Today marks the 80th Anniversary of the Death of Princess Mafalda of Savoy, Landgravine of Hesse, who passed away in a Concentration Camp on this day in 1944! The Italian Princess who married a German Prince and died in a Nazi Concentration Camp, Princess Mafalda possessed some spectacular Jewels, the highlight of the collection being the splendid Hesse Ears of Wheat Tiara!
Hesse Ears of Wheat Tiara | Hesse Amethyst Tiara | Hesse Emerald Tiara | Hesse Fleur-de-Lys Tiara | Hesse Strawberry Leaf Tiara | Hesse Star Tiara | Hesse Turquoise and Moonstone Tiara | Hesse Medieval Emerald Tiara
The spectacular Diamond Tiara, composed of ten ears of wheat of varying lengths arranged in a wreath style, was made in the early 19th century.
The Diamond Ears of Wheat reportedly originate from the trousseau of Grand Duchess Alexandra Nikolaevna when she married Prince Frederick William of Hesse-Kassel in 1844. After her untimely death, the Ears of Wheat were created into a Tiara by her husband’s second wife and her first cousin, Princess Anna of Prussia.
In 1925, the Diamond Ears of Wheat Tiara was given as a wedding present by Prince Phillip of Hesse to his bride, Princess Mafalda of Savoy, with Princess Mafalda wearing the Tiara for the wedding at Racconigi Castle.
Princess Mafalda also received a Petochi pearl and Diamond Tiara from her parents as well as a newly created Koch Amethyst Parure, but wore the Hesse Diamond Ears of Wheat Tiara on numerous occasions, including a visit to the Vatican shortly after her marriage.
Princess Mafalda also wore the Hesse Diamond Ears of Wheat Tiara for the Olympic Gala in Berlin in 1936, a few years before the Second World War, when, after Italy’s surrender to the Allies, Princess Mafalda was imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp, and killed after an Allied air strike, a fact that was not discovered until after the War.
Soon after the Second World War, the Hesse Family Jewels were buried at the family home, Schloss Friedrichshof, which was requisitioned to be used as a club by American Soldiers, who then discovered and stole the jewels, with the theft not revealed until the widowed Princess Sophie was preparing for her second marriage. While the thieves were eventually caught, only 10% of the jewels were recovered and returned to the Hesse Royal Family, which included the Hesse Diamond Ears of Wheat Tiara.
In 1964, the Hesse Ears of Wheat Tiara was worn by Princess Tatiana of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg when she married Prince Moritz of Hesse, the eldest son of Prince Phillip and Princess Mafalda.
A generation later, Hesse Ears of Wheat Tiara was worn by another Princess Mafalda of Hesse, granddaughter of the original and eldest daughter of Prince Moritz and Princess Tatiana, for her 1989 wedding to Enrico Cinzano.
The Hesse Ears of Wheat Tiara was also worn by Countess Floria of Faber-Castell for her wedding to Prince Donatus, the current Landgrave of Hesse, in 2003.
Laetitia Bechtolf also wore the Hesse Ears of Wheat Tiara for her Wedding to Prince Philip Robin of Hesse, the younger son of Prince Moritz and Princess Tatiana.
Most recently, the Hesse Ears of Wheat Tiara was worn again by the current Landgravine of Hesse for the Wedding Ball of Duchess Sophie of Württemberg and Count Maximilien d’Andigné at Schloss Tegernsee in 2018.
Hesse Ears of Wheat Tiara | Hesse Amethyst Tiara | Hesse Emerald Tiara | Hesse Fleur-de-Lys Tiara | Hesse Strawberry Leaf Tiara | Hesse Star Tiara | Hesse Turquoise and Moonstone Tiara | Hesse Medieval Emerald Tiara
Hesse Ears of Wheat Tiara
Hesse Amethyst Tiara
Hanover Emerald Laurel Wreath Tiara
Hesse Emerald Tiara
Hesse Fleur-de-Lys Tiara
Hesse Amethyst Tiara
Hesse Emerald Brooch
Hesse Emerald Cross
Köchert Diamond Devant-de-Corsage
The Hesse Ears of Wheat Tiara was a wedding gift to an Italian Princess who died in a Nazi concentration camp. It was among the jewels recovered in the famous Hesse Jewelry Heist, while many others were lost. The Hesse Ears of Wheat Tiara has been worn by the female members of the former German Hesse royal family at weddings and glittering events in the present day.
Hesse Ears of Wheat Tiara | Hesse Amethyst Tiara | Hesse Emerald Tiara | Hesse Fleur-de-Lys Tiara
This diamond tiara, composed of ten ears of wheat of varying lengths arranged in a wreath style, was probably made in the early 19th century, reportedly originating from the trousseau Grand Duchess Alexandra Nikolaevna’ and created into a Tiara by her husband’s second wife, Princess Anna of Prussia.
The Ears of Wheat Tiara was given as a wedding present by Prince Phillip of Hesse to his bride, Princess Mafalda of Savoy, in 1925. Princess Mafalda wore it to her wedding at Racconigi Castle in September, 1925, on a visit to the Vatican, and for the Olympic Gala in Berlin in 1936. During WWII, after Italy’s surrender to the Allies, she was imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp, and died during an Allied air strike.
After WWII, when the Hesse families Schloss Friedrichshof was used as an officer’s club by during the American occupation, some officers discovered the family jewels hidden in a basement, stole the jewelry valued at over $2 million, and smuggled it over to the US. While the thieves were eventually caught, only 10% of the jewels, including the Ears of Wheat Tiara, were recovered and returned to the Hesse royal family.
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In 1964, the Hesse Ears of Wheat Tiara was worn by Princess Tatiana of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg when she married Prince Moritz of Hesse, the eldest son of Prince Phillip and Princess Mafalda. Prince Moritz was the heir to his cousin, Prince Louis of Hesse, and inherited the Hesse Strawberry Leaf Tiara. She also wore it in 1967, at the wedding celebrations of her brother, Prince Richard of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, to Princess Bendikte of Denmark. Tatiana and Moritz divorced in 1974, after having four children
The Hesse Ears of Wheat Tiara was worn by another Princess Mafalda of Hesse, granddaughter of the original and eldest daughter of Tatiana and Philip, at her 1989 wedding to Enrico Cinzano. The marriage ended in divorce a year later.
The Hesse Ears of Wheat Tiara was also worn by Countess Floria of Faber-Castell at her wedding to Prince Donatus, Landgrave of Hesse, eldest son of Tatiana and Moritz, in 2003. Floria and Donatus are the current heads of the Hesse Royal family. The couple have a daughter and two sons. The Tiara probably be seen on Princess Floria at a german royal event.
The tiara was last worn in 2006 by Laetitia Bechtolf at her wedding to Prince Philip Robin of Hesse, younger son of Tatiana and Moritz. The couple have three children.
Landgravine Floria also wore the Hesse Ears of Wheat Tiara at the Wedding Ball of Duchess Sophie of Württemberg in 2018.
Hesse Ears of Wheat Tiara | Hesse Amethyst Tiara | Hesse Emerald Tiara | Hesse Fleur-de-Lys Tiara
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(Thank You to Mallu for most of the pictures)
Actually this tiara was not in Kronberg and was not stolen. This tiara was buried among others jewels in the garden of Villa Savoia in Rome and recovered after the war.
The diamond ears of wheat on this tiara were originally part of a dress in the trousseau of Grand Duchess Alexandra Nikolaevna of Russia, who married Frederick William of Hesse-Kassel in 1944. After her early death, the dress was brought to Hesse by her husband. His second wife, Anna of Prussia, had six of these sheaves of wheat made over into a tiara, which became the Hesse Ears of Wheat Tiara.
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Thank you for writing this awesome article. I’m a long time reader but I’ve never
been compelled to leave a comment. I subscribed to
your blog and shared this on my Twitter. Thanks again for a
great post! https://www.artecristianoenmadera.com
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