Today marks the Anniversary of the Death of Queen Sophia of Sweden and Norway, who passed away on this day in 1913! The Nassau Princess amassed a huge jewellery collection (full of family heirlooms) that has been spread among her descendants in various European dynasties, so to mark the anniversary, we are featuring Queen Sofia’s Pearl and Diamond Star Tiara!
Emerald Parure | 9-Prong Tiara | Pearl and Star Tiara | Diamond Bracelet Bandeau
When Princess Sophia of Nassau married the future King Oscar II of Sweden in 1857, she received this splendid Tiara composed of an ornate diamond base topped by five Diamond Stars and six upright pear-shaped Pearls, as a wedding gift from her half brother Adolphe, the Duke of Nassua, later Grand Duke of Luxembourg.
The Pearl and Diamond Star Tiara was frequently worn by Queen Sofia for several prominent portraits, which were mass produced and replicated, so the Tiara became an integral part of Queen Sofia’s everlasting image, appearing in front of the headdress and court veil.
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After Queen Sofia’s death in 1913, the Pearl and Diamond Star Tiara was inherited by her daughter-in-law, Queen Victoria of Sweden, but since she had largely retired from public duties, it was not publicly worn until after being inherited by her granddaughter, the future Queen Ingrid of Denmark, who only rarely wore the Tiara, most notably for King Gustav V’s 80th Birthday in 1938 and later for the Danish State Visit to France in 1950.
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More often, Queen Ingrid loaned the Pearl and Diamond Star Tiara to members of her family, usually her second daughter, Princess Benedikte, who notably wore the Tiara for the Wedding Ball of Princess Beatrix of The Netherlands in 1966, the Wedding Gala at Fredensborg Palace, the Wedding of Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik of Denmark in 1967, and Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik’s 25th Wedding Anniversary in 1992.
Queen Sofia’s Pearl and Diamond Star Tiara was also loaned to Princess Tatiana Radziwiłł when she joined the Danish Royal Family for the Wedding of Dorrit Caroline Bech and Konstantinos Kombokis, which was held during her month-long stay with the Danish Royal Family in 1964.
Queen Ingrid also loaned Queen Sofia’s Pearl and Diamond Star Tiara to her youngest daughter, Queen Anne-Marie of Greece, for a Gala in the 1980s, but on her death in 2000, the Tiara was left to Princess Benedikte while Queen Margrethe II got the Baden Palmette Tiara and Queen Anne-Marie received the Khedive of Egypt Tiara.
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Since inheriting the Tiara, Princess Benedikte has alternated the Pearl and Diamond Star Tiara with the Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg Fringe Tiara, for royal events, with the Tiara being notably worn for Wedding of Crown Prince Haakon of Norway in 2001, the Culture and Sport Gala at Christiansborg Palace in 2009, Queen Margrethe’s Ruby Jubilee Gala in 2012, and the Wedding of Princess Madeline of Sweden in 2013, usually with Queen Ingrid’s Diamond Stars.
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Princess Alexandra of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, the elder daughter of Princess Benedikte, loaned Queen Sofia’s Pearl and Diamond Star Tiara from her grandmother, Queen Ingrid, for King Carl XVI Gustaf’s 50th Birthday Banquet in 1996, and later wore the Tiara for the Wedding of Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark.
Princess Benedikte’s younger daughter, Princess Nathalie of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, has also worn the Pearl and Diamond Star Tiara over the years, including for Queen Margrethe’s 70th Birthday Gala in 2010, the Wedding of Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden in 2010, Queen Margrethe’s Ruby Jubilee Banquet in 2012, and more recently, for Queen Margrethe’s Golden Jubilee Gala earlier this year (where we saw the Tiara in person).
In 2009, Princess Benedikte loaned Queen Sofia’s Pearl and Diamond Star Tiara to Carina Axelsson, the longtime partner and now wife of her son, Gustav, 7th Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, for Prince Henrik of Denmark’s 75th Birthday Gala in 2009.
Princess Benedikte has continued to wear Queen Sofia’s Pearl and Diamond Star Tiara, like for King Carl XVI Gustaf’s 70th Birthday Banquet in 2016, the Icelandic State Visit to Denmark in 2017, the Danish New Year’s Reception in 2020, and most recently for the Wedding of her son, Prince Gustav of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, and Carina Axelsson earlier this year. There is no doubt we will continue to see this spectacular Royal Heirloom for years to come!
Emerald Parure | 9-Prong Tiara | Pearl and Star Tiara | Diamond Bracelet Bandeau
