Banquets and Balls -Royal and Noble Gatherings : Past & Present


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An Ard Ri

An Ard Ri

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Banquets and Balls -Royal and Noble Gatherings : Past & Present

In July 1939 only weeks before the outbreak of World War II ,nobles and high society gathered at the Villa Trianon in Versailles for the Circus Ball
Elsie de Wolfe’s Circus Ball at the Villa Trianon in Versailles

In July 1960 Le Bal des Débutantes took place in the Orangery of the Palace of Versailles
Guests included Queen Marie José of Italy, Prince Alexander & Princess Maria Pia of Yugoslavia, Prince Carlos Hugo of Bourbon-Parma among others.
Le Bal at the Palace of Versailles, 1960 - The Royal Watcher
 
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Ball at the Royal Palace in Brussels in 1958.
Guests included: Crown Prince Constantine and Princess Eugenie of Greece, Crown Princess Beatrix and Princess Irene of The Netherlands, Princess Maria Gabriella of Savoy, Princess Isabella d'Orléans, Princess Maria Cristina of Savoy Aosta and Princess Marie-Françoise and Princess Maria Teresa of Bourbon-Parma.

royalwatcherblog.com

Ball at the Royal Palace of Brussels, 1958 - The Royal Watcher

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rafael Gluz (@z.ulg) View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Royal Watcher (@the_royal_watcher) View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Royal Watcher (@the_royal_watcher) King Baudouin of Belgium was joined by King Leopold III and...
royalwatcherblog.com royalwatcherblog.com
 
Thanks for the pictures . King Baudouin danced only with one person : Crown Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands. A lot of critics at that time e .a. concerning Princess Lilian tiara called "the Cathedral"
 
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maria-olivia said:
Thanks for the pictures . King Baudouin danced only with one person : Crown Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands. A lot of critics at that time e .a. concerning Princess Lilian tiara called "the Cathedral"
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Given the number of young and royal guests I have a feeling that the Gotha matchmakers had planned something.
Do you know if there was ever any attempts to marry off the young king before he met Fabiola?
 
He was dancing with Princess Beatrix, the only one He could not marry.
They spoke about a Princess of Bourbon Parme but we never saw them to gether.
Princess Lilian had a great influence , she was the first Lady of Belgium until the arrival of Fabiola.
A past Minister wrote he was invited to Laeken , Lilian asked him "do you smoke" answer "yes" answer from Lilian " Baudouin give Minister X an ashtray and He did it..
 
Queen Anne-Marie of Greece's 40th Birthday Gala at Claridge’s Hotel in London in July 1986.
The late Queen ,the Prince and Princess of Wales ,Duchess of York,Duchess of Kent ,Prince and Princess Michael ,Princess Alexandra were all in attendance.

Greek Royal Family’s Ball in London, 1986 - The Royal Watcher

The Anglo-Danish Society’s Dinner and Dance at the Dorchester Hotel in London,from October 1964
HRH Princess Margaret and HRH Princess Elisabeth of Denmark were both present.
Anglo-Danish Society Dinner in London, 1964

The 1966 Belgian Chamber of Commerce Ball in London took place in late October of that year and was attended by the then Prince and Princess of Liege (Albet and Paola)
Belgian Chamber of Commerce Ball in London, 1966
 
The Anglo Spanish Society Ball from November 1987 at Syon House in London.
It was attended by the Prince and Princess of Wales and The Infanta Elena of Spain.
Anglo-Spanish Society Ball in London, 1987

The Gala Performance at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris in December 1964.
It was attended by the newlywed , Prince Carlos Hugo of Bourbon-Parma and , Princess Irene of The Netherlands along with others including ,Prince Edouard de Lobkowicz and Princess Marie-Françoise of Bourbon-Parma.
Gala Performance in Paris, 1964

The then Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh both attended the Royal Navy Malta Ball in Valetta in December 1950.
Royal Navy Ball in Malta, 1950
 
The Bal Des Petits Lits Blancs on the Liner France in Le Havre in January 1962 , it was attended by the then Prince and Princess of Liege ,Prince Alexandrt and Princess Maria Pia of Yugoslavia, Prince Michael and Princess Yolande of Bourbon Parma, and Audrey Hepburn.
Bal Des Petits Lits Blancs, 1962
 
Let’s hope King Carl XVI Gustaf will host a grand 80:th birthday gala next year with royal and presidential guests from near and far !

Wich may be his last chance as there is no guarantee you make it to 90. And if you do, there is no guarantee you’re in a state to host a gala at 90…
 
Hans-Rickard said:
Let’s hope King Carl XVI Gustaf will host a grand 80:th birthday gala next year !

Wich may be his last chance as there is no guarantee you make it to 90. And if you do, there is no guarantee you’re in a state to host a gala at 90…
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He has held some very grand ones for other milestones so lets hope he marks his 80th in similar style.
 
An Ard Ri said:
He has held some very grand ones for other milestones so lets hope he marks his 80th in similar style.
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His 50:th was very grand…. His 40:th, 60:th and 70:th not as grand as the 50:th but still very grand… So my expectations are high…

He has also (unlike his grandfather) always invited royal and presidential guests from all over the world for his round birthdays, and not just the nordic heads of state wich has been the case for other major milestones..
 
In July 2000,Prince and Princess Michael of Kent thew a joint 21st and 20th Birthday Fancy Dress Ball at Kensington Palace to mark the birthdays of Lord Frederick Lady Gabriella Windsor .
Kent Ball at Kensington Palace
 
Hans-Rickard said:
His 50:th was very grand…. His 40:th, 60:th and 70:th not as grand as the 50:th but still very grand… So my expectations are high…

He has also (unlike his grandfather) always invited royal and presidential guests from all over the world for his round birthdays, and not just the nordic heads of state wich has been the case for other major milestones..
Click to expand...
There have been white tie Dinners for the 50th and 60oth birthday. And for the 70th a black tie Dinner were tiaras were worn by the Ladies.
As the King and Queen will also celebrate their golden Wedding anniversary next year i wonder if there will be 2 big celebrations which i doubt as they are only 3 months apart or a combined celebration or if the Golden wedding anniversary will only be celebrated private and in a small Family circle (which seems to be the norm with the royal Couples who have reached it, they only who celebrated it public were Queen Ellizabeth II. and Prince Philip and King Harald and Queen Sonja)
 
Stefan said:
There have been white tie Dinners for the 50th and 60oth birthday. And for the 70th a black tie Dinner were tiaras were worn by the Ladies.
As the King and Queen will also celebrate their golden Wedding anniversary next year i wonder if there will be 2 big celebrations which i doubt as they are only 3 months apart or a combined celebration or if the Golden wedding anniversary will only be celebrated private and in a small Family circle (which seems to be the norm with the royal Couples who have reached it, they only who celebrated it public were Queen Ellizabeth II. and Prince Philip and King Harald and Queen Sonja)
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I suspect The King’s 80:th birthday will be the big public celebration…

Their golden wedding anniversary on friday 19:th june falls on midsummer eve, sweden’s biggest public celebration when most people either are off-duty or makes sure to be off-duty and gathers with family and/or friends - so i suspect their wedding anniversary will be celebrated privately among family and friends… Maybe at Solliden
 
Crown Prince Alexander of Serbia celebrated his 50th birthday with a gala at Calridge's Hotel in London in July 1995.
Guests included : Queen Elizabeth II,the king and queen of Sweden, the Queen of Denmark ,King and Queen of Greece ,the king and queen of Roumania, Crown Princess Victoria,the Infanta Elena ,duchess of Lugo, Princess Tatiana Radziwił and Prince and Princess Michael of Greece.
Crown Prince Alexander’s 50th Birthday Gala
 
That’s quite a gathering. Thanks for posting I haven’t seen these photos before.
 
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Elly C said:
That’s quite a gathering. Thanks for posting ai haven’t seen these photos before.
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It wasn't long after the Wedding of Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece and Marie-Chantal Miller and the Prince was also born at Calridge's Hotel in London in 1945.
 
maria-olivia said:
Sorry , Albert Windsor son of Nicholas Windsor will be the cavalier of Eulalia d' Orleans Bragance.
Click to expand...

Do you mean Eulalia de Orleans-Borbón? (A member of a morganatic branch of the Spanish royal family – her father calls himself HRH Prince, but that is groundless as he descends from an unequal marriage contracted back when unequal spouses and children were barred from inheriting Spanish royal titles.) Are they friends?
 
On the list it is written
Orleans Bourbon , sorry again , daughter of Prince Alvaro and Princess Antonella, Goddaughter of King Juan Carlos
 
Thank you for the clarification.

Eulalia's parents call themselves a prince and a princess, but they are not.

Her grandfather, the Spanish Prince Alvaro of Orleans-Borbón, married a commoner, Carla Parodi Delfino. Under the strict laws of equal marriage observed by the Spanish royal house prior to the 1975 restoration, the marriage was morganatic due to Carla's commoner status.

Carla and her children were merely Excellencies, just like the husbands and children of Infantas Pilar and Margarita, who likewise married unequally. (Spanish royal titles did not discriminate by gender, but they very much discriminated by social class.)

BOE-A-1996-14244 Orden de 12 de junio de 1996 por la que se inscribe en el Registro de Fundaciones Culturales de Competencia Estatal la denominada «Fundación Infantes Duques de Montpensier».

www.boe.es www.boe.es

Eulalia herself is plain Doña Eulalia of Orleans-Borbón, just as Albert is plain Mr. Albert Windsor despite his descent from a royal family. Still, it would be an interesting “royal-royal” match if it were to happen. ;)
 
The Princess Margaret attended the Hertford British Hospital Ball at the Hôtel Perrinet de Jars in Paris in November 1951.
The Princess wore a Dior Gown with the Cartier Halo Tiara for the ball.
Princess Margaret in Paris, 1951
 
An Ard Ri said:
The Princess Margaret attended the Hertford British Hospital Ball at the Hôtel Perrinet de Jars in Paris in November 1951.
The Princess wore a Dior Gown with the Cartier Halo Tiara for the ball.
Princess Margaret in Paris, 1951
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That’s when ballgowns were distinctive from other types of evening wear, and you needed space to show them at their best.
 
Hans-Rickard said:
I suspect The King’s 80:th birthday will be the big public celebration…

Their golden wedding anniversary on friday 19:th june falls on midsummer eve, sweden’s biggest public celebration when most people either are off-duty or makes sure to be off-duty and gathers with family and/or friends - so i suspect their wedding anniversary will be celebrated privately among family and friends… Maybe at Solliden
Click to expand...
An addition to Sweden, we in Norway too have a tradition to celebrate royal milestones with tiaras.
In Norway, next year will mark the silver wedding anniversary of the Crown Prince and Crown Princess. When King Harald and Queen Sonja celebrated their silver wedding in 1993, the occasion was marked with two grand gala dinners, one at the Royal Palace with a traditional polonaise and ball, and one at Akershus Castle—complete with tiaras—and an entire week of royal festivities, including a “silver cruise” aboard the royal yachts Norge and Dannebrog.

The situation is, of course, different this time. Crown Prince Haakon has not yet ascended to the throne, and although such matters can change before August 2026, it is likely that the celebrations will be more modest than those held in 1993. Even so, a dignified observance of the anniversary would be welcome—and might also help shift public attention away from the ongoing Marius affair which will take alot of negative press reviews for the first six months of 2026.

Thus, a silver wedding ball in 2026 remains a distinct possibility.
I also hope we will have the joy of celebrating the joint 90th birthdays of King Harald and Queen Sonja in 2027. Their 50th, 60th, 70th, and 80th birthdays were all marked with splendid gala dinners, and it would be both fitting and meaningful to see this tradition continue for their 90th milestone as well.
 
pkl said:
An addition to Sweden, we in Norway too have a tradition to celebrate royal milestones with tiaras.
In Norway, next year will mark the silver wedding anniversary of the Crown Prince and Crown Princess. When King Harald and Queen Sonja celebrated their silver wedding in 1993, the occasion was marked with two grand gala dinners, one at the Royal Palace with a traditional polonaise and ball, and one at Akershus Castle—complete with tiaras—and an entire week of royal festivities, including a “silver cruise” aboard the royal yachts Norge and Dannebrog.

The situation is, of course, different this time. Crown Prince Haakon has not yet ascended to the throne, and although such matters can change before August 2026, it is likely that the celebrations will be more modest than those held in 1993. Even so, a dignified observance of the anniversary would be welcome—and might also help shift public attention away from the ongoing Marius affair which will take alot of negative press reviews for the first six months of 2026.

Thus, a silver wedding ball in 2026 remains a distinct possibility.
I also hope we will have the joy of celebrating the joint 90th birthdays of King Harald and Queen Sonja in 2027. Their 50th, 60th, 70th, and 80th birthdays were all marked with splendid gala dinners, and it would be both fitting and meaningful to see this tradition continue for their 90th milestone as well.
Click to expand...
It would indeed be a welcome shift in the media picture of the NRF… Also if they opted for possibilities for the general public to actually see them would help i think… Like a service of thanksgiving at the Cathedral where they married, a car procession along Karl Johans Gate, and a balcony appearance at the palace…

But after the double dissapointments with The Crown Princely Couple’s joint 50:th birthday celebrations being a closed garden party away from the general public and with very little media attention - and The King’s and Queen’s joint 85:th birthday dinner being a strictly private (black tie) event inside the palace without any media presence at all, i won’t hold my breath for anything spectacular….. But i wouldn’t be sad if they would shock me..

I also hope and pray that God almighty will allow both Harald and Sonja to celebrate their 90:th birthdays before he calls them…
 
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