Hannover Diamond Necklace Tiara

~ Saad719

Today marks the 95th Anniversary of the Birth of Princess Ortrud, Princess of Hanover, who was born on this day in 1925! The Consort of the Head of the illustrious House of Hannover, Princess Ortrud, had access to a huge vault of jewels, but this Diamond Necklace Tiara was her most worn piece.

In 1913, Princess Victoria Louise of Prussia received this substantial diamond swag necklace as a wedding gift from her groom, Prince Ernst August of Hanover, the Duke of Brunswick, one of a series of wedding gifts which included the Brunswick Tiara from the people of Brunswick, the Prussian Diamond Tiara from her parents, the Kaiser and Empress Augusta, and an Emerald Laurel Wreath Tiara, another gift from her parents. Princess Victoria Louise wore the piece with the Brunswick Tiara for her Official Portirats as the Duchess of Brunswick, and later, after the Duchy was abolished following the First World War, Princess Victoria Louise wore the necklace at the Wedding of Prince Christian of Schaumburg-Lippe and Princess Feodora of Denmark in 1937. 

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In 1951, Princess Victoria Louise gave her Diamond Necklace, mounted on a Tiara frame, to Princess Ortrud of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg when she married the Prince of Hanover, her eldest son. Princess Ortrud wore the Diamond Necklace Tiara at her Wedding Ball and the Wedding the following day, as well as many important events, like the Wedding Gala of Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia and Princess Maria Pia of Italy’s in 1955, King Paul and Queen Frederica’s Visit to Germany, and the Wedding Ball of Prince Juan Carlos of Spain and Princess Sophia of Greece (her niece and Princess Victoria Louise’s granddaughter) in 1962. It is a bit baffling why the Consort of the Head of the illustrious House of Hannover, with much grander Tiaras in the vault, wore such a small piece but the Prince of Hanover had a falling out with Princess Victoria Louise, who still retained the Brunswick Tiara and other historic jewels, (which even became the subject of a court case) and thus her successor had relatively few jewels, passing away just a few months before her mother-in-law. The Hanoverian Diamond Necklace Tiara has not been publicly worn by her daughters or daughters-in-law since Princess Ortrud’s death, but with two new Princesses of Hannover, who have already worn the grander Hanoverian Floral Tiara, lets hope the Necklace Tiara makes a reappearance.

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2 thoughts on “Hannover Diamond Necklace Tiara”

  1. A royal tiara mystery! How cool is that? Maybe it’s still in the vaults, ready to be “discovered” and worn by Princess Ekaterina. Here’s to hoping that it is!

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