Baden Royal Tiaras

Happy Birthday to Archduchess Valerie, Margravine of Baden, who turns 80 today! An Archduchess of Austria-Tuscany married to Head of illustrious House of Baden, one of Germany’s premier Royal Families, the Archduchess has worn much of the massive jewellery collection of the House of Zähringen, which we are featuring today!

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But first, lets learn about Archduchess Valerie! The ninth of the thirteen children of Archduke Hubert Salvator of Austria and Princess Rosemary of Salm-Salm, Archduchess Valerie grew up at Schloss Persenbeug, the Family Seat in Austria. In 1966, she married Maximilian, Margrave of Baden, the eldest son of Berthold, Margrave of Baden and Princess Theodora of Greece and Denmark, Head of the House of Zähringen and the Pretender to the Grand Duchy of Baden, in lavish ceremonies at Schloss Salem and at Schloss Persenbeug. The Margrave and Margravine of Baden have four children: Princess Marie Louise, Hereditary Prince Bernhard, Prince Leopold, and Prince Michael. The Margrave has extensive agricultural, forestry and industrial holdings, as well as at least three castles, the most prominent of which is Schloss Salem, and the extensive collection of the Grand Ducal House of Baden, which they have managed to retain despite financial troubles in recent years. As a nephew of the late Duke of Edinburgh, the Margrave and Margravine are close to the British Royal Family, as well as the Swedish and Danish Royal Families and various exiled Royalties, so we see them at many Royal Events. We wish HIH a very Happy Birthday and Many Happy Returns!

Sunburst Tiara

Made in the 19th century, the Baden Sunburst Tiara was seen on Princess Theodora of Greece, Margravine of Baden at the Wedding Gala of Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark and Princess Ingrid of Sweden in 1935, the 80th Birthday celebrations of King Gustav V of Sweden in 1938, and the Greek Monarchy Centenary Gala at the Royal Palace of Athens in 1963. The Margravine was the sister Princess Margarita of Hohenlohe LangenburgPrincess Cecilie of Hesse, and Princess Sophie of Hanover, as well as the Duke of Edinburgh.

In 1966, the Baden Sunburst Tiara was worn by Archduchess Valerie of Habsburg-Lorraine, from the Tuscan line of the Habsburg family, when she married Princess Theodora’s son, Maximilian, Margrave of Baden. As the Margravine of Baden, Archduchess Valerie wore the Sunburst Tiara at a couple of grand events in the 1960s and 70s, and recently at the Wedding Ball of the Prince of Prussia and Princess Sophie of Isenburg in 2011.

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In 2001, the Sunburst Tiara was worn by Stéphanie Kaul when she married Bernhard, Hereditary Prince of Baden, eldest son of the Margrave and Margravine. The Hereditary Princess has often worn the Sunburst Tiara, most notably for the Wedding Ball of Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene of Monaco in 2011 and the Wedding Gala of Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume of Luxembourg and Countess Stephanie de Lannoy in 2012.

The Sunburst Tiara was last publicly seen on Christina Höhne, when she married Prince Michael of Baden, the youngest son of the Margrave and Margravine, in 2015.

Ruby Laurel Wreath Tiara

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A Ruby Laurel Wreath Tiara, quite similar to the Greek Ruby Tiara, was worn by Princess Theodora, Margravine of Baden at the Wedding Gala of Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark and Princess Ingrid of Sweden in 1935, as well as a portrait in the 1930s. The Ruby Laurel Wreath Tiara, which includes a substantial necklace and pair earrings, often worn with the Sunburst Tiara, was worn by Archduchess Valerie at the Wedding Ball of Prince Albert and Princess Charlene of Monaco in 2011.

Sapphire Parure

The Baden Royal Family also posses a striking Sapphire Parure, consisting of a versatile necklace, a pair of earrings and a brooch all set with large sapphires ringed with diamonds. The Parure was notably worn by Princess Theodora Margravine of Baden at the 80th Birthday Celebrations of King Gustav V of Sweden in 1938.

Later, the Sapphire Parure was often worn by Archduchess Valerie, Margravine of Baden for several grand in the 1960s and 70s, most notably her Wedding Ball at Schloss Persenbeug in 1966 and a Ball at Schloss Salem,

     

In 2023, the now Margravine of Baden wore the Sapphire Parure for the State Banquet in honour of King Charles III and Queen Camilla of the United Kingdom at Schloss Bellevue in Berlin.

Diamond Floral Tiara

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The Diamond Floral Tiara made by Demissieur, composed of two camellia bouquets joined in the shape of a diadem, was a wedding gift from the King of Prussia to his daughter, Princess Louise, when she married the Grand Duke of Baden in 1856. An Heirloom of the Baden Royal Family, the Tiara was last worn by Princess Theodora, Margravine of Baden at the Coronation of her sister-in-law, Queen Elizabeth II, in 1953. Some people speculate that it may be the Floral Aigrette Tiara now worn by the Queen of Denmark, but the design is different.

Meander Kokoshnik Tiara

This splendid Meander Kokoshnik Tiara originates from Princess Marie of Hanover, the youngest daughter of the King George V of Hanover, who left it to her niece, Princess Marie Louise of Hanover who became the Margravine of Baden. The Tiara was worn by Princess Anna Maria (Marianne) zu Auersperg-Breunner when she married Prince Ludwig of Baden, the younger son of Berthold, Margrave of Baden and Princess Theodora of Greece, in 1967, and more recently worn by Princess Marianne at the Wedding Ball of Duke Friedrich of Württemberg and Princess Marie of Wied in 1993.

Princess Margarita’s Diamond Tiara

Princess Margarita of Baden, the only daughter of Berthold, Margrave of Baden and Princess Theodora of Greece, was married to Prince Tomislav of Yugoslavia, and likely received this Diamond Tiara as a Wedding Gift, wearing it at many grand royal occasions from the 1950s through to the 1970s, most notably at the  Wedding Ball of Prince Juan Carlos of Spain and Princess Sophia of Greece in 1962. The Tiara was pictured on Princess Margarita well into the 1980s, and now likely belongs to her daughter, Princess Katarina of Yugoslavia.

Turquoise Tiara

In 1900, Princess Marie Louise of Hanover received a Turquoise Tiara from her aunt, Princess Marie of Hanover, as a Wedding Gift when she married Prince Max of Baden. The Tiara was notably worn by their granddaughter, Princess Margarita of Baden and Yugoslavia, at the Coronation of her aunt, Queen Elizabeth II, in 1953, as well as the Wedding Ball of King Constantine of Greece and Princess Anne Marie of Denmark in 1964 and a Dinner at Britwell House, home of Lady Pamela and David Hicks, ahead of a Ball at Sutton Hoo.

Fleur de Lys Tiara

Featuring five Diamond Fleur de Lys, this Tiara was a wedding gift from Emperor Franz-Joseph of Austria to Princess Marie Louise of Hanover when she married Prince Max of Baden in 1900. Princess Marie Louise often wore the Fleur de Lys as brooches, and it was more notably worn as a Tiara by Princess Aglaë of Baden, the daughter of Prince Ludwig and Princess Marianne, at her Wedding in 2019, and also by Nina Schröder when she married Prince Berthold von Baden, the son of Prince Ludwig and Princess Marianne, in 2021.

Diamond Scroll Tiara

Finally, we have a mystery Tiara, this substantial Diamond Scroll Tiara (similar but larger than the Greek Pearl and Diamond Necklace Tiara) worn by Princess Theodora at a Turkish State Banquet in Greece in 1952.

Baden Sunburst Tiara | Grand Duchess Hilda’s Diamond Floral TiaraThe Baden Palmette Tiara | The Antique Corsage Tiara

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Royal Magazin | Old Version

6 thoughts on “Baden Royal Tiaras

  1. The current and former collection of tiaras from the House of Baden is very excellent, with one glaring exception: the Sunburst tiara. I really want to like it since the sunburst elements are lovely and unique by themselves. However, as a tiara, they are put together without any grace or connection between them. It’s just a series of wiggly diamond bursts that remind me of the growth Mortitia Addams’ sister Ophelia Frump had on her head. I like best the Ruby Laurel Leaf tiara followed by the Meander Kokoshnik. The portrait of Princess Theodora posing with the Ruby Laurel Leaf tiara is divine! And it’s so nice to see that in that family picture of what I think is the wedding of CP Frederick of Denmark, Princess Theodora is posing directly behind CP Louise of Sweden, her maternal aunt!

  2. Congratulations to Archduchess Valerie, Margravine of Baden, on having achieved such a significant birthday! I wish her joy!

  3. Great post and very interesting to see some mystery tiaras – and rather grand ones at that! Some of these I was completely unaware of while others I had not connected to the Baden family – so I definitely learned something new today. The current Margravine has actually worn another tiara also. Sadly I am not able to date it, nor do I know the event at which the photo was taken. It is sort of smaller, and I cannot say that I have seen in worn before or after this photo was taken. I will add the link here, and hopefully it will take you to the photo directly:
    https://seegerpress.wg.picturemaxx.com/thumb.php/00002160.jpg?eJwljLEOwjAMRP_l5g5uKE3iDWUBiYJEkIAJuUrCghgonRD_jglenu7uyW-EFbjIfcoNwhoMKM_gVnGp2G7ARrHTMT9u13kSdQZNpGfann7xWN1Y1RjAnWL4dzq9nrP-P8VaHMCWqMFeI0wprnjfueSWvQilhbVjyllo9M56wecLV34nmw~~

    1. Thank You for sharing! That looks like a smaller version of the star tiara, and is a lovely picture of the two of them!

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