Wedding of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh and Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia, 1874

23

The Wedding of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, second son of Queen Victoria, and Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia, only daughter of Tsar Alexander II, in an Orthodox Ceremony at the Great Cathedral Church, followed by an Anglican Ceremony in the Alexander Hall of the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg on this day in 1874.

Royal attendees included Tsar Alexander II and Tsarina Maria Alexandrovna (parents of the bride), the Prince and Princess of Wales (brother and sister-in-law of the groom, wearing her Wedding Gift Parure), Tsesarevich Alexander and Tsesarevna Maria Feodorovna (brother and sister-in-law of the bride), the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Prussia (sister and brother-in-law of the groom), Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught (brother of the groom), Grand Duke Nicholas (nephew of the bride, later Nicholas II), and the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Denmark. Queen Victoria was not able to attend but instead commissioned Nicholas Chevalier to depict the event in the painting above. The Grand Duchess received her Fringe Tiara and Bolin Ruby Tiara among her wedding gifts.

Fringe Tiara

OriginWedding Gift from her mother, Tsarina Marie Alexandrovna in 1874

Notable Appearances: The Coronation of her nephew, Tsar Nicholas II, in 1896 and the Coronation of her nephew, King George V, in 1911

Fate: Left to Princess Beatrice, Duchess of Galliera, who sold it to her sister, Queen Marie of Romania, and was in turn inherited by her daughter, Queen Marie of Yugoslavia, who sold it at Auction in 1960. Now unknown.

Bolin Ruby Tiara

OriginWedding Gift from Tsar Alexander II in 1874

Notable Appearances: The Coronation of her nephew, Tsar Nicholas II, in 1896

Fate: Left to the Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg and later frequently worn by Princess Margarita of Greece, before being sold at auction in 1978 and later dismantled

Diamond Tiara

Origin: House of Saxe-Coburg und Gotha

Notable Appearances: The Wedding of the Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg and her daughter, Princess Alexandra of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, in 1896.

Fate: Passed on to Princess Victoria Adelaide, Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Albany and likely broken up following the First World War

Faberge Pearl and Diamond Tiara

Origin: Unknown, possibly made by Faberge

Notable Appearances: The Wedding of the Grand Duke of Hesse, to her daughter, Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, in 1894 and the Wedding of the Duke of Schleswig-Holstein and Princess Dorothea of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in 1898

Fate: Left to Queen Marie of Romania who had it transformed into her Cartier Pearl Tiara, now location is unknown.

Sapphire Tiara

OriginWedding Gift from Tsar Alexander II in 1874

Notable Appearances: Russian State Banquet at Windsor Castle in 1874

Fate: Given as a wedding gift to her daughter, Grand Duchess Victoria Feodorovna of Russia, and likely sold after the Russian Revolution

Ruby Tiara

Origin: Unknown but some speculate it may be Queen Victoria’s Oriental Circlet Tiara without the Arches

Notable Appearances: Portrait in 1880s

Fate: Unknown

4 thoughts on “Wedding of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh and Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia, 1874

  1. This is amazing! Maria Feodorovna and Princess Alexandra of Wales were sisters, having been born princesses of Denmark, daughters of King Christian IX. So now they were both sisters-in-law to both bride and groom!

  2. Have you ever considered about including a little bit more than just your articles? I mean, what you say is fundamental and all. But imagine if you added some great images or video clips to give your posts more, “pop”! Your content is excellent but with images and videos, this website could undeniably be one of the very best in its niche. Terrific blog!|

  3. Thanks a lot for sharing this with all of us you actually recognize what you’re speaking approximately! Bookmarked. Please also seek advice from my website =). We could have a hyperlink alternate contract between us|

Leave a Reply