Moniek Bloks's Blog, page 11

Royal Wedding Recollections – Prince Aya & Kiko Kawashima ​

On 29 June 1990, Prince Fumihito of Japan, known as Prince Aya at the time, the younger brother of the current Emperor Naruhito, married commoner Kiko Kawashima. He had proposed to her in June 1986, but their engagement was not announced for three years. Officials in the Imperial Household disapproved of the match as Kiko did not come from a wealthy family.

One reporter said, “Kiko will be the closest person to the general public ever to marry into the royal family. In that respect, it is breaking new ground in Japanese history.”1 She would be the second commoner, following her mother-in-law to marry into the Imperial Family.

Eventually, they overcame the disapproval, and the engagement was announced on 12 September 1989. Their official engagement ceremony wasn’t held until the one-year mourning period had concluded for Emperor Hirohito, who died on 7 January 1989. The “Nosai no Gi” (engagement ceremony) was held on 12 January 1990, and their wedding followed on 29 June 1990 at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. The public celebrated the royal wedding and the “Cinderella story” of Kiko.

The day began at 7 a.m. when Kiko entered the palace for a purification rite. She was dressed in a 12-layer kimono from the Heian period, which weighed 25 pounds and reportedly cost $130,000.

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Guests began arriving at the Kashikodokoro shrine shortly before 10 a.m. The groom’s father and mother did not attend the ceremony, as was the custom. During the 20-minute ceremony at the shrine, Fumihito read out his vows in ancient Japanese from a card.

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In the afternoon, the bride and groom, now dressed in a sleeveless gown and morning coat, respectively, reported their marriage to the Emperor and Empress. Afterwards, the couple waved at the thousands of well-wishers who lined the streets.

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Upon marriage, Fumihito became known as Prince Akishino, and Kiko formally became Princess Akishino. The couple went on to have three children together. Since his brother’s accession as Emperor, Fumihito is the Crown Prince of Japan.

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Royal Wedding Recollections – Princess Christina of the Netherlands & Jorge Pérez y Guillermo

Princess Christina of the Netherlands married Cuban-born Jorge Pérez y Guillermo on 28 June 1975.

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Jorge fled to the United States at the age of 14 with his family, and he had been stateless at the time of his engagement with Christina. Shortly afterwards, he became an American citizen. He and Christina met in New York, where she was working as a vocal pedagogue. She had been born with a visual impairment after her mother was infected with rubella during the pregnancy.

Nationaal Archief – CCO

The wedding took place in the City Hall of Baarn, and they were married by Mayor Jan van Haeringen. With a bit of a language barrier, Jorge eventually says, “Oh, yes,” and “I do.” The couple speak in English when they are together, and Christina was learning Spanish at the time.

The religious ceremony took place that same day in the Dom in Utrecht. During the ceremony, the preacher referred to the couple’s religious differences, saying that it was nonsense to keep to the old Dutch saying, “With two beliefs on one pillow, the devil sleeps in between.” He added that it was powerful to see with how much willpower Christina and Jorge had built a life for themselves.1

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Princess Christina did not ask for official permission from the government for her marriage, which meant that she was excluded from the line of succession and no longer a member of the Royal House.

Christina wore an old lace head covering rather than a veil, and her dress was made of white silk organza. She carried a small bouquet of white roses and lilies.

After the wedding, the newlyweds returned to New York, but they eventually moved to the Netherlands, where they had three children together. They were divorced on 25 April 1996.

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The Golden Poppies Tiara

The Golden Poppies Tiara is a very interesting and unusual tiara.

It was commissioned by Queen Margrethe II of Denmark in 1976, and it was made by Arje Griest.

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The comb goes into the back of the hair, which allows the golden poppies to fall forward. The set also features earrings and a necklace. It is made of gold, pearls, diamonds, moonstones, and aquamarine.

Photo by Moniek Bloks

Queen Margrethe first wore it during a state visit to Italy in 1977.

Photo by Moniek Bloks

The pieces of the tiara are also detachable and can be worn scattered throughout the hair.

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Taking a look at Princess Alexia

Princess Alexia of the Netherlands was born on 26 June 2005 as the second daughter of the future King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and Queen Máxima. She has an elder sister, the Princess of Orange (born 2003) and a younger sister, Princess Ariane (born 2007). When she was born, she was third in the line of succession; she is currently second.

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Alexia was baptised on 9 November 2005 in Wassenaar. Her godparents were her uncle, Prince Friso (died 2013), her uncle, Juan Zorreguieta, Queen Mathilde of Belgium, who was then known as the Duchess of Brabant, Jonkvrouw Alexandra Jankovich de Jeszenice, and Jonkheer Frans Ferdinand de Beaufort.

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Her education started at the Bloemcampschool in Wassenaar. She then attended the Christelijk Gymnasium Sorghvliet for her secondary education between 2017 and 2021. She began studying at the United World College of the Atlantic in Wales in 2021 and graduated with an International Baccalaureate Diploma in 2023. She is currently studying Civil Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering at the University College London (UCL).

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She undertook her first official engagement in 2023 when she christened the new ship Vox Alexia by Van Oord.

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The Year of Queen Sālote Tupou III – Her health issues

The future Queen Sālote had been a healthy child.

There were no reports of any ill health until she began her childbearing years. She had some tearing during her first childbirth that led to the problems, which she believed had caused her three miscarriages. By the 1930s, she felt generally unwell. She was examined at home by Dr Olive Wood, who told her that she may have cancer and to seek medical advice in Australia. The doctors in Sydney eventually concurred with Dr Wood’s diagnosis of cancer. On 22 August 1935, Queen Sālote underwent a hysterectomy performed by Dr Olive Wood’s sister, Dr Susie O’Reilly. Sālote was grateful for the care she received and declared, “My empty cup is full to overflowing.”1 She spent a month in the hospital and convalesced at the home of Reverend and Mrs J.W. Burton in Haberfield.

Six months after she returned home, Sālote lost her second son, Prince Uiliami Tuku‘aho, at the age of 16. Queen Sālote was devastated by grief, and she was exhausted after months of caring for him in his illness. Her doctors advised her to take a trip to Australia for medical care and rest. She and her husband travelled to Sydney together, where they would remain for four months. She had suffered a mental breakdown and received help from Dr William Page, a psychiatrist.2 They returned home in early October.

During the Second World War, Sālote suffered the loss of her husband, who had died quite suddenly of a heart attack in 1941. Sālote herself made it through the war without any medical crises. In 1945, she had a minor operation in Auckland, which may have been the removal of her tonsils.3 She travelled to Auckland again in 1947 for medical advice. “Her Majesty has been unwell for the last few months, and has been ordered a complete rest by the Chief Medical Officer, who has advised her also to avoid as far as possible all official ceremonies and functions”, wrote Consul C.W.T. Johnson in October 1947.4 She had all of her teeth removed, a common remedy for infection.5

In the mid-1950s, Sālote was diagnosed with diabetes mellitus.6 She would need to be monitored carefully, watch her diet and inject herself with insulin. At the time, not many people knew of her diagnosis.7 After her diagnosis, she often took longer periods of rest from her duties.

The Chief Medical Officer advised her to hire a full-time nurse, but she did not do this until 1964, when her eyesight deteriorated, and she had lost weight. At the end of 1964, she cut her hair and the following month, she left Tonga for Auckland. Shortly after, she was diagnosed with cancer of the bone and lungs. In April, she had lumps and a nail removed, and she had deep-ray treatment. However, it soon became clear that little more could be done. She returned to Tonga on 15 May, looking much thinner and walking with a stick. She lived briefly at the Royal Palace, but in July, she moved in with her younger son and his wife as their home was easier to navigate with a wheelchair. At the end of the month, the county celebrated that she had surpassed the reign of her ancestor, King George Tupou I. She returned home to the palace for that day and waved to the schoolchildren who marched through the grounds.8

Her sons urged her to return to New Zealand for treatment. On 19 October, she returned to the palace one last time. Three days later, Queen Elizabeth II appointed her Grand Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George, making her the first woman in the British Empire to receive this honour. On 31 October, she received the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper.9

On 4 November, Sālote travelled to Fiji on an aircraft specifically requested by Queen Elizabeth II from the government of New Zealand. Another plane, another request from Queen Elizabeth II from the British Government, took her to Auckland. Once there, she underwent more deep-ray treatment, but it proved ineffective. The family began to gather around her. She collapsed on 12 December and was brought to the Aotea Hospital.10

She died at 12.15 a.m. on the morning of 16 December 1965 from cancer.

The post The Year of Queen Sālote Tupou III – Her health issues appeared first on History of Royal Women.

Imperial Consort Zhao Hede Zhaoyi – The Imperial Consort who was accused of killing Emperor Cheng of the Western Han Dynasty due to her wantonness

Imperial Consort Zhao Hede Zhaoyi is known to be one of China’s most wanton figures in history.[1] She was the favourite imperial concubine of Emperor Cheng of the Western Han Dynasty.[2] She is also known as Empress Zhao Feiyan’s notorious sister, whom she conspired with for her ruthless deeds.[3] She has been blamed by ancient chroniclers for killing Emperor Cheng because of her wantonness.[4] Did Imperial Consort Zhao Hede Zhaoyi deserve her negative reputation? It seems that her greatest sin was that she failed to give Emperor Cheng a son.[5]

The birthdate of Imperial Consort Zhao Hede Zhaoyi is unknown.[6] Her original name was Feng Hede.[7] Her father was Feng Wanli.[8] She had an older sister named Feng Yizhu (who would be known as Zhao Feiyan).[9] After her father’s death, she and her older sister were adopted by a man named Zhao Lin, and they changed their surnames to Zhao.[10] They grew up in Yang Anzhu’s mansion, where they learned to sing and dance.[11] Zhao Hede was said to be “fair-skinned and plump.”[12]

In 18 B.C.E., Emperor Cheng of the Western Han Dynasty visited Yang Anzhu’s mansion.[13] He watched Zhao Feiyan dance and was immediately smitten.[14] He also desired Zhao Hede.[15] Emperor Cheng brought both Zhao Feiyan and Zhao Hede to his palace.[16] He bestowed on the Zhao sisters the title of Jieyu (which was the second highest rank below the Empress position).[17]

The Zhao sisters created trouble in Emperor Cheng’s harem.[18] They accused Imperial Consort Ban Jieyu of witchcraft.[19] She quickly fell out of Emperor Cheng’s favour.[20] Then, they accused Empress Xu of witchcraft.[21] Emperor Cheng demoted Empress Xu.[22] In 16 B.C.E., Zhao Feiyan was invested as Empress. Imperial Consort Zhao Hede was given the title of Zhaoyi (the highest rank below the Empress position).[23] She was installed in Zhaoyang Palace, which was the most opulent residence in the imperial palace.[24]

The Zhao sisters did not have any children with Emperor Cheng.[25] Ancient chroniclers have accused them of killing all the Emperor’s children in order to secure their positions in the harem.[26] However, modern historians find this claim to be false.[27] This is because it seems to be a literary pattern for empresses with a negative reputation to kill their rivals’ children.[28] Ancient chroniclers have also claimed that both of the Zhao sisters had taken multiple lovers.[29] However, modern historians believe this claim to be false.[30] This was because they were cloistered in a strict imperial harem and would be watched constantly.[31]

On 7 April B.C.E., Emperor Cheng suddenly died while he was sexually intimate with Imperial Consort Zhao Hede Zhaoyi.[32] Modern historians believe he died of a stroke.[33] However, Imperial Consort Zhao Hede Zhaoyi was accused of killing Emperor Cheng due to sexual indulgence.[34] Empress Dowager Wang Zhengjun called for an open investigation into her son’s death.[35] Since Imperial Consort Zhao Hede Zhaoyi could not prove her innocence, she committed suicide.[36]

Imperial Consort Zhao Hede Zhaoyi’s reputation continues to be blackened to this day. Therefore, it is hard to separate fact from fiction.[37] Imperial Consort Zhao Zhaoyi has been blamed by ancient chroniclers for monopolizing Emperor Cheng’s affections and eliminating the line of imperial succession.[38] They also blamed her for murdering Emperor Cheng because she was too “greedy for sex.”[39] Yet, her greatest sin was that she remained childless.[40] Therefore, Imperial Consort Zhao Hede Zhaoyi is still considered one of China’s most reviled figures in history.[41]

Sources:

McMahon, K. (2013). Women Shall Not Rule: Imperial Wives and Concubines in China from Han to Liao. NY: Rowman and Littlefield.

Milburn, O. (2021). The Empress in the Pepper Chamber: Zhao Feiyan in History and Fiction. Seattle: University of Washington Press.

Shen, J. & Che, W. W.(trans.). (2015). “Zhao Hede, Concubine of Emperor Cheng”. Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women: Antiquity Through Sui, 1600 B.C.E. – 618 C.E..(L. X. H. Lee, Ed.; A. D. Stefanowska, Ed.; S. Wiles, Ed.). NY: Routledge. pp. 249-251.

Xiaoming, Z. (2015). “Zhao Feiyan, later Empress Xiaocheng, Western Han Dynasty”. Notable Women of China: Shang Dynasty to the Early Twentieth Century. (B. B. Peterson, Ed.; H. Yucheng, Trans.). London: Routledge. pp. 86-88.

[1] McMahon, 2013

[2] Shen and Che, 2015

[3] McMahon, 2013

[4] McMahon, 2013; Shen and Che, 2015

[5] Milburn, 2021

[6] Shen and Che, 2015

[7] Shen and Che, 2015

[8] Shen and Che, 2015

[9] Xiaoming, 2015

[10] Shen and Che, 2015

[11] Xiaoming, 2015

[12] Shen and Che, 2015, p. 250

[13] Xiaoming, 2015

[14] Xiaoming, 2015

[15] Xiaoming, 2015

[16] Shen and Che, 2015

[17] Shen and Che, 2015

[18] Shen and Che, 2015

[19] Shen and Che, 2015

[20] Shen and Che, 2015

[21] Shen and Che, 2015

[22] Shen and Che, 2015

[23] Shen and Che, 2015

[24] Shen and Che, 2015

[25] Shen and Che, 2015

[26] Xiaoming, 2015

[27] Milburn, 2021

[28] Milburn, 2021

[29] McMahon, 2013

[30] Milburn, 2021

[31] Milburn, 2021

[32] McMahon, 2013

[33] Milburn, 2021

[34] Shen and Che, 2015

[35] McMahon, 2013; Shen and Che, 2015

[36] McMahon, 2013; Shen and Che, 2015

[37] Milburn, 2013

[38] Shen and Che, 2015

[39] McMahon, 2013, p. 83

[40] Milburn, 2013

[41] Shen and Che, 2015

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Book News Week 26

 

*contains affiliate links*

Book News week 26 – 23 June – 29 June 2025

Scottish Queens: The Queens and Consorts Who Shaped the Nation 

Mass Market Paperback – 26 June 2025 (US)

Women in the Scottish Wars of Independence 1296–1357

Hardcover – 28 June 2025 (UK)

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Empress Dowager Zhao Gouyi – The innocent and posthumous Empress Dowager whose husband had her murdered due to his fear of women seizing power

Empress Dowager Zhao Gouyi was the mother of Emperor Zhao of the Western Han Dynasty. She was once the favourite imperial concubine of Emperor Wu.[1] When her son became the obvious choice for Crown Prince, Emperor Wu began to fear that she would try to gain power through her son.[2] Under Emperor Wu’s orders, Empress Dowager Zhao Gouyi was murdered.[3] Empress Dowager Zhao Gouyi’s story shows a cruel emperor who murdered an innocent woman due to his irrational fears.[4] 

In 133 B.C.E., Empress Dowager Zhou Gouyi was born in Hejian (located east of modern-day Xian District in Hebei Province).[5] Her surname was Zhao, but her personal name is unrecorded.[6] Her father was punished for a crime he committed, and he was castrated.[7] He became a palace eunuch.[8]

During a hunting expedition, an astrologer told Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty that “a person of significance”[9] was in the northeast. The person the astrologer described was a young woman from the Zhao family.[10] Emperor Wu summoned her, and Zhao came to him with both fists clenched tight.[11] Emperor Wu then stroked her hands until she unclenched them.[12] Emperor Wu made her his Imperial Consort.[13] Emperor Wu also named her Gouyi  (which meant “Fists”).[14] She quickly became his favourite.[15] Imperial Consort Zhao Gouyi was promoted to the rank of Jieyu (the second highest rank below the Empress position).[16] She lived in Gouyi Palace.[17]

In 94 B.C.E., Imperial Consort Zhao Gouyi bore Emperor Wu a son named Prince Liu Fuling (the future Emperor Zhao). In 91 B.C.E., Crown Prince Liu Ju was implicated for witchcraft and committed suicide.[18] The death of the Crown Prince left Prince Liu Fuling a major candidate for the Crown Prince position.[19] Emperor Wu’s two other surviving sons, Prince Liu Dan and Prince Li Xu, were not chosen as potential candidates for the Crown Prince position.[20] This was because of their open displays of disobedience and disloyalty to their father.[21]

Emperor Wu chose Prince Liu Fuling as his heir because he thought of him as “sturdy and knowledgeable.”[22] He also thought that Prince Liu Fuling was like him.[23] Emperor Wu had already decided to make Prince Liu Fuling the Crown Prince.[24] However, he was afraid to make a formal declaration regarding the Crown Prince position.[25] This was because he was afraid that Imperial Consort Zhao Gouyi might try to gain power through her son after his death.[26]

In 88 B.C.E., Emperor Wu fell ill. He was concerned about Imperial Consort Zhao Gouyi trying to rule through her son, Prince Liu Fuling.[27] He summoned her and scolded her for wanting power.[28] Imperial Consort Zhao Gouyi removed her hair ornaments, knelt, and begged forgiveness.[29] Emperor Wu immediately ordered her to be taken to the women’s prison.[30] Before she left Emperor Wu’s chambers, Imperial Consort Zhao Gouyi turned to look back at Emperor Wu.[31] She hoped that he would change his mind.[32] However, Emperor Wu said to her: “Out, quickly! You cannot be saved!”[33] Soon after she was imprisoned, she was killed under Emperor Wu’s orders.[34] Emperor Wu rejoiced over her death.[35]

On 30 March 87 B.C.E., Liu Fuling ascended the Chinese throne as Emperor Zhao of the Western Han Dynasty. He made his mother, Zhao Gouyi, the posthumous Empress Dowager.[36] He used 20,000 soldiers to build her a burial mound at Yunling.[37] He established a township to tend to her burial mound.[38] He made her father the Marquis of Shuncheng.[39]

Empress Dowager Zhao Gouyi suffered an unjust death at the hands of her husband, Emperor Wu.[40] Ancient chroniclers have been “either accusing Emperor Wu of cruelty or admiring him for his foresight”[41]for killing her. Modern scholars have blamed Emperor Wu’s murder of Empress Dowager Zhao Gouyi for his “hypocrisy.”[42] This was because “he [Emperor Wu] himself behaved as wantonly and willfully as any empress dowager.”[43] Thus, Empress Dowager Zhao Gouyi’s story is one of injustice.[44] Her son, Emperor Zhao, gave his mother the respect that she was deprived of in life.[45]

Sources:

Wong, Y. L. & Che, W. W.(trans.). (2015). “Zhou Gouyi, Concubine of Emperor Wu”. Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women: Antiquity Through Sui, 1600 B.C.E. – 618 C.E.. (L. X. H. Lee, Ed.; A. D. Stefanowska, Ed.; S. Wiles, Ed.). NY: Routledge. pp. 247-249.

McMahon, K. (2013). Women Shall Not Rule: Imperial Wives and Concubines in China from Han to Liao. NY: Rowman and Littlefield.

[1] McMahon, 2013; Wong and Che, 2015

[2] McMahon, 2013; Wong and Che, 2015

[3] McMahon, 2013; Wong and Che, 2015

[4] McMahon, 2013; Wong and Che, 2015

[5] Wong and Che, 2015

[6] Wong and Che, 2015

[7] McMahon, 2013; Wong and Che, 2015

[8] Wong and Che, 2015

[9] Wong and Che, 2015, p. 247

[10] Wong and Che, 2015

[11] Wong and Che, 2015; McMahon, 2013

[12] Wong and Che, 2013; McMahon, 2013

[13] Wong and Che, 2015; McMahon, 2013

[14] Wong and Che, 2015, p. 248

[15] McMahon, 2013; Wong and Che, 2015

[16] Wong and Che, 2015

[17] Wong and Che, 2015

[18] Wong and Che, 2015

[19] Wong and Che, 2015

[20] Wong and Che, 2015

[21] Wong, 2015

[22] Wong and Che, 2015, p. 248

[23] McMahon, 2013; Wong and Che, 2013

[24] Wong and Che, 2015; McMahon, 2013

[25] Wong and Che, 2015; McMahon, 2013

[26] Wong and Che, 2015; McMahon, 2013

[27] Wong and Che, 2015

[28] Wong and Che, 2015

[29] Wong and Che, 2015

[30] Wong and Che, 2015

[31] Wong and Che, 2015

[32] Wong and Che, 2015

[33] Wong and Che, 2015, p. 248

[34] McMahon, 2013; Wong and Che, 2015

[35] McMahon, 2015

[36] Wong and Che, 2015

[37] Wong and Che, 2015

[38] Wong and Che, 2015

[39] Wong and Che, 2015

[40] McMahon, 2013

[41] Wong and Che, 2015, p. 249

[42] Wong and Che, 2015, p. 249

[43] Wong and Che, 2015, p. 249

[44] McMahon, 2013; Wong and Che, 2015

[45] Wong and Che, 2015

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The Imperial Chrysanthemum Tiara

The Chrysanthemum is one of the most important symbols of the Japanese monarchy, and one of its most fabulous tiaras features this symbol as well. The tiara is reserved exclusively for the use of the Empress.

The tiara was made in 1917 on the orders of Empress Teimei, and it has been a much-worn piece since.

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Empress Nagako wore the tiara for the wedding of her son, Akihito, and continued to wear it for important state occasions such as state visits. When her husband died, the use of the tiara passed to Empress Michiko, who also wore it for her younger son’s wedding. It became one of her main tiaras during her tenure.

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The tiara is now being worn by Empress Michiko’s daughter-in-law, Empress Masako.

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Royal Wedding Recollections – Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden & Daniel Westling

As the Crown Princess Couple marks their 15th anniversary, we take a look back at the wedding of Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel of Sweden.

Victoria married her prince in what was dubbed the biggest royal wedding since Charles and Diana in 1981. She married her commoner fitness trainer on 19 June 2010 – her parents’ 34th wedding anniversary.

From National Day (6 June) until the day of the wedding, Sweden celebrated Love Stockholm 2010 with festivals and a huge welcome for tourists to celebrate the heir’s wedding.

Holger Motzkau 2010, Wikipedia/Wikimedia Commons (cc-by-sa-3.0), CC BY-SA 3.0

The pair wed at Stockholm Cathedral with over 1,000 people in attendance.

The Archbishop of Uppsala, Anders Wejryd, conducted the ceremony with Lars-Göran Lönnermark and Antje Jackelén assisting. Gustaf Sjökvist, who was in charge of King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia’s wedding music, led the music.

Crown Princess Victoria wore a bespoke gown by Swedish designer Pär Engsheden; she also wore the Cameo Tiara like her mother and paternal aunts before her.

In a break with tradition, she had her father, the King, walk her down the aisle. In Swedish tradition, the bride and groom enter the church together. However, Victoria wanted her father to walk her down the aisle. To compromise, the King walked her halfway down the aisle to Daniel. They then walked the rest of the way to the altar.

The ceremony included a performance by Swedish singers Agnes Carlsson and Björn Skifs with the tune “When You Tell the World You’re Mine” written especially for the couple.

There were familiar faces among the bridal party. Three future monarchs featured in the wedding. Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway, Princess Amalia of the Netherlands and Prince Christian (now Crown Prince) of Denmark served as bridesmaids and pageboys. All three are also Victoria’s godchildren.

Prince Carl Philip, Victoria’s brother, served as Daniel’s best man.

After the ceremony, the couple took a carriage ride through Stockholm to greet the thousands of people who had come out for their wedding. They then boarded the royal barge Vasaorden to return to the Royal Palace for the wedding banquet and reception.

During the reception, the new Prince Daniel won hearts with his sweet tribute to his new wife, calling her the “princess of my heart.”

He also thanked his new in-laws for their guidance.

“Once upon a time, the young man was perhaps not a frog at the beginning of the fairytale first told by the Grimm brothers, but he was certainly not a prince. The first kiss did not change that. His transformation was not possible without the support of the wise King and Queen, who had ruled the kingdom for many years, and who were full of wisdom, experience and had good hearts. They knew what was best and guided the couple with a gentle hand, generously sharing all their valuable experience.”

Royals from across the globe attended the nuptials, including King Abdullah, Queen Rania and Princess Iman of Jordan; the Norwegian Royal Family, the Spanish Royal Family and the Earl and Countess of Wessex (now known as the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh).

Daniel became a Prince of Sweden and took on the male title of Victoria’s dukedom of Västergötland upon their marriage.

An estimated 50,000 people were in Stockholm for the wedding, and Sweden’s SVT reported that it was the biggest event ever recorded on television in the city.

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