Crown Princess Märtha’s Silver Anniversary Earrings

Today marks the 95th Anniversary of the Wedding of Crown Prince Olav of Norway and Princess Martha of Sweden in 1929, and also the Anniversary of when Crown Prince Olav gifted these spectacular Diamond Earrings to the terminally-ill Crown Princess Märtha on their Silver Wedding Anniversary on this day 70 years ago, just a few days before she passed away.

In March 1954, Crown Prince Olav selected this pair of diamond chandelier earrings as a present for his wife, Crown Princess Märtha, on the occasion of their Silver Wedding Anniversary, for which a series of lavish events were scheduled. However, just a few days before, she was admitted into hospital, and the celebrations were cancelled while only a few days later, she passed away in hospital, with the earrings, and her gown, remaining unworn. Trond Noren Isakasen wrote:

In the evening there was a quiet family dinner at Skaugum. The Crown Princess’s niece-by-marriage, Countess Ruth of Rosenborg, was one of the few guests, having been skiing in the Norwegian mountains with her husband and now about to return to Denmark. Later she told me of the dinner, which she described simply as “heart-wrenching”. She counted the speech Crown Prince Olav gave as “one of life’s greatest moments” and never forgot “the tribute he paid to the woman he loved”, which “brought tears to the eyes of everyone”.

The next day Crown Princess Märtha fell into a coma. She woke up again, but her condition deteriorated and she died on the morning of 5 April 1954, aged 53.

A few years later, the Silver Wedding Earrings came into the procession of her daughter-in-law, Crown Princess (now Queen) Sonja, who paired them with the Vifte Tiara and wore them on numerous occasions throughout the 1970s and 80s.

Queen Sonja also loaned Crown Princess Märtha’s Silver Wedding Earrings to her daughter, Princess Märtha Louise, who paired them with the Queen Alexandra’s Diamond Circlet for a the Swedish State Visit to Norway in 1993 and also wore them at the Wedding Gala of Infanta Elena in 1995.

Queen Sonja continued to periodically wear Crown Princess Märtha’s Silver Wedding Earrings into the 1990s, most notably at the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh’s Golden Wedding Anniversary in 1997.

In 2001, Crown Princess Märtha’s Silver Wedding Earrings were among the jewels which included the Diamond Daisy Bandeau and the Vifte Tiara, that were given by King Harald and Queen Sonja to their new daughter-in-law, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, with the earrings being worn for the Wedding Gala at the Akershus Fortress in Oslo, on the eve of her Wedding to Crown Prince Haakon.

In the years after her marriage, Crown Princess Mette-Marit has worn Crown Princess Märtha’s Silver Anniversary Earrings paired with the Diamond Daisy Bandeau on numerous occasions, including the Wedding of Princess Märtha Louise of Norway in 2002, the Wedding of Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark in 2004, the Swedish State Banquet in 2005, the Spanish State Visit in 2006, and the Wedding of Prince Joachim and Marie Cavallier in 2008, as well as for numerous Official Portraits and State Banquets in Norway.

Crown Princess Mette-Marit has worn Crown Princess Märtha’s Silver Anniversary Earrings with the Diamond Daisy Bandeau at several foreign royal events, including on the Norwegian Official Visit to Britain in 2005, King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s Diamond Jubilee Reception in 2006, the Wedding Ball of Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene of Monaco in 2011, Queen Margrethe’s Ruby Jubilee Banquet in 2012, and Queen Beatrix’s Abdication Dinner on the eve of the Inauguration of King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands.

In recent years, Crown Princess Mette-Marit has preferred to wear her Pendant Earrings, with the Silver Anniversary Earrings making a notable appearance in Official Portraits in 2016, paired with the Diamond Daisy Bandeau and her Aquamarine Brooch. With Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway wearing more jewels from Crown Princess Mette-Marit in recent years, lets hope we see these spectacular heirlooms worn again soon!