Princess Anne of Denmark’s Tiara

Today marks the 40th Anniversary of the Death of Princess Anne of Denmark, who died on this day in 1980! The niece of Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother, she married and divorced Viscount Anson before marrying Prince George Valdemar of Denmark, who was closely related to the Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Belgian, and Luxembourg Royal Families, Princess Anne possessed a variety of glittering jewels, the highlight of which was today’s Diamond Tiara.

Diamond Tiara | Turquoise Star Tiara | Garnet Kokoshnik Tiara | Lava Parure | Diamond Necklace

Featuring a central diamond cluster within a design of seven pointed peaks, Princess Anne’s Diamond Tiara has an unknown provenance. While the diamond necklace she often wore with the piece was a reported wedding gift from King George VI and Queen Elizabeth for her first wedding, the Tiara could possibly be a Danish or Swedish Royal Heirloom, maybe coming from Princess Ingeborg of Sweden, Prince George’s grandmother, who also gave a tiara to Princess Anne’s sister-in-law, Countess Ruth of Rosenborg, for her wedding in 1949. One of the earliest appearences of the Tiara was at the Wedding of Princess Ragnhild of Norway, a first cousin of Prince George, in 1953, and it was also worn at the Wedding of her sister, Princess Astrid, in 1961.

Princess Anne also wore her Diamond Tiara at the Wedding Ball of King Baudouin of Belgium, another first cousin of Prince George, and Doña Fabiola de Mora y Aragón in 1960.

The Prince served as the Danish defence attaché to London and military, naval and air attaché at Paris, and the couple were quite active in British and Danish Society during the 1950s and 1960s. Princess Anne often wore the Tiara when she attended the annual Anglo-Danish Dinner at the Dorchester Hotel, like she did with Princess Benedikte in 1962, and with her mother-in-law, Princess Margaretha of Sweden and Denmark (wearing Princess Ingeborg’s Turquoise Star Tiara) and aunt-in-law, Princess Margaret of Denmark and Bourbon-Parma (in Princess Marie’s Floral Tiara), in 1966.

Princess Anne continued to wear her Diamond Tiara for Royal Events at home and abroad, like Crown Princess Margrethe’s Pre-Wedding Galas at Christiansborg Palace and Crown Princess Margrethe’s Wedding a few days later. The Tiara was also worn for the Wedding of King Harald, yet another first cousin of Prince George, and Queen Sonja of Norway in 1968, King Frederik IX’s 70th Birthday in 1969, and the Danish State Visit to the Netherlands in 1975.

The current whereabouts of the Tiara are unknown. It is possible that it was sold after Princess Anne’s death, like Princess Margaretha’s Floral Tiara, or it could have been inherited by her children, the famous photographer Lord Lichfield and the Royal Party Planner Lady Elizabeth Anson, but it was not among the Tiaras worn by her daughter-in-law or the Tiara (another Danish Royal Heirloom) worn by Lady Elizabeth. UPDATE: The Tiara was worn by Princess Anne’s daughter-in-law, the Countess of Lichfield, at a a State Banquet for the President of Malawi at Windsor Castle in 1986, which she attended in her role as a lady-in-waiting to the Princess Royal. It’s current location remains unknown.

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Diamond Tiara

Turquoise Star Tiara

Garnet Kokoshnik Tiara

Lava Parure

Diamond Necklace

2 thoughts on “Princess Anne of Denmark’s Tiara

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