Connaught Diamond Fringe Tiara

Today marks the 165th Anniversary of the Death of Princess Victoria, Duchess of Kent, who died on this day in 1861! The Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld Princess who became the Princess of Leiningen before marrying the Duke of Kent and becoming the mother of Queen Victoria, the Duchess was at the centre of splendid courts for her entire life, often wearing her magnificent Diamond Fringe Necklace!

Kent Amethyst Parure | Diamond Fringe Necklace | Diamond Brooch

The exact origin of this Diamond Fringe Tiara is unknown but it appears to date from at least the 1830s, possibly around the time of the creation of the historic Hanoverian Fringe Tiara.

The Duchess of Kent notably wore the Diamond Fringe as a Necklace for the Coronation of her daughter, Queen Victoria, at Westminster Abbey in 1838.

Two years later, the Duchess of Kent wore the Diamond Fringe as a Necklace again for the Wedding of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in the Chapel Royal at St James’ Palace in 1840.

After her death in 1861, the Diamond Fringe was inherited by Queen Victoria who gave it several years later as a wedding present to her daughter-in-law, Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia, when she married her favourite son, Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn. The new Duchess first wore the Diamond Fringe as a Necklace on her wedding day at Windsor Castle.

The Duchess of Connaught wore the Diamond Fringe Tiara at many royal events throughout her life, among them the Wedding of Grand Duke Ernest Louis of Hesse and Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in 1894.

In 1902, Duchess of Connaught wore the Fringe Tiara at the Coronation of her brother-in-law, King Edward VII, when she added a few extra layers of diamonds at the base of the tiara.

The Diamond Fringe Tiara was also worn by the Duchess of Connaught with her Belle Epoque Diamond Bow Brooch for a series of official portraits around 1907.

Upon her death in 1917, the Duchess of Connaught bequeathed the Diamond Fringe Tiara to her only son, Prince Arthur, and wrote in her will:

…all my property real and personal…to my son for his absolute use and benefit in the hope but without intending to create any trust that as regards certain articles of jewellery and furniture he will distribute them in accordance with a memorandum I shall leave for him.”

Prince Arthur was married to Princess Alexandra, Duchess of Fife, who notably wore the Diamond Fringe Tiara in an official portrait with her husband upon their appointment as Governor General and Viceregal Consort of South Africa. Princess Arthur also inherited a Diamond Fringe Tiara from her own mother, which remains with the family.

Th only son of Prince Arthur and the Duchess of Fife, the Duke of Connaught, had passed away in the 1940s, so upon her passing in 1959, the Diamond Fringe Tiara were inherited by her nephew, the 3rd Duke of Fife, who put it up for auction at Sotheby’s later that same year, where it sold for £4,200. The current location of the Tiara is not known!