Happy 60th Birthday to Princess Cristina of Bourbon-Two Sicilies! The eldest daughter of the late Prince Carlos of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duke of Calabria and Princess Anne of Orléans acquired this Diamond Badge made for the Ladies-in-Waiting of the first Countess of Paris from the auction of the estate of her grandmother, the late Countess of Paris!
Bourbon-Two Sicilies Diamond Button Tiara | Countess of Paris’ Diamond Badge
Featuring the monogram MY, for Maria Ysabel, the first Countess of Paris, surmounted by a royal crown adorned with small rose-cut diamonds in a beaded setting, suspending a small pear-shaped rose-cut diamond as a pendant.
This diamond brooch represents an M and a Y, the Spanish-spelled monogram of Marie Ysabel, the first Countess of Paris (1848-1919). Daughter of the Duke of Montpensier, the youngest son of Louis-Philippe, she married her first cousin, Louis-Philippe, the first Count of Paris (1838-1894), in 1864.
The Diamond Badge was worn by the Ladies in Waiting of the first Countess of Paris during the brief period she lived in France, as well as in exile in England and Spain.
This diamond monogram on a blue velvet ribbon was worn by her ladies-in-waiting.
A few years after the Duchess’ death, the Diamond Badge was worn by the Ladies in Waiting of her daughter and successor as the consort to the Head of the House of Orléans, the Duchess of Guise.
From 1926, her daughter, the Duchess of Guise, who in turn became the wife of the head of the House of France, decided to adopt the same monogram; it was worn by her ladies-in-waiting at official receptions and dinners until 1940.
After 1940, the Diamond Badge passed into the possession of the new Count and Countess of Paris and was notably worn decades later by their daughter-in-law, the Duchess of Orléans, at an event in 1995.
Following the Death of the Count and Countess of Paris, the Diamond Badge was among the objects from their Estate which went for Auction at Christie’s in Paris in 2008, selling for EUR 10,625 over the estimate of EUR 3,000 – EUR 4,000.
However, the purchaser of the Diamond Badge was none other than a granddaughter of the late Count and Countess of Paris, Princess Cristina of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, who notably wore the Badge for the Wedding of her daughter, Victoria López-Quesada, and Enrique Moreno de la Cova Ybarra at the Soto Mozanaque Estate in Algete near Madrid in 2024. Let’s hope we see this Royal Heirloom worn again soon!
