Chaumet Bourbon-Parma Tiara

Today marks the 125th Anniversary of the Birth of Princess Hedwige of Bourbon-Parma, who was born on this day in 1896! The French Aristocrat married into the illustrious Bourbon-Parma Family, Princess Hedwige attended a plethora of glittering royal events, wearing what has become one of the most iconic Bourbon-Parma Jewels: The Chaumet Bourbon-Parma Tiara.

But first, lets learn about Princess Hedwige! Born Hedwige de la Rochefoucauld, she was the daughter of Armand de La Rochefoucauld, Duke de Doudeauville, Duke de Bisaccia and Princess Louise Radziwill and grew up at the Château de La Rochefoucauld. In 1919, she married Prince Sixtus of Bourbon-Parma, a son of the Duke of Parma and Infanta Maria Antonia of Portugal and the central figure in the Sixtus Affair, with the marriage being considered non-dynastic until 1959. Prince Sixtus was the brother of Empress Zita of Austria, Prince Felix of Luxembourg, Elias, Duke of Parma, Prince Luigi of Bourbon-Parma, and Prince Rene Bourbon-Parma among many others, and thus related to most reigning and former European Royal Families. The couple had one daughter, Princess Isabella of Bourbon-Parma, before the Prince’s death in 1934. Princess Isabella married a distant cousin, Count Roger de la Rochefoucauld and passed away in 2015. Princess Hedwige passed away in 1986, at the age of 90.

The magnificent Chaumet Bourbon-Parma Tiara features fuchsias atop a base with alternating sizes of diamond collets and of sprays of diamonds held by knife-edge platinum settings, topped by upright pear-shape diamonds with both round and pear-shape diamonds hanging below, and was made by Joseph Chaumet in 1919.

That same year, Princess Louise, Duchess of Doudeauville bought the Tiara to give as a wedding gift to her daughter, Hedwige de La Rochefoucauld, when she married Prince Sixtus. The new Princess Hedwige wore the Tiara for the Wedding Ball of her brother-in-law, Prince René of Bourbon-Parma, and Princess Margaret of Denmark in 1921.

A few years later, Princess Hedwige wore the Chaumet Tiara for the Wedding of Crown Prince Leopold of Belgium and Princess Astrid of Sweden at the Royal Palace of Brussels in 1926.

In the 1930s, Princess Hedwige loaned the Chaumet Tiara to her sister-in-law, Princess Margaret of Denmark and Bourbon-Parma, when she appeared in an ad for Pond’s Cream.

The Chaumet Tiara was also worn by Princess Hedwige’s daughter, Princess Isabelle, Countess de La Rochefoucauld, for a Ball in Luxembourg in the 1950s.

At some point between the 1950s and the 2000s, the Chaumet Bourbon-Parma Tiara was sold by the family and bought back by the Chaumet Jewellery House. In the years since, it has been worn by a variety of actresses and models, including Stella Tennant, Sophie Marceau, Valerie Lemercier, and Marine Vacth.

But most famously, the Chaumet Bourbon-Parma Tiara was worn by Anne Hathaway in the Princess Diaries Films, who wore the actual Tiara for promotional photos and a copy in the film.

The Chaumet Bourbon-Parma Tiara resides at their historic flagship store at 12 Place Vendôme in Paris and has also been exhibited at Chaumet exhibitions around the world, most recently at the ‘Chaumet in Majesty: Jewels of Sovereigns since 1780’ Exhibition in Monaco. There is no doubt we will continue to see this Royal Heirloom for years to come! 

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The magnificent Chaumet Bourbon-Parma Tiara features fuchsias atop a base with alternating sizes of diamond collets and of sprays of diamonds held by knife-edge platinum settings, topped by upright pear-shape diamonds with both round and pear-shape diamonds hanging below, and was made by Joseph Chaumet in 1919.

That same year, Princess Louise, Duchess of Doudeauville bought the Tiara to give as a wedding gift to her daughter, Hedwige de La Rochefoucauld, when she married Prince Sixtus. The new Princess Hedwige wore the Tiara for the Wedding Ball of her brother-in-law, Prince René of Bourbon-Parma, and Princess Margaret of Denmark in 1921, and also for the Wedding of Crown Prince Leopold of Belgium and Princess Astrid of Sweden in 1926.

The Chaumet Tiara was also worn by her daughter, Princess Isabelle, Countess de La Rochefoucauld, for a Ball in Luxembourg in the 1950s, and had earlier been loaned to her sister-in-law, Princess Margaret of Denmark and Bourbon-Parma, when she appeared in an ad for Pond’s Cream.

At some point between the 1950s and the 2000s, the Chaumet Bourbon-Parma Tiara was sold by the family and bought back by the Chaumet Jewellery House. In the years since, it has been worn by a variety of actresses and models, including Stella Tennant, Sophie Marceau, Valerie Lemercier, and Marine Vacth but most famously by Anne Hathaway in the Princess Diaries Films, who wore the actual Tiara for promotional photos and a copy in the film.

The Chaumet Bourbon-Parma Tiara resides at their historic flagship store at 12 Place Vendôme in Paris and has also been exhibited at Chaumet exhibitions around the world, most recently at the ‘Chaumet in Majesty: Jewels of Sovereigns since 1780’ Exhibition in Monaco. There is no doubt we will continue to see this Royal Heirloom for years to come!

Bourbon-Parma Tiara | Bourbon-Parma / Lobkowicz Tiara

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