Empress Augusta Victoria, the consort of Kaiser Wilhelm II and the last Empress of Germany, was born on this day in 1858, and to mark the day, we are taking a look at her Prussian Clover Coronet, which is one of the few pieces of Imperial Jewellery that have remained prominent since the fall of the monarchy a century ago-
The original Prussian Clover Coronet featured four large diamond clovers with a base of diamond swages and smaller clovers, and shares design features with the Clover Coronet belonging to the other branch of the Hohenzollern Family, which may have inspired it’s design.
The Prussian Clover Coronet was commissioned by Kaiser Wilhelm II from Koch in 1906, as a Silver Anniversary present to Empress Augusta Victoria, who wore the piece for official events and portraits, including her Lazlo painting. Unlike many of her other jewels, the Coronet has a recorded fate after the fall of the monarchy in 1918.
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The Prussian Clover Coronet was taken by the Empress into exile in the Netherlands, and after her death, it was next seen on Princess Kira of Prussia (born Grand Duchess Kira Kirillovna of Russia), who was married to the Kaiser’s grandson and successor, Prince Louis Ferdinand. Princess Kira notably wore the original version of the Coronet at a variety of events, including the Pre-Wedding Ball of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria and Countess Helen zu Toerring-Jettenbach in 1956. In the 1950s, parts of the Coronet could be used in two different tiaras, one of which was also worn by Princess Kira. The Clover Coronet has been frequently exhibited in recent years, but has yet to be worn by the current Princess of Prussia.
