Confessions of a Castleholic

What to do on a rainy, stormy and cold November Sunday in Amsterdam? The possibilities are plentiful yet my splendorous heart couldn't pass up the chance to see some sparkle up-close. (Cause let's face it, a museum that has a wall of pictures of royal ladies in their finest is likely to be a good museum.) And so I headed to the Diamond Museum at the Museumplein of the Dutch capital. The Diamant Museum was founded in 2007 by Ben Meier of Coster Diamonds. In addition to telling the journey of diamonds from 200 kilometres below the surface of the earth’s crust to the engagement rings and medical equipment of this world, you also get to see some pretty amazing replicas of royal tiaras. Frederick might think that "a crown is merely a hat that lets the rain in" but they are pretty things to look at, aren't they? Let's start with a necklace though: The central diamond, of 135.92 carats, in this state necklace that once belonged to the Maharaja of Nawanagar, i...

Curious about what royals have swinging from their arms? Then you will feel right at home at the Museum of Bags and Purses in Amsterdam. Until February 26, 2017, they will have a special exhibition entitled "Royal Bags" on show. "For centuries the royal families set the fashion style. Sovereigns were trendsetters in this area. Bags carried by royals would even become iconic, like the Kelly-bag carried by Princess Grace. Sovereigns’ fashionable outfits and accessories still fire our imagination. Hendrikje Museum of Bags and Purses in Amsterdam displays an exhibition on the sensational bags of European royal families. Royal Bags includes bags of Queen Elizabeth, Empress Sisi, Princess Grace and the Dutch royal family [...] Especially for this exhibition, Queen Máxima selected three bags from former Queen Juliana’s personal collection. In Royal Bags subjects such as fashion, etiquette, travelling and the functions of the royal bag will be presented." All my pic...

Some of you may have noticed from Instagram or Twitter that I was in Amsterdam this past weekend. In the Dutch capital I met up with a few fellow royal watchers and together we went to the Hermitage Amsterdam to see the exhibition "Catherine, the Greatest - Self-polished Diamond of the Hermitage". In 2009, a Dutch branch of the famous museum of St. Petersberg was opened and naturally it often showcases the treasures of one of the oldest and largest museums in the world. As the name suggests, "Catherine, the Greatest - Self-polished Diamond of the Hermitage" focuses on the life and work of the woman who founded the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersberg in 1764. Born a Princess of Anhalt-Zerbst, Catherine became Empress of All the Russias two years prior following a coup d'état during which her husband, Peter III, was assassinated. The Imperial Crown of Russia, which was made for Catherine II's coronation, is the centre piece of the exhibition and no ma...