Fife Fringe Tiara

This glittering diamond fringe tiara was given by King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra of Great Britain to their eldest daughter as a wedding gift in 1889. Worn by her as a tiara and as a necklace, it was also worn by her daughter and granddaughter-in-law, before being auctioned in 1959. Click HERE for the post on Princess Alexandra, Duchess of Fife, and HERE for the post on the Fife Tiara.

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Princess Louise wearing the Fife Fringe Tiara! https://t.co/tNU1fi2oGo pic.twitter.com/DaNrpgy1TA
— The Royal Watcher (@saadsalman719) May 7, 2020

This stunning fringe tiara, “of alternating and graduating rays, varying from nearly two inches long in the centre to half an inch at the extreme ends”, was given by the Prince and Princess of Wales (later Edward VII and Queen Alexandra) to their eldest daughter, Princess Louise when she married the Duke of Fife in 1889. Princess Louise, Duchess of Fife wore the Fringe tiara for an official portrait, but otherwise wasn’t pictured wearing it as a tiara. However, she often wore the fringe as a necklace with her diamond tiara.

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Princess Alexandra, Duchess of Fife wearing the Fife Fringe Tiara! https://t.co/tNU1fhKNhO pic.twitter.com/Alkpvj3P1U
— The Royal Watcher (@saadsalman719) January 22, 2021

In 1931, the Fife Fringe Tiara was inherited by her eldest daughter, Princess Alexandra, 2nd Duchess of Fife, who wore it at the wedding ball of her niece, Princess Ingrid of Sweden and Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark in 1935. The Duchess also owned a Diamond Fringe Tiara that she inherited from her mother-in-law, the Duchess of Connaught.

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Lady Patricia wearing the Fife Fringe Tiara! https://t.co/tNU1fhKNhO pic.twitter.com/ck5drQvfFW
— The Royal Watcher (@saadsalman719) May 7, 2020

In 1937, the Duchess of Fife loaned the Fife Fringe Tiara to her sister-in-law, Lady Patricia Ramsay, for the Coronation of King George VI. Judging by the shape of the elements, it appears it was the Fife Fringe, not the Connaught Fringe, which belonged to her late mother, that was loaned.

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Regaling the return of the tiara—and why not? If it was good enough for Queen Victoria… this emerald and diamond set was designed for Victoria by Prince Albert, the love of her life. It’s rarely on display, but Kensington Palace is pulling out all the stops for the relaunched ‘Victoria Revealed’ exhibition, in advance of the monarch’s 200th birthday in 2019. #JoieDeViv @visitbritaingcc #kensingtonpalace @historicroyalpalaces . . . @zoomermag #travel #london #victoriarevealed #jewels #diamonds #emeralds #style #fashion #jewelry #tiaras #queenvictoria #royalstyle

A post shared by VivianVassos (@vivianvassos) on Mar 28, 2018 at 8:08am PDT

Watch as the kokoshnik tiara is transformed into a necklace!💎 This tiara was worn by Princess Louise, granddaughter of Queen Victoria. Its design was in vogue in the late C19th. See the tiara at #KensingtonPalace. The #Victoria200 displays open on 24 May: https://t.co/KUA5aL7FTc pic.twitter.com/F8VQlxaoQ5
— Historic Royal Palaces (@HRP_palaces) May 22, 2019

While the Connaught Fringe Tiara was auctioned after the Duchess of Fife’s death in 1959, the Fife Fringe was inherited by her successor, the 3rd Duke of Fife, and still remains with the family. It is currently on long-term display with the Fife Tiara and Queen Victoria’s Emerald Tiara at the Victoria Revealed Exhibition at Kensington Palace, which marks the 200th Anniversary of Queen Victoria’s birth, and the displays feature personal objects and an intimate account of her fascinating life and long reign. You can go see it until 2020.