Pearl jewels at the opening of the Swedish RiksdagArchived Message
Posted by Arthur on October 2, 2014, 6:22 pm
On 30th September 2014, took place the traditional opening of the annual session of the Swedish Parliament, the Riksdag.
Far from the glitter and pageantry which was the rule for this ceremony until the early 1970s, the ceremony has turned rather low-key under King Carl XVI Gustav's reign, in accordance with the reduction of the King's constitutional powers at the beginning of the King's reign: the royal family, ministers and members of Parliament wear daily outfits (no more uniforms, court dresses and tiaras), and the ceremony takes place in the modern hall of the Parliament (no more session in the splendid State Hall of Stockholm's Royal Palace).
As the date of the opening ceremony usually takes place on the anniversary date of the death of King Gustav VI Adolf, it is customary for the royal ladies to wear black, or black and white, outfits for the ceremony - possibly also a discreet reminder of the former black court dresses of the Swedish Queens and Princesses. This year, the ceremony was delayed, probably because of the recent general elections.
Before the opening ceremony in the Riksdag, a divine service was held in Stockholm's Cathedral. Later in the evening, a concert was held at the Stockholm Concert Hall.
At the Cathedral and the Riksdag, Queen Silvia wore the necklace of large pearls from the Bernadotte collection, a pair of pear-shaped pearl drop earrings and the beautiful pearl and diamond ivy-leaf brooch, which comes from Queen Victoria of Sweden (née Princess of Baden). Here are a few pictures (the first one was posted first by Marianne on the Glittering Royal Events Message Board):
For the concert in the evening, Crown Princess Victoria wore a pair of large black and white earrings (jet? onyx? and diamonds?):
on October 2, 2014, 6:22 pm
