Happy 25th Anniversary to Archduke Karl and Archduchess Francesca von Habsburg! In honour of their anniversary, we are taking a look at the wedding Tiara. An antique bandeau made of diamond motifs with pearls, this tiara is reputed to have been once owned by Empress ‘Sissi’ of Austria, though no photographic proof exists. A similar (if not the same) bandeau was worn by Princess Adelheid of Prussia, née Saxe-Meiningen, aunt of Archduchess Regina. (h/t to Stefan)
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Archduchess Regina von Habsburg wore the Bandeau at the Wedding of Countess Helene of Toerring-Jettenbach to her husband’s cousin, Archduke Ferdinand of Austria, in 1956.
In 1956, Archduke Otto’s sister, Archduchess Charlotte wore the Bandeau at her Wedding to to Duke George of Mecklenburg. In 1980, Archduchess Monika, daughter of Archduchess Regina, wore the Pearl and Diamond Bandeau when she married Luis de Casanova-Cardenas, the Duke de Santangelo.
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Baroness Francesca Thyssen-Bornemisza wore the Bandeau when she married Archduke Karl von Habsburg, eldest son of Archduchess Regina, in 1993.
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In 1998, the Archduke was fined 180,000 schillings after he had failed to declare to customs officials that he had an antique diadem in his luggage when he crossed the border from Switzerland in 1996 to attend a wedding. Archduchess Francesca wore the Pearl and Diamond Bandeau again at the wedding of Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark in 2004. The Bandeau remains in the possession of Archduchess Francesca.
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I really like bandeaus and this one is specially pretty!
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This bandeau looks so similar to the base of Empress Zita’s wedding tiara.
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It really does, but the stylistic elements are quite different.
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