Today marks the Anniversary of the birth of Queen Helen of Romania, who was born on this day in 1896. The Greek Princess who became the mother of the last King of Romania and was exiled many times from multiple countries, Queen Helen had some stunning jewels, and while we’ve already covered the Romanian Greek Key Tiara and her Fleur-de-Lys Brooch, today, we’re taking a look at the most illustrious piece in her collection, her Russian Sapphire Brooch.
When she fled St. Petersburg following the February Revolution in 1917, the Jewels of the Grand Duchess Vladimir remained in a hidden safe in her bedroom at the Vladimir Palace, until her son, Grand Duke Boris, and a friend, Bertie Stopford, snuck into the Vladimir Palace disguised as workmen, smuggling the Jewels out in a pair of Gladstone Bags, which were then smuggled out of Russia, deposited in a safety deposit box in London. An inventory taken by Garrard in early 1920 revealed that the Vladimir Tiara was damaged during its journey, with some of the pearls and diamonds missing. The Grand Duchess Vladimir was the last Romanov to escape Russia, and passed away just a few months later, in September 1920.
Grand Duchess Vladimir left her jewels to her children in groups of stones, with Grand Duke Kyril receiving the Sapphires, Grand Duke Boris the Emeralds, Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna, Princess Nicholas of Greece, the only daughter, inherited her mother’s diamonds and pearls, including the Vladimir Tiara, while Grand Duke Andrei inherited the Rubies. When the Jewels were inventoried by Cartier, the central pear-shaped Sapphire had already been removed from the Sapphire and Diamond Necklace.
Faced with harsh financial difficulties in exile, Grand Duke Kyril and Grand Duchess Victoria Melita decided to sell the family jewels. Luckily, a buyer was close at hand, Queen Marie of Romania, the sister of the Grand Duchess, had lost her jewels in Russia during WWI and wrote to their mother, Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna:
I spoke to Ducky about some of Aunt Miechen’s jewellery that Ducky wants to sell as these pieces represent the only fortune the family has left – thank God that the jewels of the old lady are fabulous! She was an extraordinarily greedy woman and she received, throughout her entire life, more than her share of anything. Nando gave me a generous sum of money to buy jewellery, since mine are lost forever… It is however a horrible feeling to take these treasures from a person I love more than anything in the world. But at the same time I know that I am a gift from God to her, as I am ready to pay for the pieces in full and right away without negotiating the prices. Oh, and heaven, these jewels are wonderful, as seldom one can find!”
Queen Marie bought the Vladimir Sapphire Kokoshnik for herself, Ducky’s Greek Key Tiara for Princess Helen of Greece, the soon-to-be Romanian Crown Princess, and a Cartier Sapphire Sautoir for her eldest daughter, Princess Elisabeth, who was about to marry Princess Helen’s brother, King George II of Greece. However, Queen Marie spoke about her indignation with her cousin, Queen Sophia of Greece:
Tino and Sophie have sent no wedding present to Lisabetha! Not the smallest tiniest little item of anything! – nothing! I confess to feeling indignant! Sophie has all her jewels, while I lost all mine and yet we made tremendous efforts to send her daughter a beautiful diadem! Oh!—if only I had my jewels, with what delight I would have given one of my diadems to Lisabetha! Now I have given a diadem to my daughter in law, while my own daughter has none!”
In addition to buying the jewels herself, Queen Marie also wrote in her diary about arranging for the Romanian Government to buy more pieces, including the the central element of the Sapphire and Diamond Necklace as a Brooch as well as the Vladimir Sapphire Earrings for Princess Helen:
I have bought for the government to give to Lisabetha a beautiful set of emeralds, collier and cross, that Baby was selling and for Sitta a superb sapphire brooch with earrings, of Ducky’s share from Aunt Miechen, wonderful, irreproachable stones.
Queen Helen retained the Russian Sapphire Brooch through her numerous exiles and returns to Romania in the 1920s, 30s, and 40s, and was notably pictured wearing the Brooch at the Wedding of her cousin, Prince Phillip, to Queen Elizabeth II in 1947, and the Wedding of her only son, King Michael of Romania, and Princess Anne of Bourbon-Parma in 1948, at the start of their final exile.
The sister of King Paul of Greece, Queen Helen was a frequent guest in Athens, and also wore the Sapphire Brooch for the Wedding of her niece, Princess Sophia, to the future King Juan Carlos of Spain in 1962, King Paul’s 60th Birthday Banquet, the Greek Monarchy Centenary, and the Wedding of King Constantine of Greece and Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark in 1964, which was the last public appearance of the Russian Sapphire Brooch.
By 1966, Queen Helen’s finances were strained, and while she managed to retain some jewels, like the Romanian Greek Key Tiara and her Fleur-de-Lys Brooch, she sold her Villa in Italy and some paintings she had smuggled out of Romania, as well as her Russian Sapphire Brooch, which was sold at Auction in October 1966. It’s current location is unknown.
Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images
https://www.instagram.com/p/B_qXMEYhXpU/
Featuring a large pigeon-egg sized sapphire surrounded by diamonds, the sapphire originates from Empress Catherine the Great of Russia and was mounted by Bolin in 1845 for Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich, the second son of Tsar Nicholas I of Russia and father of Queen Olga of Greece, who inherited the Brooch and left it to her granddaughter, then Crown Princess Helen of Romania in 1926, who had also received a pair of sapphire earrings and brooch originating from Grand Duchess Vladimir as a wedding present in 1921.
Queen Helen retained her Russian Sapphire Brooch through her numerous exiles and returns to Romania in the 1920s, 30s, and 40s, and was notably pictured wearing the Brooch at the Wedding of her cousin, Prince Phillip, to Queen Elizabeth II in 1947, and the Wedding of her only son, King Michael of Romania, and Princess Anne of Bourbon-Parma in 1948, at the start of their final exile. The sister of King Paul of Greece, she was a frequent guest in Athens, and also wore the Brooch for the Wedding of her niece, Princess Sophia, to the future King Juan Carlos of Spain in 1962, King Paul’s 60th Birthday Banquet, the Greek Monarchy Centenary, and the Wedding of King Constantine of Greece and Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark in 1964, which was the last public appearance of the Russian Sapphire Brooch.
By 1966, Queen Helen’s finances were strained, and while she managed to retain some jewels, like the Romanian Greek Key Tiara and her Fleur-de-Lys Brooch, she sold her Villa in Italy and some paintings she had smuggled out of Romania, as well as her Russian Sapphire Brooch, which was sold at Auction in October 1966. It’s current location is unknown.
thank you for interesting post
Thank you for sharing interesting article.
That s so sad. 🙁
Probably it broke her heart, having to sell the few things she could grab when fleeding
I believe it was her sister Princess Irene Duchess of Aosta who wore the brooch at the marriage Of Princess Elizabeth to Prince Phillip