Today marks the Centenary of the Death of Princess Louise of Prussia, Grand Duchess of Baden, who passed away on this day in 1923. The Prussian Princess who was the Grand Duchess of Baden for over 50 years, much of the Grand Duchess’ jewellery collection ended up in Denmark and Greece through her great-granddaughter, Queen Ingrid of Denmark, including the spectacular Baden Palmette Tiara!
Baden Palmette Tiara | Antique Corsage Tiara | Diamond Floral Tiara | The Baden Royal Tiaras
A striking diamond tiara composed of diamonds palmettes set between diamond flowers over a diamond base, the piece was made by Koch and given by Emperor Wilhelm I of Germany to his only daughter, Princess Louise of Prussia, when she married Grand Duke Frederick I of Baden in 1856.
Grand Duchess Louise wore the Baden Palmette Tiara for a couple of portraits over the years, as well as for portraits with her daughter, Queen Victoria of Sweden, taken during her Golden Wedding Anniversary Celebrations in 1906.
After Grand Duchess Louise’s passing in 1923, the Baden Palmette Tiara was inherited by her daughter, Queen Victoria of Sweden, who left the Tiara to her granddaughter, the future Queen Ingrid of Denmark, in 1930, though neither were photographed in the piece. Queen Ingrid also brought Grand Duchess Louise’s Antique Corsage to Denmark.
By the 1960s, Queen Ingrid had loaned the Baden Palmette Tiara to Crown Princess Margrethe, who wore the piece for a Gala in London in 1966, as well as for her Wedding Gala at Christiansborg Palace, and a Ball at French Embassy in Copenhagen in 1967, and the Wedding of King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway in 1968.
The Baden Palmette Tiara was also worn by Princess Benedikte for the Wedding Ball of Prince Karl of Hesse and Countess Yvonne Szapary von Muraszombath Széchysziget und Szapár at Schloss Friedrichshof in Kronberg in 1966.
After a gap of a few decades, in 2000, Queen Ingrid loaned the Baden Palmette Tiara to her granddaughter, Princess Alexandra of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, Countess von Pfeil und Klein-Ellguth, for two separate occasions during Queen Margrethe’s 60th Birthday Celebrations.
After Queen Ingrid’s passing in 2000, the Baden Palmette Tiara was inherited by her elder daughter, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, who began wearing the Tiara soon afterwards, with notable appearances at the Wedding of Crown Prince Haakon of Norway in 2001, the Wedding of Princess Märtha Louise of Norway in 2002, a Banquet during a State Visit to Belgium in 2002, a Banquet during the Swedish State Visit in 2007, the Wedding of Prince Joachim and Marie Cavallier in 2008, and a Culture and Sport Gala at Christiansborg Palace in 2009.
More recently, Queen Margrethe wore the Baden Palmette Tiara for her Ruby Jubilee Gala in 2012, at the Wedding of Prince Carl Philip of Sweden in 2015, during the Mexican State Visit to Denmark in 2016, King Carl XVI Gustaf’s 70th Birthday in 2017, for the Finland Centenary Banquet in 2017, and most recently during the Danish State Visit to Germany in 2021.
The Baden Palmette Tiara was on display at the “A Queen’s Jewelry Box” Exhibition at the Amalienborg Palace Museum for much of 2022, where we saw it during Queen Margrethe’s Golden Jubilee Celebrations. There is no doubt we will continue to see this splendid Royal Heirloom worn for years to come!
Baden Palmette Tiara | Antique Corsage Tiara | Diamond Floral Tiara | The Baden Royal Tiaras
