Princess Alice’s Diamond Palmette Tiara

Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone, granddaughter of Queen Victoria, was born at Windsor Castle on this day in 1883. An active, full-time working member of the Royal Family for 98 years, Princess Alice attended countless glittering occasions for decades, often wearing this Diamond Palmette Tiara!

Diamond Palmette Tiara | Teck Ears of Wheat Tiara | Pearl and Diamond Tiara | Teck Sapphire Stomacher | Pearl and Diamond Corsage Brooch | The Jewels of Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone

Of unknown provenance, this Diamond Palmette Tiara, featuring large, swinging yellow diamonds, began to be worn in the late 1920s, and is thought to be a purchase from that time, possibly created by dismantling Princess Alice’s Pearl and Diamond Tiara.

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Princess Alice notably began wearing the Palmette Tiara in the late 1920s, most notably for the as well as for the Wedding Gala of her cousin, Crown Princess Juliana of the Netherlands, and Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld in 1937, the Wedding Banquet of the Shah of Iran and Princess Fawzia of Egypt in Tehran in 1939.

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Princess Alice also wore the Tiara on numerous occasions and for several portraits when the Earl of Athlone served as Governor General of Canada during the Second World War, and on their return to the United Kingdom, the Diamond Palmette Tiara was worn at the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, as well as for Queen Juliana’s Inauguration Gala and Gala Performance in 1948.

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Princess Alice continued to wear her Diamond Palmette Tiara at glittering events for decades, remaining an active, through largely out of the limelight, member of the royal family. The Tiara was seen at various State Openings of Parliament, State Banquets, and the 50th Anniversary Service of the Order of the British Empire, as well as Queen Juliana’s 30th Anniversary Gala in 1967, the Japanese State Visit to Britain in 1971, and King Gustaf VI Adolf’s 90th Birthday Banquet in 1972.

After Princess Alice’s death in 1981, the Diamond Palmette Tiara was inherited by Princess Alice’s only surviving child, Lady May Abel Smith, who auctioned it at Christie’s in 1984, for $33,696. It’s present location is unknown.

Diamond Palmette Tiara | Teck Ears of Wheat Tiara | Pearl and Diamond Tiara | Teck Sapphire Stomacher | Pearl and Diamond Corsage Brooch | The Jewels of Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone

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