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Happy Birthday to Queen Silvia of Sweden! The daughter of the German Walther Sommerlath and Brazilian Alice Soares de Toledo, she grew up in Brazil and Germany, working as a trained interpreter and an educational host during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, where she met the Crown Prince of Sweden. In 1976, she married the now King in a series of lavish celebrations in Stockholm, which included the debut of ABBA’s Dancing Queen. The King and Queen have three children, Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Carl Philip, and Princess Madeleine, and seven grandchildren. The longest-serving Queen Consort of Sweden, Queen Silvia is a founder of the World Childhood Foundation, and is involved in numerous charity organizations around the world. We wish HM a very Happy Birthday and Many Happy Returns!
Braganza Tiara | Leuchtenberg Sapphire Parure | Queen Sofia’s Nine Prong Tiara | Connaught Diamond Tiara | Swedish Cameo Parure | Napoleonic Amethyst Parure | Baden Fringe Tiara | Modern Fringe Tiara | King Edward VII Ruby Tiara | Napoleonic Cut Steel Tiara | Swedish Processional Necklace | Bernadotte Emerald Parure | Pink Topaz Parure | Diamond Stomacher Necklace | Diamond Epaulette Earrings | Five Pearl Brooch | Pearl Brooch | Pearl Corsage Brooch | Swedish Royal Tiaras | The Jewels of Queen Silvia of Sweden
The Braganza Tiara
Origin: Empress Amélie of Brazil and then inherited by her sister, Queen Josefina of Sweden and Norway, passing on to Queen Sofia, Queen Victoria, and Queen Louise before coming to Queen Silvia in 1976
Notable Appearances: The British State Visit to Sweden in 1983, the Dutch State Visit to Sweden in 1987, the Luxembourg State Visit in 1991, King Carl XVI Gustaf’s 60th Birthday Banquet in 2006, the Wedding of her eldest daughter, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, in 2010, the Dutch State Visit to Sweden in 2022, and King Carl XVI Gustaf’s Jubilee Banquet at the Royal Palace of Stockholm.
Leuchtenberg Sapphire Parure
Origin: Empress Josephine’s gift to her daughter-in-law, Princess Augusta, Duchess of Leuchtenberg, in 1811, which was given as a wedding gift to her daughter, Queen Josefina of Sweden and Norway, in 1823
Notable Appearances: The Swedish State Visit to The Netherlands in 1976, the Spanish State Visit to Sweden in 1979, The Swedish State Visit to France in 1980, King Olav V’s Silver Jubilee in 1982, Crown Prince Harald’s 50th Birthday in 1987, Emperor Akihito’s Enthronement Gala in 1990, and King Harald and Queen Sonja’s Silver Anniversary in 1993, the Swedish State Visit to Finland in 2003, Queen Margrethe’s 70th Birthday in 2010, Queen Margrethe’s Ruby Jubilee Banquet in 2012, the Wedding of her only son, Prince Carl Philip of Sweden, and Queen Margrethe’s 75th Birthday in 2015, King Harald and Queen Sonja’s 80th Birthday Banquet in 2017, and various Nobel Prize Ceremonies and Banquets
Queen Sofia’s 9-Prong Tiara
Origin: Created by Queen Sofia from an older Diamond Hair Comb in the 1870s
Notable Appearances: The Swedish State Visit to The Netherlands and Nobel Prize Ceremony in 1976, the Spanish State Visit to Sweden in 1979, Mexican State Visit to Sweden in 1980, the Swedish State Visit to Brunei in 2004, the Wedding of Princess Madeleine of Sweden in 2013 and various Nobel Prize Ceremonies and Banquets
The Swedish Cameo Parure
Origin: Empress Josephine of France, which was inherited by her granddaughter, Queen Josefina of Sweden and Norway
Notable Appearances: Wedding to King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden in 1976, the Swedish State Visit to France in 1980, the Icelandic State Visit to Sweden in 1981, the British State Visit to Sweden in 1983, a Banquet at the Royal Palace of Stockholm in 1989, and a State Visit from Japan in 2000, the Spanish State Visit to Sweden in 2021 and various Nobel Prize Ceremonies and Banquets
The Connaught Diamond Tiara
Origin: Princess Margaret of Connaught’s wedding gift from her parents, the Duke and Duchess of Connaught, when she married Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden in 1905
Notable Appearances: Wedding Gala in 1976, Swedish State Banquet at the Royal Palace of Brussels in 1977, King Carl XVI Gustaf’s 50th Birthday in 1996, Queen Margrethe’s Ruby Jubilee Gala in 2012, King Carl XVI Gustaf’s 70th Birthday Banquet in 2016, the Swedish State Visit to Germany in 2016, and various Nobel Prize Ceremonies and Banquets
The Napoleonic Amethyst Parure
Origin: Empress Josephine of France, which was left to her daughter-in-law, Princess Augusta, Duchess of Leuchtenberg, and later ended up with Queen Josefina of Sweden and Norway. The Necklace was turned into a Tiara by Queen Silvia in the late 1970s
Notable Appearances: The Spanish State Visit to Sweden in 1979, the Icelandic State Visit to Sweden in 1981, the Swedish State Visit to Spain in 1983, Crown Prince Haakon’s Confirmation in 1988, Crown Prince Haakon of Norway’s 18th Birthday Gala in 1991, and the Wedding Gala of Prince Joachim of Denmark in 1995, the Wedding of Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark in 2004, King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s Diamond Jubilee Banquet in 2006, the Wedding of Coutness Astrid Bernadotte in 2017, Queen Margrethe’s Golden Jubilee Gala in 2022, and the Nobel Prize Ceremony 2022
The Baden Fringe Tiara
Origin: Queen Victoria of Sweden’s Wedding Gift from her parents, Grand Duke Frederick I of Baden and Princess Louise of Prussia, in 1881
Notable Appearances: King Olav V of Norway’s 75th Birthday Celebrations in 1978, the Swedish State Visit to the Vatican in 1991, the Swedish State Visit to Germany in 2016, the Finland Centenary Banquet in 2017, and the King’s Dinner for Nobel Laureates in 2018.
King Edward VII Ruby Tiara
Origin: King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra’s Wedding Gift to their niece, Princess Margaret of Connaught, when she married Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden in 1905, inherited by their son, Prince Sigvard Bernadotte, and controversially bought by King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden in the 1980s
Notable Appearances: The Dutch State Visit in 1987, the Wedding of Prince Joachim of Denmark and Alexandra Manley in 1995, the Swedish State Visit to Japan in 2007, Crown Prince Frederik’s 50th Birthday Gala Dinner in 2018, the Finnish State Visit to Sweden in 2022, and the Swedish State Visit to Estonia in 2023
The Modern Fringe Tiara
Origin: Possibly from the collection of the Earls of Tankerville, acquired by King Carl XVI Gustaf as a gift for Queen Silvia to mark their 10th Wedding Anniversary in 1986
Notable Appearances: Crown Prince Haakon’s 18th Birthday Banquet in 1991, the Wedding of Baroness Christina Silfverschiöld and Baron Hans De Geer af Finspång in 1999, the Swedish State Visit to Australia in 2005, King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s Diamond Jubilee Reception in 2006, and Queen Margrethe’s Ruby Jubilee Gala in 2012
The Napoleonic Cut Steel Tiara
Origin: Queen Hortense of Holland but forgotten in a cabinet for over a century
Notable Appearances: King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway’s 60th Birthday Banquet in 1997 and the Russian State Visit to Sweden in 1997
The Swedish Pink Topaz Parure
Origin: Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia, that went to Eisenach, Prussia and Baden before arriving in Sweden in 1923
Notable Appearances: King Carl XVI Gustaf’s 50th Birthday in 1996, the Wedding of her eldest daughter, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, in 2010, the Wedding Gala of Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume of Luxembourg and Countess Stephanie de Lannoy in 2012, and the Nobel Prize Ceremony in 2023
The Bernadotte Emerald Parure
Origin: Originally a belt created for King Carl XIV Johan, converted into a necklace by Queen Sofia of Sweden around the 1880s
Notable Appearances: The Swedish State Visit to The Netherlands in 1976, the Luxembourg State Visit in 1991, the Nobel Prize Ceremony in 2018, the State Banquet for the President and First Lady of Germany in 2021
Swedish Processional Necklace
Origin: A Wedding Gift from the Swedish People to Queen Victoria of Sweden
Notable Appearances: the Swedish State Visit to Japan in 2007 and on a State Visit to The Netherlands in 2009
Diamond Epaulette Earrings
Origin: Unknown, appeared in 2010
Notable Appearances: State Visit to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in 2022
Swedish Diamond Floral Earrings
Origin: Unknown, appeared in the 1980s
Notable Appearances: King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway’s 60th Birthday Banquet in 1997, Crown Prince Haakon’s Pre-Wedding Gala in 2001, King Carl XVI Gustaf’s 60th Birthday Banquet in 2006, Gala held on the eve of the Wedding of Crown Princess Victoria in 2010, Queen Margrethe’s Ruby Jubilee Gala in 2012, King Carl XVI Gustaf’s 70th Birthday Banquet in 2016, Queen Margrethe’s Golden Jubilee Banquet in 2022
Five Pearl Brooch
Origin: Queen Josefina of Sweden and Norway
Notable Appearances: The Wedding of Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece in 1995, the Spanish State Visit to Sweden in 2021.
Diamond Stomacher Necklace
Origin: Queen Josefina of Sweden and Norway
Notable Appearances: The Wedding of Baroness Charlotte Palmstierna and Anders Wall in 1985
Princess Lilian’s Pearl Brooch
Origin: Princess Lilian of Sweden
Notable Appearances: A Banquet at the Royal Palace of Stockholm in 2015
Pearl Corsage Brooch
Origin: Queen Victoria of Sweden
Notable Appearances: Swedish State Visit to Germany in 2016
Baden Diamond Rose Brooch
Origin: Princess Louise of Prussia, Grand Duchess of Baden
Notable Appearances: Dinner at the Royal Palace of Stockholm in the mid-2000s
Swedish Pearl and Diamond Ivy Brooch
Origin: Queen Victoria of Sweden
Notable Appearances: The Swedish State Visit to Brunei in 2004
Queen Silvia looks wonderful! I wish her many more years of health and happiness!