Thurn und Taxis Tiaras

~ Saad719

Happy Birthday to Gloria, the Princess von Thurn und Taxis, who turns 60 today! The impoverished Schönburg-Glauchau Countess who became an extravagant Princess in the 1980s and, after being widowed young, she transformed into a successful businesswoman to save the massive family fortune, facilitated through the sale of some family jewels. To mark her landmark birthday, we are taking a look at the Thurn und Taxis Tiaras.

Empress Eugénie’s Pearl Tiara

Composed of 212 pearls and and 1998 diamonds, this magnificent Pearl and Diamond Tiara was commissioned by Emperor Napoleon III to celebrate his marriage to Eugénie de Montijo in 1853, using stones from the French Crown Jewels that were previously used by Empress Marie Louise of France and Princess Marie Therese, Duchesse d’ Angouleme.

Composed of seven stems of three large superimposed pearls alternating eight pelt-shaped cartouches, topped with a pear and diamond foliage. The cartouches are drawn by diamond foliage bordered by a row of pearls, and contain three pearls and diamond foliage. The whole resting on a band of round pearls and diamond leaves. In total: two hundred and twelve pearls including seventeen pears, one thousand nine hundred and ninety-eight diamonds and 992 roses.

Empress Eugénie wore the magnificent Pearl Tiara for an iconic portrait by the famed Franz Xaver Winterhalter in 1853, shortly after her marriage which itself came just days after the then Prince-President Napoléon had declared himself Emperor.

Empress Eugénie also wore the Pearl Tiara for the the Investiture of the Emperor by Queen Victoria into the Most Noble Order of the Garter at Windsor Castle in 1855, during a State Visit to the United Kingdom.

The Pearl Tiara stayed in France when Emperor Napoleon III and Empress Eugénie went into exile in 1870, and after being displayed at the 1878 Exposition Universelle and at the Musée du Louvre in 1884, it was sold for 78,100 French Francs in the Auction of the French Crown Jewels in 1887.

A few years later, Empress Eugénie’s Pearl Tiara was acquired by Prince Albert of Thurn und Taxis as a wedding gift for his bride, Archduchess Margarethe Klementine of Austria, in 1890.

Archduchess Margarethe Klementine wore Empress Eugénie’s Pearl Tiara numerous times during her long marriage, including the Diamond Wedding Anniversary of the Prince and Princess von Thurn und Taxis at Schloss St. Emmeram in Regensburg in 1950, and it was inherited by her sons in succession but remained unworn for a few years.

In 1980, Empress Eugénie’s Pearl Tiara was worn by Countess Gloria von Schönburg-Glauchau when she married Johannes, the 11th Prince of Thurn und Taxis at Saint Emmeram’s Abbey in Regensburg.

Usually you get married where the girl comes from, but since my father has only a villa in Munich (the Schönburg-Glauchau Seat of Schloss Rochsburg was on the other side of the Iron Curtain and not returned to the family until 1991), it was much nicer to do it at Regensburg. It was an incredibly grand party. Johannes’s friends came from all over the world. I wore a couture gown by Valentino, topped by Marie Antoinette’s diamond crown (she actually wore Empress Eugénie’s Pearl Tiara). It was really something to see. Half the Rothschilds were there, and then all those Prussian Counts and Barons covered with medals and Iron Crosses.”

Princess Gloria notably wore Empress Eugénie’s Pearl Tiara when she dressed as Marie Antoinette for Prince Johannes’ famously lavish 60th Birthday Ball in 1986.

All this was mere foreplay to the bash’s climax: an eighteenth-century Don Giovanni costume ball, which began at 9:30 Friday evening and ended at 9:30 Saturday morning. Staged by Princess TNT with an extravagance and attention to detail that recalled Luchino Visconti’s The Damned, the ball was an example of the kind of ”divine decadence” possible only in the aristocratic heart of old Europe.

Finally, Princess TNT made her grand entrance. Wearing a $10,000 pale-pink panniered dress by Mme. Mine Vergez, who does costumes for the Paris Opera, a two-foot wig, and Marie Antoinette’s own pearl tiara (she actually wore Empress Eugénie’s Pearl Tiara), she descended the staircase, her train held by four little girls in matching pink dresses.

After the Prince’s death in 1990, Empress Eugénie’s Pearl Tiara was among various family heirlooms sold off to bolster family finances, the highlight of a famous auction at Sotheby’s in 1992.

Empress Eugénie’s Pearl Tiara was acquired by the Friends of the Louvre and displayed with the other French Crown Jewels in the Galerie d’Apollon of the Musée du Louvre in Paris.

Empress Eugénie’s Pearl Tiara is among the Jewels stolen from the Louvre in October 2025, alongside the Tiara, Necklace and Earrings of the Orléans Sapphire Parure, Empress Marie-Louise’s Emerald Parure, Empress Eugénie’s Diamond Bow Brooch and the Diamond Reliquary Brooch.

Sapphire Tiara

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A spectacular high Diamond Diadem consisting of large sapphire and diamond clusters in a huge, ornate diamond frame, the Thurn und Taxis Sapphire Tiara was made by F.Kreuter at some point in the 19th century. The Accompanying Parure includes a versatile Necklace, a pair of massive Earrings, and a Sapphire Bow Brooch, all of which can be worn with diamonds in place of the sapphires:

The high diadem in Empire style set with diamonds has a large oval sapphire as the center, a large cushion-shaped sapphire is also attached above as the tip, both are decorated with a diamond carmoization, i.e. H. framed in a frame made of diamonds. Openwork, filigree tendrils made of diamonds form a high structure, acantus leaves were worked into diamond-studded borders and set accents. A further four sapphires are housed as highlights in the central motif, an exceptional jewel from the royal family’s treasury.

The tiara, like the entire diamond parure, was reworked in the 19th century by the renowned Kreuter company, Hanau specialist for white jewels, or supplemented with diamonds and gemstones from the house jewelry.

Archduchess Margarethe Klementine of Austria, the 8th Princess of Thurn und Taxis was notably pictured wearing the high Tiara, set with Diamonds, along with the Diamond Necklace at some point in the late 19th century.

The Sapphire Tiara remained unworn for decades before appearing on Countess Gloria von Schönburg-Glauchau at a spectacular Ball at Schloss St. Emmeram in Regensberg, on the eve of her Wedding to Johannes, the 11th Prince of Thurn und Taxis in 1980.

Throughout the 1980s, Princess Gloria often wore both the Sapphire and all Diamond versions of the Necklace, usually with the massive Diamond Earrings, most notably for the Baptism of Prince Albert von Thurn und Taxis in 1983.

In 1987, Princess Gloria wore the sapphire and diamond necklace with the Sapphire Bow Brooch as a clasp for the 36th annual April in Paris Ball at the Waldorf Hotel in New York City, with a ridiculously outrageous hairstyle.

The Sapphire Parure was not among the Jewels sold at the famous Auction of the Thurn und Taxis Jewels in 1992, and made a rare appearance during Princess Gloria’s widowhood for the Wedding Ball of Hereditary Prince Alois of Liechtenstein and Duchess Sophie in Bavaria at Schloss Nymphenburg in 1993, paired with the massive Diamond Earrings, Sapphire and Diamond Necklace and Sapphire Bow Brooch.

More recently, Princess Gloria wore the Sapphire Necklace with the Sapphire Bow Brooch for the Wedding Gala of Archduke Georg of Austria and Duchess Eilika of Oldenburg in Budapest in 1997, among a series of appearences. Lets hope we see this spectacular heirloom worn again soon!

Ruby Tiara

The striking Diamond and Ruby Tiara is composed of a large base of diamond and ruby scrolls, topped with clusters of rubies and diamonds, which is likely an old heirloom of the Princely House of Thurn und Taxis. The Tiara was usually paired with a striking Ruby and Diamond Necklace and a pair of Ruby and Diamond Earrings that originated from the House of Saxe-Coburg und Gotha.

The Ruby Tiara and Necklace first appeared on Infanta Maria Anna of Portugal, the Hereditary Princess von Thurn und Taxis during the Wedding of Prince Philipp Ernst of Thurn und Taxis and  Princess Eulalie of Thurn und Taxis, at Schloss Taxis in 1929.

Princess Gloria wore the Ruby Tiara with the Ruby and Diamond Necklace and the Saxe-Coburg und Gotha Ruby and Diamond Earrings with a wild hairstyle and flamboyant costume for a Performance of La Traviata at the Paris Opera House in 1985.

That year, the Saxe-Coburg und Gotha Ruby Earrings and the the Ruby and Diamond Necklace were worn by Princess Gloria for a Gala during the Prince and Princess of Wales’ visit to Germany in 1987.

In the late 1980s, Princess Gloria wore the Ruby Tiara with more conventional couture gowns for a series of Balls and Galas, as well as numerous appearances of the pieces of the Parure.

The Ruby Tiara was not among the Jewels sold at the famous Auction of the Thurn und Taxis Jewels in 1992, and was worn by Princess Gloria for a Gala celebrating the 80th Birthday of her mother, Countess Beatrix of Schönburg-Glauchau, in 2010.

More recently, the Thurn und Taxis Ruby Tiara was worn by Princess Gloria’s daughter, Princess Maria Theresia, for a Vanity Fair photoshoot in 2015, when Princess Gloria said:

“the girls loved to get into my wardrobe and pick out my wonderful Christian Lacroix dresses. And they were able to play with the jewelry that normally stays at the vault!”

Emerald Tiara

Made by Hancocks, a London jeweler, and included in a display of jewels at the 1855 Paris Exhibition, the Tiara features a diamond scroll design with pear-shaped cabochon emeralds. The accompanying parure features earrings and a necklace.

The Tiara was first photographed on Margaretha, Princess of Thurn und Taxis nee Archduchess of Austria, who was the consort of the 8th Prince. The couple were married for over 60 years and had eight children. Margaretha wore the tiara and parure for an official portrait and for the wedding of her daughter Princess Helene von Thurn und Taxis to Prince Friedrich of Saxony in 1923.

The next person to be pictured in the Thurn und Taxis Emerald Tiara was Princess Gloria von Thurn und Taxis nee Countess von Schönburg-Glauchau, consort of the 11th Prince, and granddaughter-in-law of Margaretha.

Married to a man over 30 years her senior, Princess Gloria and her husband spent the 80s as a socialite with lavish spending, parties, and edgy fashion, which earned her the name “Princess TNT.” After being widowed in 1990, and faced with debts over $500 million, she became an astute businesswoman, selling castles, jewellry and cars to protect the family fortune for her son.

The Emerald Tiara and Parure were not among the Jewels sold at the famous Auction of the Thurn und Taxis Jewels in 1992, and was worn by Princess Gloria for the Wedding Ball of Duchess Fleur of Württemberg and Count Moritz von Goëss in 2003.

In 2010, Princess Gloria loaned the Thurn und Taxis Emerald Tiara to her sister-in-law, Princess Irina of Hesse, Countess of Schönburg-Glauchau, for a Gala celebrating the 80th Birthday of her mother, Countess Beatrix of Schönburg-Glauchau.

Most recently, Princess Gloria wore the Thurn und Taxis Emerald Tiara for a Vanity Fair photoshoot in 2015.

The Thurn und Taxis Emerald Tiara has also been worn by Princess Gloria’s daughter Princess Elisabeth von Thurn und Taxis, a style editor for Vogue, during the photoshoot for Vanity Fair in 2015, when she paired the emerald tiara with some of her mother’s gowns and a jeweled choker. Princess Gloria said

“the girls loved to get into my wardrobe and pick out my wonderful Christian Lacroix dresses. And they were able to play with the jewelry that normally stays at the vault!”

Empire Tiara

Featuring diamond clusters and honeysuckles, the grand Thurn und Taxis Empire Tiara was made around 1825 in the style of the French Empire. The piece was often worn by Archduchess Margarethe Klementine, before being put on sale at the famous auction, though IIRC, it failed to sell and presumably still belongs to the family.

Diamond Floral Tiara

Featuring diamond fuchsia, flowers, buds and wild roses in foliage, the Thurn und Taxis Diamond Floral Tiara was created around 1845, probably by Köchert, and worn by Princess Gloria at a very stately appearance in the early 1990s. The Tiara was sold at the famous auction and has not been publicly seen in the years since.

23Royal Magazin

Thurn und Taxis Sapphire Tiara

Emerald Tiara

Thurn und Taxis Ruby Tiara

Emerald and Ruby Choker

Sapphire Bow Brooch

Princess Olga’s Emerald Earrings

Hesse Emerald Brooch

Thurn und Taxis Tiaras

Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Turquoise Tiara

Duchess of Albany’s Diamond Necklace

 Diamond Star

Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Diamond Tiara

Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Emerald Necklace Tiara

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Featuring 212 pearls and and 1998 diamonds, the Pearl and Diamond Tiara was commissioned by Emperor Napoleon III to celebrate his marriage to Eugénie de Montijo in 1853, using stones from the French Crown Jewels, which meant the Tiara stayed in France when the couple went into exile in 1870, being sold in the famous auction of the French Crown Jewels, before being acquired by Prince Albert of Thurn und Taxis as a wedding gift for Archduchess Margarethe Klementine of Austria, who wore Empress Eugénie’s Pearl Tiara numerous times during her long marriage, including her 60th Anniversary celebrations in 1950. In 1980, Countess Gloria von Schönburg-Glauchau wore the Tiara when she married Johannes, the 11th Prince of Thurn und Taxis, and she also wore the Tiara for Prince Johannes’ famously lavish 60th Birthday. After his death, the Tiara was sold in the famous auction, and acquired by the Friends of the Louvre. Today, Empress Eugénie’s Pearl Tiara is on display with the other French Crown Jewels at the Louvre in Paris (where I hope to see it in a few days).

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Featuring diamond clusters and honeysuckles, the grand Thurn und Taxis Empire Tiara was made around 1825 in the style of the French Empire. The piece was often worn by Archduchess Margarethe Klementine, before being put on sale at the famous auction, though IIRC, it failed to sell and presumably still belongs to the family.

Embed from Getty Images

Featuring large ruby clusters over a scroll frame, with a parure including a necklace, multiple pairs of earrings, and a couple of brooches, the Tiara and parts of the parure were frequently worn by Princess Gloria with her outrageous hairstyles in the 1980s. While some pieces of the parure were sold in the auction, the Tiara remains with the family and has been worn by Princess Gloria and her daughter, Princess Maria Theresia, in recent years.

Featuring pear-shaped cabochon emeralds, the Thurn und Taxis Emerald Tiara was made by Hancocks in 1855, and includes a large accompanying parure. After being worn by Princess Gloria a few times during her ‘Punk Princess’ heydays, it evaded the auction block, and was worn also by her to events during her widowhood, most recently during a Vanity Fair photoshoot. The Thurn und Taxis Emerald Tiara has also been worn by her younger daughter, Princess Elisabeth. Click HERE to learn more.

Featuring large sapphire and diamond clusters in a huge, ornate diamond frame , the Thurn und Taxis Sapphire Tiara, made by made by F.Kreuter, is a family heirloom from the 19th century and was pictured on Archduchess Margarethe Klementine in the late 1800s, before appearing on Princess Gloria in the 1980s and 1990s. The parure, which features huge sapphires that can be replaced with diamonds, has also been worn often, even after Princess Gloria was widowed.

Featuring diamond fuchsia, flowers, buds and wild roses in foliage, the Thurn und Taxis Diamond Floral Tiara was created around 1845, probably by Köchert, and worn by Princess Gloria at a very stately appearance in the early 1990s. The Tiara was sold at the famous auction and has not been publicly seen in the years since.

 

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