Queen Frederica’s Diamond Clip Brooches

Today marks the Anniversary of the Birth of Queen Frederica of Greece, who was born on this day in 1917. The only daughter of the Duke of Brunswick and Princess Viktoria Louise of Prussia, who became the Queen Consort of Greece, Queen Frederica wore a variety of glittering jewels, one of which we are featuring today, her versatile Diamond Art Deco Clip Brooches-

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While they are now worn as Brooches, Queen Frederica wore her Diamond Art Deco Clips as a bracelet on a large gold bangle, most notably in a series of portraits taken soon after her husband’s accession in 1947. The provenance of the Clips is unknown, but given their design, they might have been wedding gifts in 1938. The bangle was primarily worn in the late 1940s and the 1950s, and seems to have retired to the vault for a few decades, though it was taken with the Greek Royal Family when they went into exile in 1967, and was inherited by King Constantine at Queen Frederica’s death in 1981.

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Queen Anne Marie has worn Queen Frederica’s Diamond Art Deco Clips as a singular or double Brooches, most notably at the wedding balls of her Spanish niece and nephew (Queen Frederica’s maternal grandchildren), Infanta Cristina in 1997 and King Felipe in 2004, as well as the pre-wedding gala of her eldest daughter, Princess Alexia, in 1999. UPDATE- she also wore it at her Pre-wedding Gala in 1964)

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In recent years, Queen Anne Marie has loaned Queen Frederica’s Diamond Art Deco Clip Brooches to Crown Princess Marie Chantal, who worn them at the Wedding of Princess Nathalie of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, and most notably with Queen Frederica’s favourite Diamond Tiara at Queen Margrethe’s Ruby Jubilee Banquet in 2012. There is no doubt we will continue to see Queen Frederica’s Diamond Art Deco Clips for years to come.

3 thoughts on “Queen Frederica’s Diamond Clip Brooches

  1. These diamond clips are lovely! You can be very creative in their use. They are perfect for those who don’t like traditional brooches! I remember that Queen Letizia used some diamond clips when she attended Crown Prince Frederik’s wedding. She wasn’t married yet (not for another week or so), so she wasn’t wearing a tiara, but she did wear a pair of excellent clips on her divine red dress and they were very similar to these. I’m thinking they were loaned to her by her future MIL, Queen Sofia and now I wonder, could there have been more than one pair of diamond clips in Queen Frederica’s jewelry box? Or do Queen Sofia’s diamond clips have a completely different provenance?

  2. Ah, yes! They are ruby and diamond! There is another lady who also wear similar clips from time to time, the lovely Duchess of Gloucester. No doubt she inherited those from her MIL. It turns out the Countess of Barcelona and the Duchess of Gloucester both married in 1935 and Queen Frederica in 1938, so these diamond clips were probably a very popular wedding gift. How I wished it had still been the case when I married in 1973! 🙂

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