Queen Victoria’s Strawberry Leaf Tiara

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Queen Victoria’s Strawberry Leaf Tiara was designed by Prince Albert and inherited by their youngest daughter, Princess Beatrice, being worn by her daughter, Queen Ena of Spain, and daughter-in-law, the Marchioness of Carisbrooke, before disappearing from public view after the 1930s.

Strawberry Leaf Tiara | Sunray Fringe Tiara | Diamond Star Tiara | Diamond Pampilles

Originally made by Joseph Kitching in 1844, the piece was altered by Garrard’s in 1848, and again in 1860, when ‘Strawberry leaves, scrolls and Rubies‘ were added to the original ruby and diamond bandeau designed by Prince Albert. Princess Beatrice added an additional row of diamond elements at the base, and the tiara was last altered in 1933 by Cartier, when the Marchioness of Carisbrooke had the rubies removed.

In July 1849, Queen Victoria wrote in her journal;

Much pleased with a beautiful necklace, earrings & a brooch of rubies & diamonds, which dearest Albert had arranged for me, out of stones of own, with the addition of new ones I purchased with money inherited from Aunt Augusta and Aunt Sophia. The parure is really beautiful, & Albert has such wonderful taste…”

Queen Victoria was depicted in the initial bandeau in a 1855 Winterhalter portrait.

Queen Victoria liked the Tiara so much, that the ruby parure was one of the few coloured stones she wore during her mourning, most notably at the Wedding of her daughter, Princess Louise, and the Marquess of Lorne in 1871.

Upon her death in 1901, Queen Victoria left the tiara and parure to her youngest daughter, Princess Beatrice. She added additional elements at the base and wore the Tiara in a portrait by Spanish artist Joaquin Sorolla y Bastidaa as well as for the Christenings of some of her grandchildren.

However, Princess Beatrice preferred wearing the Sunray Fringe Tiara also inherited from Queen Victoria for the most important events, like the Coronation of her brother, King Edward VII, in 1902 and the Coronation of her nephew, King George V,  in 1911.

In the late 1920s, Princess Beatrice loaned Queen Victoria’s Strawberry Leaf Tiara to her daughter, by then Queen Victoria Eugenie of Spain, who wore the tiara and parure for a series of portraits by Christian Franzen y Nisser and a Dinner at the Spanish Embassy in London in 1930.

At some point in the 1930s, Princess Beatrice passed the tiara to her son and daughter-in-law, the Marquess and Marchioness of Carisbrooke, who had the piece altered by Cartier in 1933, when the rubies removed by Cartier.

The next year, the Tiara was notably worn by the Marchioness for her portrait by Phillip de Lazlo, who recorded:

On 7 July 1934 the artist recorded in his diary: “Began Carisbrook[e] pic…I had a splendid start & more – & better than I thought & glad to have began a new portrait – so much better then [sic] the first – beginning – she can look most charming – the Queen Victoria tiara suits her admirably.”[6] The tiara belonged to the sitter’s mother-in-law Princess Beatrice, youngest daughter of Queen Victoria, from whom she had inherited it. Its strawberry leaf design had originally been set with rubies before the sitter took it to Cartier in 1933 to have them replaced with diamonds. Further sittings took place 9, 10, 24 and 26 July; the artist noted in his diary that 26 July was: “the last sitting with Lady Carisbrooke & need one or two more in the autumn.”

The Marchioness of Carisbrooke notably wore Queen Victoria’s Strawberry Leaf Tiara with Queen Victoria Eugenie’s Diamond Rivière for the Coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth at Westminster Abbey in 1937.

The following year, Lady Carisbrooke wore the Strawberry Leaf Tiara at the 1938 State Opening of Parliament.

The Marchioness of Carisbrooke also wore Queen Victoria’s Strawberry Leaf Tiara for a Gala Performance at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden during a 1939 State Visit from France.

After the late 1930s, the tiara disappeared from public view, and its current whereabouts are unknown, but it was likely sold or broken up between 1939 and 1953, since Lady Carisbrooke borrowed Queen Victoria Eugenie’s Cartier Emerald Tiara for the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.

In 2009, a diamond brooch/pendant thought to have been a lozenge piece from the tiara was sold at Bonhams, and in May 2016, a ruby and diamond brooch belonging to the parure was sold at Christie’s.

Strawberry Leaf Tiara | Sunray Fringe Tiara | Diamond Star Tiara | Diamond Pampilles | Empress Eugenie’s Andean Emerald Cross

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Strawberry Leaf Tiara

Sunray Fringe Tiara

Diamond Star Tiara

Diamond Pampilles

Empress Eugenie’s Andean Emerald Cross

Fleur-de-Lys Tiara

Chaumet Tiara

Cartier Pearl Tiara

Mellerio Shell Tiara

Empress Eugenie’s Emeralds

Aquamarine Parure

Turquoise Tiara

Queen Victoria’s Strawberry Leaf Tiara

 Cartier Diamond Bandeau

Joyas de Pasar

Diamond Rivière

Diamond Earrings

Diamond Bracelets

Cartier Stomacher

Emerald Brooch

For more information, check out:

Royal Magazin

Order of Splendour

Ruby and diamond brooch at christie’s

Made for Queen Victoria, this stunning tiara was given to her youngest daughter, and worn by her daughter, Queen Ena of Spain, and daughter-in-law, the Marchioness of Carisbrooke, before disappearing from public view after the 1930s. It’s current whereabouts are unknown.

Originally made by Joseph Kitching in 1844, the piece was altered by Garrard’s in 1848, and again in 1860, when ‘Strawberry leaves, scrolls and Rubies‘ were added to the original ruby and diamond bandeau designed by Prince Albert. Princess Beatrice added an additional row of diamond elements at the base, and the tiara was last altered in 1933 by Cartier, when the Marchioness of Carisbrooke had the rubies removed.

Embed from Getty Images

In July 1849, Queen Victoria wrote in her journal;

Much pleased with a beautiful necklace, earrings & a brooch of rubies & diamonds, which dearest Albert had arranged for me, out of stones of own, with the addition of new ones I purchased with money inherited from Aunt Augusta and Aunt Sophia. The parure is really beautiful, & Albert has such wonderful taste…”

Queen Victoria was depicted in the initial bandeau in a 1855 Winterhalter portrait, and she liked it so much, that the ruby parure was one of the first coloured stones she wore during her mourning. at the wedding of her daughter, Princess Louise, in 1871.

In 1885, Queen Victoria gave the tiara and parure to her youngest daughter, Princess Beatrice, when she married Prince Henry of Battenberg. She added additional elements at the base and wore the Tiara in a portrait by Spanish artist Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida. However, she preferred wearing her Sunray Fringe Tiara for the most important events, like the Coronation of her brother, King Edward VII, in 1902 and the Coronation of her nephew, King George V,  in 1911.

In the early 1920s, Princess Beatrice loaned Queen Victoria’s Strawberry Leaf Tiara to her daughter, by then Queen Victoria Eugenie of Spain, who wore the tiara and parure for a series of portraits by Christian Franzen y Nisser.

Embed from Getty Images

At some point in the 1930s, Princess Beatrice passed the tiara to her son and daughter-in-law, the Marquess and Marchioness of Carisbrooke. In the 1930s, Tiara was solely worn by the Marchioness of Carisbrooke, who had the piece altered in 1933. She wore it in her portrait by Phillip de Lazlo, at the Coronation of King George VI in 1937, at the 1938 State Opening of Parliament, and at the Opera during a 1939 State Visit from France. After that, the tiara disappeared from public view, and its current whereabouts are unknown. In 2009, a diamond brooch/pendant thought to have been a lozenge piece from the tiara was sold at Bonhams, and in May 2016, a ruby and diamond brooch belonging to the parure was sold at Christie’s.

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