Today marks the Anniversary of the Death of Queen Louise of Sweden, who died on this day in 1965! The Battenberg Princess that became a Lady and then married the widower future King of Sweden, despite frequently declaring that she would ‘never marry a king or a widower’, Queen Louise not only possessed the magnificent Swedish Royal Jewels, but also had a substantial personal collection, including this splendid Sapphire and Diamond Spray Brooch!
Composed of sapphires set into a diamond floral corsage brooch, the provenance of the Sapphire Spray Brooch is now known as one of the pieces of the Leuchtenberg Sapphire Parure, which was Empress Josephine’s gift to her daughter, Princess Augusta, Duchess of Leuchtenberg, on the birth of her third child and first son in December 1810. The Parure passed down the Swedish Royal Family for decades but was not publicly worn until the 1930s.
The then Crown Princess Louise began wearing the Sapphire and Diamond Spray Brooch in the 1930s, pairing it with the Leuchtenberg Sapphire Tiara and Parure for the Wedding Gala of Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark and Princess Ingrid of Sweden in 1935 and also King Gustav V’s 80th Birthday in 1938.
Queen Louise continued to wear the Sapphire Spray Brooch with the Leuchtenberg Sapphire Tiara over the following few decades for a variety of portraits and also for Gala occasions, including the Swedish State Visit to Denmark in 1952, as well as a Dinner with Prime Minister Winston Churchill at the Swedish Embassy in London.
Queen Louise continued to wear the Sapphire Spray Brooch for Gala Events through the 1950s and 1960s, including for a Gala Performance at the Drottningholm Palace Theatre in Stockholm and at the Swedish Opening of Parliament in 1956 and in 1962.
After Queen Louise’s death in 1965, the Sapphire and Diamond Spray Brooch was inherited by her granddaughter, Princess Margaretha of Sweden (h/t to Greek Royal Jewels), who notably wore the Brooch at the Wedding of Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands in 1966.
Princess Margaretha was also seen wearing the Brooch in the 1970s but the current location of the Sapphire Spray Brooch is unknown, though it likely remains in Princess Margaretha’s possession. Her Aquamarine Kokoshnik Tiara now resides in Stockholm and is regularly worn by members of the family, so lets hope the Sapphire Spray Brooch is worn again soon too!
Oh, wouldn’t it be great if King Carl XVI Gustaf bought back this beautiful item from his sister!