Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone, granddaughter of Queen Victoria, was born at Windsor Castle on this day in 1883. An active, full-time working member of the Royal Family for 98 years, Princess Alice attended countless glittering occasions for decades, often wearing this Diamond Palmette Tiara!
Diamond Palmette Tiara | Teck Ears of Wheat Tiara | Pearl and Diamond Tiara | Duchess of Teck’s Diamond Stomacher | Pearl and Diamond Corsage Brooch | Teck Sapphire Stomacher | The Jewels of Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone
This Art Deco Diamond Palmette Tiara, which featured large, swinging yellow diamonds, was acquired in the early 1930s is thought to have been possibly created by dismantling Princess Alice’s Pearl and Diamond Tiara and a Diamond Choker she had received as Wedding Gifts.
She wore a diadem in Egyptian art-deco style which was, it appears, commissioned by the princess herself, probably at the end of the 1920s using old pieces of jewellery that she considered out of fashion.
Princess Alice notably began wearing the Diamond Palmette Tiara in the early 1930s, with an early notable appearance at the Wedding Gala of Prince Gustav Adolf of Sweden and her niece, Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, in 1932.
The Diamond Palmette Tiara was also worn by Princess Alice for the Wedding Gala of her cousin, Crown Princess Juliana of the Netherlands, and Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld in 1937, the Wedding Banquet of the Shah of Iran and Princess Fawzia of Egypt in Tehran in 1939 and also the French State Visit to Britain in 1939.
While Princess Alice wore the Teck Ears of Wheat Tiara for the Coronation of her nephew, King George VI, in 1937, the Diamond Palmette Tiara was worn by a lady who accompanied the family, who may have been Princess Alice’s niece, Princess Caroline Mathilde of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.
Princess Alice wore the Diamond Palmette Tiara on numerous occasions and for several portraits when the Earl of Athlone served as Governor General of Canada during the Second World War, and on their return to Europe, most notably for Queen Juliana’s Inauguration Gala and Gala Performance in 1948.
The Diamond Palmette Tiara was worn by Princess Alice at the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, as well as for the Coronation Gala at Covent Garden.
Princess Alice continued to wear her Diamond Palmette Tiara at glittering events for decades, remaining an active member of the Royal Family. The Tiara was seen at various State Openings of Parliament, State Banquets, and the 50th Anniversary Service of the Order of the British Empire, as well as for Queen Juliana’s 30th Anniversary Gala in 1967.
The Diamond Palmette Tiara continued to be worn by Princess Alice into her old age, like the Japanese State Visit to Britain in 1971, King Gustaf VI Adolf’s 90th Birthday Banquet in 1972, and Queen’s Silver Jubilee Gala in 1977, as well as her own special 90th Birthday Gala in 1973, at which Tiaras were worn.
At the beginning of the 1970s, Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone, was a survivor from a different age. She was certainly one of the only granddaughters of Queen Victoria (along with Queen Victoria Eugenie of Spain) to have given a television interview. She lived in Kensington Palace in an apartment very close to that of Princess Margaret, and where the present Duchess of Cambridge now lives. At nearly ninety years of age. Alice was still taking an annual flight, in economy class, to the Antilles or Africa for a holiday. Her secretary once confided that. after a late arrival, the princess was obliged to sit up all night at an African airport: she was over eighty-five years of age and didn’t complain once.
Her ninetieth birthday was celebrated in style with a reception given by her daughter and son-in-law at Claridge’s Hotel. Female guests were asked to wear a diadem, if possible. Several dozen, including Queen Elizabeth, followed etiquette and wore the required jewel. The princess died at Kensington Palace on 3 January 1981, just a few weeks before her ninety-eighth birthday.
After Princess Alice’s death in 1981, the Diamond Palmette Tiara was inherited by Princess Alice’s only surviving child, Lady May Abel Smith, who auctioned it off at Christie’s in London in December 1984, for £33,696. It’s present location is unknown.
Diamond Palmette Tiara | Teck Ears of Wheat Tiara | Pearl and Diamond Tiara | Duchess of Teck’s Diamond Stomacher | Pearl and Diamond Corsage Brooch | Teck Sapphire Stomacher | The Jewels of Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone
Princess Alice’s Diamond Palmette Tiara
Teck Ears of Wheat Tiara
Princess Alice’s Pearl and Diamond Tiara
Duchess of Teck’s Diamond Stomacher
Princess Alice’s Pearl Corsage Brooch
Cambridge Pearl Pendant Brooch
Duchess of Gloucester’s Pendant Earrings
The Teck Flower Brooch
Diamond Palmette Tiara | Teck Ears of Wheat Tiara | Pearl and Diamond Tiara | Teck Sapphire Stomacher | Pearl and Diamond Corsage Brooch | The Jewels of Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone
Of unknown provenance, this Diamond Palmette Tiara, featuring large, swinging yellow diamonds, began to be worn in the late 1920s, and is thought to be a purchase from that time, possibly created by dismantling Princess Alice’s Pearl and Diamond Tiara.
Embed from Getty ImagesEmbed from Getty Images
Princess Alice notably began wearing the Palmette Tiara in the late 1920s, most notably for the Wedding Gala of Prince Gustav Adolf of Sweden and her niece, Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, in 1932 as well as for the Wedding Gala of her cousin, Crown Princess Juliana of the Netherlands, and Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld in 1937, the Wedding Banquet of the Shah of Iran and Princess Fawzia of Egypt in Tehran in 1939.
Embed from Getty Images
Princess Alice also wore the Tiara on numerous occasions and for several portraits when the Earl of Athlone served as Governor General of Canada during the Second World War, and on their return to the United Kingdom, the Diamond Palmette Tiara was worn at the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, as well as for Queen Juliana’s Inauguration Gala and Gala Performance in 1948.
Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images
Princess Alice continued to wear her Diamond Palmette Tiara at glittering events for decades, remaining an active, through largely out of the limelight, member of the royal family. The Tiara was seen at various State Openings of Parliament, State Banquets, and the 50th Anniversary Service of the Order of the British Empire, as well as Queen Juliana’s 30th Anniversary Gala in 1967, the Japanese State Visit to Britain in 1971, and King Gustaf VI Adolf’s 90th Birthday Banquet in 1972.
After Princess Alice’s death in 1981, the Diamond Palmette Tiara was inherited by Princess Alice’s only surviving child, Lady May Abel Smith, who auctioned it at Christie’s in 1984, for $33,696. It’s present location is unknown.
Diamond Palmette Tiara | Teck Ears of Wheat Tiara | Pearl and Diamond Tiara | Teck Sapphire Stomacher | Pearl and Diamond Corsage Brooch | The Jewels of Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone
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