Hohenlohe-Langenburg Tiaras

Today marks the 40th Anniversary of the Death of Princess Margarita of Greece and Hohenlohe-Langenburg, who died on this day in 1981! The eldest sister of the Duke of Edinburgh, who became the Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, Princess Margarita possessed a variety of illustrious jewels, so to mark the anniversary today, we are featuring the Hohenlohe-Langenburg Tiaras!

Princess Margarita’s granddaughter, Princess Cécile, talked about her grandmother an interview:

My grandmother, Margarita of Greece, the sister of Prince Philip, she would often show me pieces and tell me stories. So it was always about the connection of the stories attached to [the gems], which I think made them even more special because it wasn’t just about the piece but it was the story that made the piece special. It was who gave it to her and on what occasion. She lost a whole bunch of things when the castle burned down in 1963 and so sometimes she just had photographs of herself with these pieces that were then gone. There was a lot of movement and displacement in her life, having fled from Greece to Paris and having married in Germany but part of the way of connecting with her was me sitting with her looking at these things and her allowing me to play with these things as well. So as a little girl to be able to put on these big rings which obviously wouldn’t hold on the fingers and slip bracelets over the arms was just a way of having a special moment with her as well.”

Bolin Ruby Tiara

A wedding gift from Tsar Alexander II to his only daughter, Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna, when she married Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh in 1874, who was pictured wearing the necklace at the Coronation of her nephew, Tsar Nicholas II, in 1896.

After the Grand Duchess’ death in 1920, the Bolin Ruby Parure was inherited by her third daughter, Princess Alexandra of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, who was married to the Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg.

Princess Alexandra’s daughter-in-law, Princess Margarita wore the Bolin Ruby Tiara for a portrait in the 1930s, as well as the Coronation of her sister-in-law, Queen Elizabeth II, in 1953, King Paul’s 60th Birthday Banquet at the Royal Palace of Athens in 1961the Greek Monarchy Centenary Gala at the Royal Palace of Athens in 1963, and King Constantine and Princess Anne Marie’s Wedding Gala at the Royal Palace of Athens in 1964.

The Tiara and Parure were sold in its entirety at Christie’s in 1978, and though the tiara has been broken up, it has reappeared at auction a few times since, most notably in 1989 and 2006. Learn More

Leaf Coronet

A Diamond Coronet which featured Diamond Leaves, this piece was worn by Princess Margarita at the Wedding Ball of Prince Juan Carlos of Spain and Princess Sophia of Greece in 1962, when it was paired with a spectacular diamond necklace which was a Hohenlohe-Langenburg Heirloom, probably the same as the Coronet.

The Coronet seems to be among the jewels either lost during a fire at Schloss Langenburg in 1963, or  sold soon after, and only the original cases remain with the Hohenlohe-Langenburg Family. Her granddaughter, Princess Cécile, talked discovering the cases in an interview:

The box was just so beautiful because for the one thing it had this Yves Klein blue lining on the inside and then there were the three trays. It was empty of course because the jewels had been being sold to support Russian family members after the revolution and then what wasn’t sold had been burned in the castle fire in 1963. So it was up to my imagination to fill the boxes because there was nothing in there other than the imprints which were sort of like echoes of past times.”

Amethyst Tiara

Princess Margarita also wore this Diamond Floral Tiara most notably at the Wedding Ball of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria and Countess Helen zu Toerring-Jettenbach, the daughter of her cousin, in 1956, and it seems to be the same tiara worn by Princess Beatrix at King Paul’s 60th Birthday Banquet at the Royal Palace of Athens in 1961 and the Wedding Ball of Prince Juan Carlos of Spain and Princess Sophia of Greece in 1962.

It is probably the same Amethyst and Diamond Floral Tiara worn by Princess Margarita’s granddaughter, Princess Xenia of Hohenlohe-Langenburg at her Wedding to Max Soltmann in 2005, making it another tiara that still belongs to the Princely Family.

Fleur de Lys Tiara

After the Hohenlohe-Langenburg Family sold most of their other jewels following the fire at Schloss Langenburg in 1963, they ordered a new tiara from Koch in Frankfurt, made using a Fleur de Lys Brooch from Princess Alexandra. It was worn by Princess Beatrix in the 1960s, and more recently, the Tiara was worn by Princess Cécile of Hohenlohe-Langenburg when she married Count Cyril de Commarque in 1998. The Fleur de Lys Tiara was also worn Saskia Binder when she married the current Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg in 2003. Princess Cécile talked about family jewels in an interview:

There were these family events or bigger balls or things that my parents or my aunt or grandmother attended. As a little girl of course there was just this thing when all the preparation started and all the dresses came out. They would all discuss which dresses they were going to wear, then who was going to wear which tiara and which jewels would go with what. When I was smaller and we were in London for the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana, we were able to be there and watch from Buckingham Palace. I was still too young to go to any of the balls or anything, but it was special watching my mother getting dressed up and putting these things on. [It was special], just sitting there and staring at these things and getting to see them and grow up with them – not just in the trays but actually still worn which I think is rarer and rarer these days.”

24

https://www.instagram.com/p/CNsRaaYnBNT/?utm_source=ig_embed

Princess Margarita’s granddaughter, Princess Cécile, talked about her grandmother an interview:

My grandmother, Margarita of Greece, the sister of Prince Philip, she would often show me pieces and tell me stories. So it was always about the connection of the stories attached to [the gems], which I think made them even more special because it wasn’t just about the piece but it was the story that made the piece special. It was who gave it to her and on what occasion. She lost a whole bunch of things when the castle burned down in 1963 and so sometimes she just had photographs of herself with these pieces that were then gone. There was a lot of movement and displacement in her life, having fled from Greece to Paris and having married in Germany but part of the way of connecting with her was me sitting with her looking at these things and her allowing me to play with these things as well. So as a little girl to be able to put on these big rings which obviously wouldn’t hold on the fingers and slip bracelets over the arms was just a way of having a special moment with her as well.”

Bolin Ruby Tiara

A wedding gift from Tsar Alexander II to his only daughter, Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna, when she married Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh in 1874, who was pictured wearing the necklace at the Coronation of her nephew, Tsar Nicholas II, in 1896. After the Grand Duchess’ death in 1920, the Bolin Ruby Parure was inherited by her third daughter, Princess Alexandra of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, who was married to the Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, but she was not pictured wearing it.

 Princess Alexandra’s daughter-in-law, Princess Margarita wore the Bolin Ruby Tiara for a portrait in the 1930s, as well as the Coronation of her sister-in-law, Queen Elizabeth II, in 1953, King Paul’s 60th Birthday Banquet at the Royal Palace of Athens in 1961the Greek Monarchy Centenary Gala at the Royal Palace of Athens in 1963, and King Constantine and Princess Anne Marie’s Wedding Gala at the Royal Palace of Athens in 1964. The Tiara and Parure were sold in its entirety at Christie’s in 1978, and though the tiara has been broken up, it has reappeared at auction a few times since, most notably in 1989 and 2006. Learn More

Leaf Coronet

A Diamond Coronet which featured Diamond Leaves, this piece was worn by Princess Margarita at the Wedding Ball of Prince Juan Carlos of Spain and Princess Sophia of Greece in 1962, when it was paired with a spectacular diamond necklace which was a Hohenlohe-Langenburg Heirloom, probably the same as the Coronet. The Coronet and the necklace were among the jewels either lost during a fire at Schloss Langenburg in 1963, or they were sold soon after, and only the original cases remain with the Hohenlohe-Langenburg Family. Her granddaughter, Princess Cécile, talked discovering the cases in an interview:

The box was just so beautiful because for the one thing it had this Yves Klein blue lining on the inside and then there were the three trays. It was empty of course because the jewels had been being sold to support Russian family members after the revolution and then what wasn’t sold had been burned in the castle fire in 1963. So it was up to my imagination to fill the boxes because there was nothing in there other than the imprints which were sort of like echoes of past times.”

Amethyst Tiara

Princess Margarita also wore this Diamond Floral Tiara most notably at the Wedding Ball of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria and Countess Helen zu Toerring-Jettenbach, the daughter of her cousin, in 1956, and it seems to be the same tiara worn by Princess Beatrix at King Paul’s 60th Birthday Banquet at the Royal Palace of Athens in 1961 and the Wedding Ball of Prince Juan Carlos of Spain and Princess Sophia of Greece in 1962. It is probably the same Amethyst and Diamond Floral Tiara worn by Princess Margarita’s granddaughter, Princess Xenia of Hohenlohe-Langenburg at her Wedding to Max Soltmann in 2005, making it another tiara that still belongs to the Princely Family.

Fleur de Lys Tiara

After the Hohenlohe-Langenburg Family sold most of their other jewels following the fire at Schloss Langenburg in 1963, they ordered a new tiara from Koch in Frankfurt, made using a Fleur de Lys Brooch from Princess Alexandra. It was worn by Princess Beatrix in the 1960s, and more recently, the Tiara was worn by Princess Cécile of Hohenlohe-Langenburg when she married Count Cyril de Commarque in 1998. The Fleur de Lys Tiara was also worn Saskia Binder when she married the current Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg in 2003. Princess Cécile talked about family jewels in an interview:

There were these family events or bigger balls or things that my parents or my aunt or grandmother attended. As a little girl of course there was just this thing when all the preparation started and all the dresses came out. They would all discuss which dresses they were going to wear, then who was going to wear which tiara and which jewels would go with what. When I was smaller and we were in London for the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana, we were able to be there and watch from Buckingham Palace. I was still too young to go to any of the balls or anything, but it was special watching my mother getting dressed up and putting these things on. [It was special], just sitting there and staring at these things and getting to see them and grow up with them – not just in the trays but actually still worn which I think is rarer and rarer these days.”

4 thoughts on “Hohenlohe-Langenburg Tiaras

  1. Of all the tiaras I like the Amethyst best followed by the Fleur de Lys tiara. They seem to be easy to wear and favor any user. The Leaf Coronet and the Bolin Ruby seem harder to wear. It’s amazing that they have been able to keep these tiaras over so many years!

    1. Also, I’ve updated the article with a few quotes about the family jewels from her granddaughter, which I hope you will enjoy!

Leave a Reply