Grand Duchess Victoria Melita’s Sapphire Tiara

Today marks the 90th Anniversary of the Death of Princess Victoria Melita of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha | Grand Duchess Victoria Feodorovna of Russia, who passed away on this day in 1936! The daughter of a British Prince and Russian Grand Duchess who first married the Grand Duke of Hesse and then Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich, who became the Russian Tsar in exile, Grand Duchess Victoria Melita possessed a plethora of important jewels, which included this magnificent Sapphire Tiara and Parure!

Sapphire Tiara | Emerald Tiara | Strawberry Leaf Tiara | Greek Key Tiara | Cartier Sapphire Necklace | Diamond Necklace

When Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna, the only daughter of Tsar Alexander II of Russia, married Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, the second son of Queen Victoria, among her many magnificent Wedding Gifts, she received a Sapphire Tiara and Parure from her father, which featured the Irish Shamrock, Scottish Thistle and the English Rose in diamonds among large Sapphires.

Upon her arrival in the United Kingdom, Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna flaunted her Imperial dowry and magnificent jewels, much to the dislike of Queen Victoria and her other sisters-in-law, but she notably wore the Sapphire Tiara for a State Banquet in honour of her father, the Tsar, at Windsor Castle in 1874.

In 1903, Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna and her daughters loaned their Jewellery to a Charity Exhibition in Coburg, which included her Sapphire Tiara and Parure alongside her Diamond Fringe Tiara, her Fabergé Pearl and Diamond Tiara, Queen Marie of Romania’s Diamond Loop Tiara, and Princess Victoria Melita’s Emerald Tiara.

While Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna retained most of her jewels after her daughters got married, she gave the Sapphire Tiara to her second daughter, Princess Victoria Melita, a few years after her controversial second marriage, to her first cousin, Grand Duke Kyril Vladimirovich of Russia, when the couple were allowed to return to Russia after years of exile. Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna wrote to her elder daughter, Queen Marie of Romania, in July 1909:

The greatest news for us is now the departure of the Kyrills for Zarskoe Selo. Ducky (Grand Duchess Victoria Melita) had great emotions, which I understand, but I hope and even persuaded that it will all go well, I only told her to try to be as amiable and smiling as she can, this is so important in Russia.

Do you know what I did for her? I gave her now ‘de mon vivant’ my glorious parure de sapphires, which would be hers after my death.

Knowing how necessary it is in Russia for a Grand Duchess to produce fine jewels. I announced her the great news at Paris! It quite took away her breath with the intensity of joy and surprise and Kyrill even became quite mild and touched. So I had a case made for her big collier and handed the whole concern to her here before she left.

My only fear is that Aunt Miechen (Grand Duchess Vladimir, Mother of Kyrill, her son-in-law), who won’t not part with any of her jewels and will probably resent greatly me generosity (after the death of her husband in the year before- she didn’t give any jewels to anybody– from the Grand Duke Vladimirs treasure).

Your share of my jewels after my death will be the glorious pearl set. Sandra (Princess Alexandra of Hohenlohe-Langenburg) will have the rubies and Baby (Princess Beatrice Infanta of Spain, Duchess of Galliera) the diamonds. Each set has it’s diadem. I had the ruby one reset in a modern way by Bolin and it is quite beautiful.

Grand Duchess Victoria Melita notably wore the magnificent Sapphire Tiara and Parure for a series of official portraits with her two daughters, Grand Duchess Maria Kirillovna, later the Princess of Leiningen and the newborn Grand Duchess Kira, later the Princess of Prussia, in 1909.

Over the next several years, Grand Duchess Victoria Melita wore the Sapphire Tiara and Parure in numerous configurations for High Society events as well as Court Occasions, where she was described;

In that procession, following the white-velvet, sable-trimmed train of the Dowager Empress, the Grand Duchess Cyril looked magnificent, her train of cornflower-blue velvet lined with silver, a tiara of sapphires and diamonds blazing on her head, her blue eyes alight with happiness. Now, I felt, she had, come into her own; these were the surroundings she needed, this was the setting that suited her. Here she belonged! Slowly, with the rustle of her heavy train, With the fire of her jewels, she passed; slowly the heavy doors dosed behind her and behind the others who had walked in that long procession; and the world suddenly became commonplace and ordinary. again with a buzz of voices, with little giggles, with here and there perhaps a sigh of envy, with self-conscious gestures, as hats were adjusted and hair patted into shape.

The Sapphire Necklace and Corsage were also worn by Grand Duchess Victoria Melita with her Greek Key Tiara for a series of official portraits in 1913.

During the Russian Revolution, the Grand Duchess’ jewels were smuggled out of Russia hidden within the stuffing of her daughters’ dolls, and faced with harsh financial difficulties in exile, she decided to sell her jewels, with the Greek Key Tiara and Cartier Sapphire Necklace, as well as the Vladimir Sapphire Kokoshnik, sold to her sister, Queen Marie of Romania. The Sapphire and Diamond Necklace and the Stomacher were sold off to Cartier in Paris, but their eventual fate is unknown.