Queen Ingrid’s Diamond Stars

~ Saad719

Today marks the 110th Anniversary of the Birth of Queen Ingrid of Denmark, the Swedish Princess who became the Danish Queen Consort and the mother of Queen Margrethe, Princess Benedikte, and Queen Anne Marie of Greece, and to mark the occasion, we are taking a look at her versatile Diamond Stars.

Braganza Tiara | Baden Fringe Tiara | Leuchtenberg Sapphire Parure | Pearl Corsage Brooch | Diamond Stars | Swedish Processional Necklace | Ivy Brooch

A pair of smaller twelve-pointed Diamond Stars and a pair of larger ten-pointed Diamond Stars, the provenance of these pieces is unknown but they were likely gifts to Princess Victoria of Baden when she married Crown Prince Gustav of Sweden and Norway in 1881.

Queen Victoria most most notably wore the Diamond Stars on her Bodice with the Baden Fringe as a massive corsage with the Leuchtenberg Sapphire Parure for the Wedding of her son, Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden, and Princess Margaret of Connaught at Windsor Castle in 1905.

At some point in the 1920s, Queen Victoria passed along the Diamond Stars to her only granddaughter, Princess Ingrid of Sweden, who was first pictured wearing three of them as a necklace with the Turquoise Daisy Bandeau at her first Swedish State Opening of Parliament in 1928.

The Diamond Stars went with Princess Ingrid to Denmark when she married the future King Frederik IX of Denmark in 1935, being notably paired with the Khedive of Egypt Tiara for a series of portraits soon after becoming Queen of Denmark in 1947.

During the 1950s, Queen Ingrid occasionally wore the Diamond Stars as Brooches in the daytime, with a more notable appearance coming in the 1960s, when they were paired with the Khedive of Egypt Tiara.

Queen Ingrid loaned the loaned Diamond Stars to her daughter, the future Queen Margrethe II, who wore them in her hair paired with  Crown Princess Margareta’s Amethyst Brooch for the British State Visit to Denmark in 1957.

In the early 1960s, the Diamond Stars were worn by the 16-year old Princess Anne Marie in her hair during the Greek Monarchy Centenary Celebrations in 1963, soon after the announcement of her Engagement to Crown Prince Constantine of Greece.

Princess Anne Marie wore the Diamond Stars with her Van Cleef & Arpels Ruby Necklace for several Gala Dinners and also a series of formal portraits by Rigmor Mydtskov at Fredensborg Palace.

A couple of years later, Queen Ingrid loaned some of the Diamond Stars to her eldest granddaughter, Princess Alexia of Greece, who wore them in her hair for a Gala Evening in the 1980s.

While she had worn some Diamond Stars in the 1960s, Queen Ingrid passed along the Diamond Stars to Princess Benedikte by the mid-1990s, with her wearing two of them as brooches and the smaller two as earrings for the Heads of State Banquet at Guildhall in 1995, being later worn for  Prince Joachim’s Wedding Ball.

Princess Benedikte has worn the Diamond Stars in a variety of creative configurations over the years, usually with Queen Sofia’s Pearl and Diamond Star Tiara, most notably worn for the Wedding of Crown Prince Haakon of Norway in 2001, the Culture and Sport Gala at Christiansborg Palace in 2009, the Wedding of Princess Madeline of Sweden in 2013, and the Icelandic State Visit to Denmark in 2017.

Princess Benedikte has occasionally worn the Diamond Stars as a Necklace, often paired with Queen Sofia’s Pearl and Diamond Star Tiara, most notably for the King Carl XVI Gustaf’s 70th Birthday Banquet in 2016.

Princess Benedikte loaned one of the Diamond Stars to her elder daughter, Princess Alexandra of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg for the Funeral of her father, Prince Richard of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg in 2017.

Princess Nathalie wore a Star as a Clasp with the Queen Sofia’s Pearl and Diamond Star Tiara for for Queen Margrethe’s Golden Jubilee Gala in 2022.

The Diamond Stars continue to worn by Princess Benedikte, with recent appearances including the Wedding of her daughter, Princess Alexandra, to Count Michael Ahlefeldt-Laurvig-Bille in 2019, the Wedding of her son, Prince Gustav of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, and Carina Axelsson in 2022, and also with the Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg Fringe Tiara for the Danish New Year’s Banquet in 2023. There is no doubt we will continue to see the spectacular Diamond Stars for years to come!

Braganza Tiara | Baden Fringe Tiara | Leuchtenberg Sapphire Parure | Pearl Corsage Brooch | Diamond Stars | Swedish Processional Necklace | Ivy Brooch

Braganza Tiara

Baden Fringe Tiara

Leuchtenberg Sapphire Parure

Pearl Corsage Brooch

Diamond Stars

 Ivy Brooch

Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg Fringe Tiara

Queen Sofia’s Pearl and Star Tiara

 Diamond Spike Tiara

Diamond Fan Earrings

Diamond Sautoir

Amethyst Suite

Diamond Stars

Sapphire Brooch

Danish Ruby Parure

Khedive of Egypt Tiara

Pearl Poiré Tiara

Danish Emerald Parure

Queen Sofia’s Pearl and Star Tiara

Turquoise Parure

Daisy Brooch

Diamond Stars

Diamond Pendant

Diamond Brooches

Diamond Fan Earrings

Sapphire Brooch

Ruby Bow Brooch

 Diamond Earrings

 Sapphire Brooch

Diamond Parure

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Two larger and two smaller antique Victorian Diamond Stars, the jewels are quite likely Swedish Royal Heirlooms, and were probably inherited by Princess Ingrid of Sweden from her grandmother, Queen Victoria of Sweden, in 1930, though she was first pictured wearing three of them as a necklace at her first Swedish State Opening of Parliament in 1928. The Diamond Stars went with Queen Ingrid to Denmark, though they were not among her most worn jewels.

Queen Ingrid loaned her Diamond Stars to her daughters, Princess Benedikte and Princess Anne Marie, in the 1960s, and they were also loaned to her eldest granddaughter, Princess Alexia of Greece, who wore them in her hair for an event in the 1980s.

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty ImagesEmbed from Getty ImagesEmbed from Getty Images

Eventually, Queen Ingrid’s Diamond Stars were inherited by Princess Benedikte, the Princess of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, and have been worn in a variety of creative ways, including using two of the stars as earrings and also wearing them as a necklace, often with Queen Sophia’s Star and Pearl Tiara, which was also inherited from Queen Victoria of Sweden. One of the stars was loaned to her elder daughter, Princess Alexandra of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg for the Funeral of her father, Prince Richard of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg in 2017. The Diamond Stars were worn by Princess Benedikte as recently as the Wedding of her daughter, Princess Alexandra, to Count Michael Ahlefeldt-Laurvig-Bille last year and there is no doubt we will continue to see them for years to come.

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