Princess Dagmar’s Diamond Floral Tiara

Today marks the 60th Anniversary of the Death of Princess Dagmar of Denmark, Mrs Castenskjold, who passed away on this day in 1961! The fourth daughter and youngest child of King Frederick VIII of Denmark and Princess Louise of Sweden and Norway, Princess Dagmar was the sister of King Christian X of Denmark, King Haakon VII of Norway, and Princess Ingeborg of Sweden. In 1922, she married Jørgen Castenskjold, a member of the Danish Nobility and son of the Royal Danish Court Chamberlain, Though Princess Dagmar did not marry into a Royal Family, she often attended extended Danish Royal Family events, usually wearing her Diamond Floral Tiara!

Consisting of three large and two smaller diamond flowers set in a foliate design, the Tiara is of unknown provenance, but since Princess Dagmar’s mother, Queen Lovisa, possessed a legendary jewellery collection it is possible it could come from her. However, it is also likely that the tiara was a Castenskjold Heirloom, often worn by Princess Dagmar most notably at the 18th Birthday Banquet of her great-niece, the current Queen Margrethe of Denmark, in 1958, and the Wedding of another great-niece, Princess Astrid of Norway, in 1961, just a few months before her death.

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While some believe that the Diamond Floral Tiara was bequeathed to King Frederik IX of Denmark upon the death of Princess Dagmar in 1961, it is more likely that the Tiara was acquired by the main line of the Danish Royal Family sometime in the late 1960s, early 1970s, when it was worn by the newly acceded Queen Margrethe II for a Banquet during her first State Visit to Sweden, hosted by her maternal grandfather, in 1973. Two years later, Princess Dagmar’s Diamond Floral Tiara was also worn for the Nobel Prize Ceremony in 1975, when the Queen and Prince Henrik joined her cousin, King Carl XVI Gustaf.

While not a favourite like her Floral Aigrette Tiara, Princess Dagmar’s Diamond Floral Tiara was often worn by Queen Margrethe during the 1980s, with notable appearences including the Danish State Visit to Japan in 1981, the Icelandic State Banquet in 1981, the Danish State Visit to Spain in 1983, a State Visit to Egypt in 1986, Crown Prince Harald of Norway’s’s 50th Birthday in 1987, a State Visit to New Zealand in 1987, the Confirmation of Crown Prince Haakon of Norway in 1988, a State Visit to Poland in 1993, and most recently a State Visit to Romania in 2000, usually pairing the Tiara with her Antique Diamond Parure, Queen Alexandrine’s Sapphire Parure or her Saudi Diamond Necklace.

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In 1992, Queen Margrethe loaned Princess Dagmar’s Diamond Floral Tiara to her mother-in-law, , Countess Renée-Yvonne de Laborde de Monpezat, for the Banquet and subsequent Gala Dinner to celebrate Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik’s 25th Wedding Anniversary in 1992. In 2001, the Tiara was also loaned to her niece, Princess Nathalie of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg for the Wedding of Crown Prince Haakon of Norway.

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After having given the Alexandrine Drop Tiara as a wedding gift to Countess Alexandra of Frederiksborg, the first wife of her second son Prince Joachim, and losing it at the time of their divorce, when Prince Joachim married Marie Cavallier in 2008, Queen Margrethe gave Princess Dagmar’s Diamond Floral Tiara not as a wedding gift to Princess Marie, but stipulated it as a long-term loan.

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Though she has worn two other Tiaras, Princess Dagmar’s Diamond Floral Tiara has remained Princess Marie’s primary tiara since her wedding day, being notably worn for the various Danish New Year’s Receptions, the Culture and Sport Gala at Christiansborg Palace in 2009, the Wedding of Princess Madeline of Sweden in 2013, the Mexican State Visit to Denmark, the Wedding of Prince Carl Philip of Sweden in 2015, the Icelandic State Visit to Denmark in 2017, the Belgian State Visit to Denmark in 2017Crown Prince Frederik’s 50th Birthday Gala Dinner at Christiansborg Palace in 2018, the Banquet at Christiansborg Palace in 2018, and most recently at the Danish New Year’s Reception in 2020. There is no doubt we will continue to see this special Royal heirloom for years to come, likely during Queen Margrethe’s Golden Jubilee in January!

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4 thoughts on “Princess Dagmar’s Diamond Floral Tiara

  1. This is a lovely tiara and it’s quite versatile too! She can dress it down for a dinner, or vamp it up considerably for the big New Year’s Receptions, by her choice of accessories. Princess Marie styles it very well too. She is blessed with abundant, shiny, dark hair that creates a perfect backdrop for the tiara. I especially like it when she uses a side part to soften the silhouette. It’s a perfect match between wearer and tiara! I do hope we’ll see it next January not only for the usual New Year’s events, but also for the Jubilee celebrations.

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