Orders & Sashes


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On his wedding day, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge wore the blue Garter Sash.
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Sternchen said:
It depends on the event that takes place during the state visit. Let's take Sweden and Italy as an example.
If it is an event from the Swedish Royal Family hosts, the guests from Italy (and the hosts) will wear the Swedish order they received, alternatively (when they don't have a Swedish order) they will wear the highest order they have.
On the return event that is hosted by Italy, the Swedish Royal family (and the members of the government) will wear their Italian order, and if they don't have one, they will wear the highest order they have.

Hope that helps :)

You can find informations about how to wear the sash on most websites of the respective Royal families :)
Kongehuset - Forside
kongehuset.no - The Order of St. Olav
Click to expand...

Bolded is not true. For State Visits, the correct protocol is to wear the highest order you have of the visiting country. If you do not have an order for them, then you wear your own countries order (if you have one).

I have found these two photos of Silvia recently, but I have no idea what sash(es) she's wearing. I'm also not sure of the dates, which could help narrow it down. I'm thinking one is from the 80s and one is from the 90s. My initial guess is that it's the Portuguese Order of Christ, but I'm not sure. (They paid a visit to Portugal in 1986 and the Portuguese visited Sweden in 1990).

http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv306/WithinDemise/Tiaras/sapphire10_zps8bf3f779.jpg

http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv306/WithinDemise/Tiaras/connaught59_zps0108cce4.jpeg

Any guesses? Sadly, you can't really see the badges/stars, which would make guessing a lot easier. Sjobergbildbyra.se does say the first photo is from 1990.
 
I think that you are right GomdNatt that the red Portuguese sash is that of the Order of Christ. QS received this in 1987. She was honoured with the Order of Prince Henry the Navigator in 2008 - the sash of which is blue, white and black.
 
Bryce said:
I think that you are right GomdNatt that the red Portuguese sash is that of the Order of Christ. QS received this in 1987. She was honoured with the Order of Prince Henry the Navigator in 2008 - the sash of which is blue, white and black.
Click to expand...

that's what I was thinking. Thank you!
 
I've read that Order wearing protocol says it's incorrect to wear a sash on your bare shoulder, however I can find no information backing this up and in fact, I find that only Sophie of Wessex, Elena of Spain, and Letizia of Spain have tucked their sash in their dress when having bare shoulders. Everyone else just wears their order over their shoulders.

So is this person correct? Is it actually wrong to wear a sash over your bare shoulder?
 
Princess Sofia needs one or two brooches to attach her Serafim Sash correctly.
Hope she will do better for the Nobel.
 
GömdNatt said:
I've read that Order wearing protocol says it's incorrect to wear a sash on your bare shoulder, however I can find no information backing this up and in fact, I find that only Sophie of Wessex, Elena of Spain, and Letizia of Spain have tucked their sash in their dress when having bare shoulders. Everyone else just wears their order over their shoulders.

So is this person correct? Is it actually wrong to wear a sash over your bare shoulder?
Click to expand...

Swedish "etiquette expert" Magdalena Ribbing complained strongly last year when crown princess Victoria wore at the Nobel Prize ceremony the sash on her bare skin.
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Unfortunately ms Ribbing didn't remember then at all, that HM queen Silvia has worn many times the sash also on her bare shoulder, also at the Nobel Prize ceremonies. And so has princess Madeleine.
Here is only some photos of queen Silvia with her sash on bare shoulder.
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Princess Madeleine
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Obviously Victoria and Madeleine think that if the queen can wear the sash on her bare shoulder, they can too.
 
LadyFinn said:
Swedish "etiquette expert" Magdalena Ribbing complained strongly last year when crown princess Victoria wore at the Nobel Prize ceremony the sash on her bare skin.
Image Upper.com - Free Image Hosting - View Image

Unfortunately ms Ribbing didn't remember then at all, that HM queen Silvia has worn many times the sash also on her bare shoulder, also at the Nobel Prize ceremonies. And so has princess Madeleine.
Here is only some photos of queen Silvia with her sash on bare shoulder.
Image Upper.com - Free Image Hosting - View Image
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Princess Madeleine
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Obviously Victoria and Madeleine think that if the queen can wear the sash on her bare shoulder, they can too.
Click to expand...


I'm a bit surprised really. Queen Silvia rarely puts a foot wrong in matters of etiquette.


Sent from my iPhone using The Royals Community mobile app
 
:previous: Quite right. Queen Silvia is the standard!
 
LadyFinn said:
Swedish "etiquette expert" Magdalena Ribbing complained strongly last year when crown princess Victoria wore at the Nobel Prize ceremony the sash on her bare skin.
Image Upper.com - Free Image Hosting - View Image

Unfortunately ms Ribbing didn't remember then at all, that HM queen Silvia has worn many times the sash also on her bare shoulder, also at the Nobel Prize ceremonies. And so has princess Madeleine.
Here is only some photos of queen Silvia with her sash on bare shoulder.
Image Upper.com - Free Image Hosting - View Image
Image Upper.com - Free Image Hosting - View Image
Image Upper.com - Free Image Hosting - View Image
Image Upper.com - Free Image Hosting - View Image
Image Upper.com - Free Image Hosting - View Image
Princess Madeleine
Image Upper.com - Free Image Hosting - View Image
Image Upper.com - Free Image Hosting - View Image

Obviously Victoria and Madeleine think that if the queen can wear the sash on her bare shoulder, they can too.
Click to expand...

I think I recall that last year. Beatrix, Maxima, and even Elizabeth has worn their sash over a bare shoulder, so I don't know if I would consider it protocol.
 
GömdNatt said:
I think I recall that last year. Beatrix, Maxima, and even Elizabeth has worn their sash over a bare shoulder, so I don't know if I would consider it protocol.
Click to expand...


Queen Elisabeth in bare shoulders last year?? Are you sure?


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Gosh, if that's QUEEN Elizabeth, I haven't seen her in sleeveless evening gowns with any sort of low décolletage for about 20 years.

I wish someone had either informed Sofia about her twisted sash or perhaps adjusted it for her.
 
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JR76 said:
Queen Elisabeth in bare shoulders last year?? Are you sure?


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Click to expand...

Good go no. I meant I recall the "etiquette" kerfuffle with Victoria wearing the sash on her bare shoulders.

Elizabeth hasn't done so since at least the 70s, but probably more the 50s and 60s. She wore a lot of strap dresses back then, but that is long ago.
 
The idea of continuing a tradition that somehow labels the shoulder flesh of a woman's shoulder as untouchable by an inanimate fabric is silly IMHO.
Traditions that lack sound meaning behind them often fall by the wayside. And I'm all for that.
 
It seems that Queen Silvia was just following her mother-in-law. Here is Princess Sibylla.
View image: sash sibylla
The pic is a blurry screen shop, but I'm certain that the gown is strapless.

And here Princess Desiree
View image: sash margaretha

So this rule that sashes must not be worn on bare skin seems to be as out-dated as the rule that only married women are allowd to wear tiaras.

edit: And here is the lady who probably never ever in her whole long life has put a foot wrong when it comes to protocol.
Young Queen Elizabeth, and even in an official portrait!
View image: sash QEII
 
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AdmirerUS said:
The idea of continuing a tradition that somehow labels the shoulder flesh of a woman's shoulder as untouchable by an inanimate fabric is silly IMHO.
Traditions that lack sound meaning behind them often fall by the wayside. And I'm all for that.
Click to expand...
The tradition to tuck the sash inside the dress when wearing a shoulder-baring dress perhaps has more to do with giving the gentlemen an undisturbed view to admire the decolletage of a beautiful woman, rather than that a woman's bare shoulder should be untouched by a sash.
 
Meraude said:
The tradition to tuck the sash inside the dress when wearing a shoulder-baring dress perhaps has more to do with giving the gentlemen an undisturbed view to admire the decolletage of a beautiful woman, rather than that a woman's bare shoulder should be untouched by a sash.
Click to expand...

Well, some of the comments were describing the practice as uncouth. Not as blocking decolletage. And I'm not sure not sure I think a Queen's/Princess' job should be display their cleavage at evening engagements. :whistling:

I do think some dresses look better with the sash tucked - and that makes sense. Others look just a great with the sash on shoulder. JMO.
 
Sashes

AdmirerUS said:
And I'm not sure not sure I think a Queen's/Princess' job should be display their cleavage at evening engagements. :whistling:
Click to expand...


Interestingly, décolletage has been quite de rigeur for upper class women in evening wear since the Renaissance.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Décolletage

I'm not saying this is what should occur even now. I for one have no desire to see a woman's décolletage.
 
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GömdNatt said:
I think I recall that last year. Beatrix, Maxima, and even Elizabeth has worn their sash over a bare shoulder, so I don't know if I would consider it protocol.
Click to expand...

In the video below from Queen Margrethe's recent 75th birthday dinner, Queen Mathide has her sash tucked while wearing a shoulder baring dress.

https://youtu.be/BNpBuKzK0vU?t=198
 
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Mathilde has worn her sash several times on her bar shoulder, but with this particular dress is just looks great to have the sash tucked in under that wide colar.
 
Call me mad, but I think that a sash over bare shoulder actually help the body look complete and less "bare"... :D
 
Does anybody know when Princess Claire of Belgium received the Order of Leopold? She's only worn it once that I know of, in 2008 for the Hungarian State Visit. She should have worn it for the Finnish State Visit in 2004, Fred's wedding, and Victoria's wedding, but didn't. So did she get it in 2003 when she got married or did she not receive it until later? My assumption is she received it around the time of her wedding, but hates wearing it. lol
 
Interesting question. At the time of Victoria's wedding she certainly had the order, but chose not to wear it. So it is possible that she already had it at the Finnish SV and the Danish wedding. Maybe she thinks that it spoils the look? (Which is often true, imho.:whistling:)
 
The simple answer is: she has no possibility to wear it. At State Visits Princess Claire will always wear the Order she has been given by the guest. On his turn the guest will wear the Order he/she has been given from the Belgian King.

The Belgians simply do not know events like in other monarchies where the own Order can be worn by ladies in long. For an example the northern neighbours have the annual Prinsjesdag (picture) or had the King's Investiture in 2013 which saw the Dutch royals wearing their Dutch Orders indeed (picture).
 
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Duc_et_Pair said:
The simple answer is: she has no possibility to wear it. At State Visits Princess Claire will always wear the Order she has been given by the guest. On his turn the guest will wear the Order he/she has been given from the Belgian King.

The Belgians simply do not know events like in other monarchies where the own Order can be worn by ladies in long. For an example the northern neighbours have the annual Prinsjesdag (picture) or had the King's Investiture in 2013 which saw the Dutch royals wearing their Dutch Orders indeed (picture).
Click to expand...

That doesn't answer anything and it's wrong. No, she doesn't have many opportunities to wear it, but she has and she doesn't or she wears it wrong. In 2008, she wore the sash but not the badge. Which doesn't make sense because she's worn her other orders correctly (though I have a slight problem with her sash wearing).

She's had at least 3 opportunities to wear the Belgian order and she hasn't. It's confusing to me.
 
As per Wikipedia Princess Claire has been awarded

Belgian honours

Belgium Belgium : Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold (but no date)

http://36.media.tumblr.com/f70bc00d160d289ebd063cff5c2e6013/tumblr_mz5j3a9Dlr1r6jme9o1_400.jpg

Foreign honours

The Netherlands : Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown (2006)

Norway (Orders) : Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit (20 May 2003)

Portugal : Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the Infante Dom Henrique (8 March 2006)
 
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