Queen Helen’s Fleur-de-Lys Brooch

Happy Birthday to Her Majesty Margareta, Custodian of the Crown of Romania, who turns 70 today! The Head of the Romanian Royal Family, Her Majesty has an increasingly semi-official role in the Romanian Republic and is present at a plethora of royal events. However, after over seven decades in exile, the Romanian Royal Family have relatively few remaining heirloom jewels, one of which we are featuring today!

Greek Key Tiara | Cartier Essex Tiara | Diamond Suite | Fleur-de-Lys Brooch | Queen Anne’s Sapphire Parure | Romanian Royal Orders

The ornate, scrolled diamond Fleur-de-Lys Brooch is likely a Greek Royal Heirloom, and was possibly even an inheritance from Queen Helen’s mother, Queen Sophia of Greece.

Queen Helen of Romania notably wore the Brooch for the Wedding of her brother, Crown Prince Paul of Greece and Princess Frederica of Hanover in 1938 and the Wedding of her sister, Princess Irene of Greece, in 1939.

When King Carol was ousted and exiled in 1940, Queen Helen went back to Romania, wearing the Diamond Fleur-de-Lys Brooch for numerous events and portraits with her son, King Michael.

Queen Helen also wore the Diamond Fleur-de-Lys Brooch with the Greek Key Tiara and her Russian Sapphire Earrings for the Wedding Ball of Prince Juan Carlos of Spain and Princess Sophia of Greece in 1962, and retained the Brooch until her death in 1982, when it was inherited by King Michael and Queen Anne.

Queen Anne was not one for wearing jewels, but she wore the Diamond Fleur-de-Lys Brooch for a couple of occasions in the 1990s, including for the Wedding of Crown Princess Margareta of Romania.

Queen Helen’s Diamond Fleur-de-Lys Brooch has been often worn by Crown Princess Margareta, beginning with the Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton, followed by appearances at the Wedding of Prince Albert II of Monaco and the Wedding of the Prince of Prussia and Princess Sophie of Isenburg in 2011.

The following year, Crown Princess Margareta wore Queen Helen’s Diamond Fleur-de-Lys Brooch with her Diamond Suite for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Dinner at Buckingham Palace and with the Greek Key Tiara for the Wedding Gala of Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume of Luxembourg and Countess Stephanie de Lannoy.

Her Majesty wore Queen Helen’s Diamond Fleur-de-Lys Brooch for the Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022 and then at the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla in 2023.

Most recently, Her Majesty wore the Diamond Fleur-de-Lys Brooch with the Greek Key Tiara and Diamond Suite for the Wedding Banquet of Crown Prince Hussein of Jordan last year, and there is no doubt we will continue to see it worn for years to come!

Greek Key Tiara | Cartier Essex Tiara | Diamond Suite | Fleur-de-Lys Brooch | Queen Anne’s Sapphire Parure | Romanian Royal Orders

Greek Key Tiara

Cartier Essex Tiara

Diamond Suite

Fleur-de-Lys Brooch

Queen Anne’s Sapphire Parure

Romanian Greek Key Tiara

Diamond Spike Tiara

Schaumburg-Lippe Sapphire Tiara

Sapphire Suite

Pearl Earrings

Fleur-de-Lys Brooch

Diamond Sautoir

Vladimir Sapphire Kokoshnik

Romanian Massin Tiara

Fringe Tiara

Diamond Loop Tiara

Cartier Pearl Tiara

Cartier Sapphire Pendant

Diamond Sautoir

Featuring an ornate, scrolled diamond Fleur-de-Lys, the Diamond-encrusted Brooch was first pictured on Queen Helen of Romania, who notably wore it at the Wedding of her brother, Crown Prince Paul of Greece and Princess Frederica of Hanover in 1938, the Wedding of her sister, Princess Irene of Greece, in 1939, and the Wedding of her niece, Princess Sophie of Greece, to King Juan Carlos in 1962. Given her younger sister, Princess Irene, had an almost identical Fleur-de-Lys Brooch, the piece is most likely a Greek Heirloom, rather than a Romanian piece.

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Queen Helen’s daughter-in-law and successor, Queen Anne was not one for wearing jewels, but she wore the Diamond Fleur-de-Lys Brooch for a couple of occasions in the 1990s, including for the Wedding of Crown Princess Margareta of Romania.

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However,  Queen Helen’s Diamond Fleur-de-Lys Brooch has been often worn by Her Majesty Margareta, Custodian of the Crown of Romania, most notably, like her grandmother, at the Wedding of Prince Albert of Monaco, the Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton, and Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume’s Pre-Wedding Gala as well as the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Dinner at Buckingham Palace. There is no doubt we will continue to see this glittering Heirloom for years to come.

3 thoughts on “Queen Helen’s Fleur-de-Lys Brooch

  1. When you only have a small jewel box, each piece becomes more valuable, sentimentally. This brooch is very pretty and very useful, as well as being a family piece.

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