The Jewels of Queen Silvia of Sweden

Happy Birthday to Queen Silvia of Sweden, who turns 80 today! The German-Brazilian Interpreter who became Queen of Sweden and founded the World Childhood Foundation, Queen Silvia has worn much of the splendid Swedish Royal Collection over the past five decades as the longest-serving Swedish Queen Consort!

Click on the highlighted links/images below to see the article on each piece, and the highlighted terms above to get to each jewel category!

The Braganza Tiara

Origin: Empress Amélie of Brazil and then inherited by her sister, Queen Josefina of Sweden and Norway, passing on to Queen Sofia, Queen Victoria, and Queen Louise before coming to Queen Silvia in 1976

Notable Appearances: The British State Visit to Sweden in 1983, the Dutch State Visit to Sweden in 1987, the Luxembourg State Visit in 1991, King Carl XVI Gustaf’s 60th Birthday Banquet in 2006, the Wedding of her eldest daughter, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, in 2010, the Dutch State Visit to Sweden in 2022, and King Carl XVI Gustaf’s Jubilee Banquet at the Royal Palace of Stockholm.

The Leuchtenberg Sapphire Parure

Origin: Empress Josephine’s gift to her daughter-in-law, Princess Augusta, Duchess of Leuchtenberg, in 1811, which was given as a wedding gift to her daughter, Queen Josefina of Sweden and Norway, in 1823

Notable Appearances: The Swedish State Visit to The Netherlands in 1976, the Spanish State Visit to Sweden in 1979, The Swedish State Visit to France in 1980, King Olav V’s Silver Jubilee in 1982, Crown Prince Harald’s 50th Birthday in 1987, Emperor Akihito’s Enthronement Gala in 1990, and King Harald and Queen Sonja’s Silver Anniversary in 1993, the Swedish State Visit to Finland in 2003, Queen Margrethe’s 70th Birthday in 2010, Queen Margrethe’s Ruby Jubilee Banquet in 2012, the Wedding of her only son, Prince Carl Philip of Sweden, and Queen Margrethe’s 75th Birthday in 2015, King Harald and Queen Sonja’s 80th Birthday Banquet in 2017, and various Nobel Prize Ceremonies and Banquets

Queen Sofia’s 9-Prong Tiara

Origin: Created by Queen Sofia from an older Diamond Hair Comb in the 1870s

Notable Appearances: The Swedish State Visit to The Netherlands and Nobel Prize Ceremony in 1976, the Spanish State Visit to Sweden in 1979, Mexican State Visit to Sweden in 1980, the Swedish State Visit to Brunei in 2004, the Wedding of Princess Madeleine of Sweden in 2013 and various Nobel Prize Ceremonies and Banquets

The Swedish Cameo Parure

Origin: Empress Josephine of France, which was inherited by her granddaughter, Queen Josefina of Sweden and Norway

Notable Appearances: Wedding to King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden in 1976, the Swedish State Visit to France in 1980, the Icelandic State Visit to Sweden in 1981, the British State Visit to Sweden in 1983, a Banquet at the Royal Palace of Stockholm in 1989, and a State Visit from Japan in 2000, the Spanish State Visit to Sweden in 2021 and various Nobel Prize Ceremonies and Banquets

The Connaught Diamond Tiara

Origin: Princess Margaret of Connaught’s wedding gift from her parents, the Duke and Duchess of Connaught, when she married Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden in 1905

Notable Appearances: Wedding Gala in 1976, Swedish State Banquet at the Royal Palace of Brussels in 1977, King Carl XVI Gustaf’s 50th Birthday in 1996, Queen Margrethe’s Ruby Jubilee Gala in 2012, King Carl XVI Gustaf’s 70th Birthday Banquet in 2016, the Swedish State Visit to Germany in 2016, and various Nobel Prize Ceremonies and Banquets

The Napoleonic Amethyst Parure

Origin: Empress Josephine of France, which was left to her daughter-in-law, Princess Augusta, Duchess of Leuchtenberg, and later ended up with Queen Josefina of Sweden and Norway. The Necklace was turned into a Tiara by Queen Silvia in the late 1970s

Notable Appearances: The Spanish State Visit to Sweden in 1979, the Icelandic State Visit to Sweden in 1981, the Swedish State Visit to Spain in 1983, Crown Prince Haakon’s Confirmation in 1988, Crown Prince Haakon of Norway’s 18th Birthday Gala in 1991, and the Wedding Gala of Prince Joachim of Denmark in 1995, the Wedding of Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark in 2004, King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s Diamond Jubilee Banquet in 2006, the Wedding of Coutness Astrid Bernadotte in 2017, Queen Margrethe’s Golden Jubilee Gala in 2022, and the Nobel Prize Ceremony 2022

The Baden Fringe Tiara

Origin: Queen Victoria of Sweden’s Wedding Gift from her parents, Grand Duke Frederick I of Baden and Princess Louise of Prussia, in 1881

Notable Appearances: King Olav V of Norway’s 75th Birthday Celebrations in 1978, the Swedish State Visit to the Vatican in 1991, the S wedish State Visit to Germany in 2016, the Finland Centenary Banquet in 2017, and the King’s Dinner for Nobel Laureates in 2018.

King Edward VII Ruby Tiara

Origin: King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra’s Wedding Gift to their niece, Princess Margaret of Connaught, when she married Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden in 1905, inherited by their son, Prince Sigvard Bernadotte, and controversially bought by King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden in the 1980s

Notable Appearances: The Dutch State Visit in 1987, the Wedding of Prince Joachim of Denmark and Alexandra Manley in 1995, the Swedish State Visit to Japan in 2007, Crown Prince Frederik’s 50th Birthday Gala Dinner in 2018, the Finnish State Visit to Sweden in 2022, and the Swedish State Visit to Estonia in 2023

The Modern Fringe Tiara

Origin: Possibly from the collection of the Earls of Tankerville, acquired by King Carl XVI Gustaf as a gift for Queen Silvia to mark their 10th Wedding Anniversary in 1986

Notable Appearances: Crown Prince Haakon’s 18th Birthday Banquet in 1991, the Wedding of Baroness Christina Silfverschiöld and Baron Hans De Geer af Finspång in 1999, the Swedish State Visit to Australia in 2005, King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s Diamond Jubilee Reception in 2006, and Queen Margrethe’s Ruby Jubilee Gala in 2012