Princess Claude’s Turquoise Suite

Happy Birthday to the Princess Claude of Orléans, who turns 80 today! The ninth child and fifth daughter of the Count of Paris, the controversial Head of the French Royal House, and the always-elegant Princess Isabelle, who married and then divorced Prince Amedeo of Savoy-Aosta, a Pretender to the Italian Throne. Princess Claude has worn some spectacular jewels throughout her life, being one of the more significant her Turquoise Suite, which we are featuring today!

Savoy-Aosta Knot and Star Tiara | Princess Claude’s Turquoise Suite

Comprising a necklace and a pair of earrings, featuring around twenty large oval and pear-shaped turquoises surrounded by diamonds, this Demi-parure was given by King Umberto II of Italy to Princess Claude of France, on the occasion of her Marriage to Prince Amedeo, Duke of Aosta, in 1964. King Umberto stood-up as guest of honour and best man to the groom. By then, Prince Amedeo was second-in-line to the Headship of the House of Savoy, following his cousin, Vittorio Emanuelle, Prince of Naples, who was not yet married to Marina Doria, an event that would cause a family dispute that lasts until today.

Princess Claude wore her striking turquoises during her tenure as Duchess of Aosta, most notably paired with the impressive Savoy-Aosta Knot and Star Tiara for the Wedding Ball of King Constantine of Greece and Princess Anne Marie of Denmark in 1964.

The Princess would retain the Turquoise Demi-parure after divorcing the Duke of Aosta in 1982. She kept wearing the Suite, namely for the Wedding of her eldest daughter, Princess Bianca of Savoy-Aosta, to Count Giberto Arrivabene-Valenti-Gonzaga in 1988.

The necklace’s central drop-shaped element can also be detached and worn as a separate pendant. The Princess often wore it suspended from a single strand pearl necklace.

Princess Claude would also loan the Earrings and the drop Pendant to her youngest daughter, Princess Mafalda of Savoy Aosta.

More recently, Princess Bianca of Savoy-Aosta borrowed her mother’s Turquoise Necklace for the Wedding of her daughter, Countess Vera Arrivabene, to Count Briano Martioni Caleppio in 2021. Let’s hope we see this worn again soon!

Savoy-Aosta Knot and Star Tiara | Princess Claude’s Turquoise Suite

This article was written by assistant editor, David Rato, who runs the Spanish Royal Jewels account on Instagram!