the silver ribband upon Prince Louis D'Pont Du Lac.

Here we see Prince Louis wearing the new ribband as Grand Master of the Order of the Holy Spirit.