Today marks the 40th Anniversary of the Death of Princess Anne, Duchess of Aosta, who passed away on this day in 1986! The The Orléans Princess who married her Italian cousin, becoming the celebrated Vicereine of Abyssinia during the Italian Occupation, the Duchess had a spectacular jewellery collection, which was highlighted by the magnificent Savoy-Aosta Diamond Tiara!
The Savoy-Aosta Tiara | Duchess of Aosta’s Emerald Necklace | Ruby Necklace
Given to Princess Anne of Orléans when she married her cousin, the Duke of Aosta, in 1927, the exact origin of the Tiara is not known but it may be an heirloom of the House of Aosta or was acquired at the time of the Wedding.
Early images show the Duchess wearing the antique foliate Tiara low across her forehead in the 1920s style, before later wearing it atop her head in a more conventional style.
In 1938, the Diamond Tiara was loaned by the Duchess to her sister, Princess Françoise of Greece for the Wedding Gala of Crown Prince Paul of Greece and Princess Frederica of Hanover in Athens.
The Tiara remained with the Duchess through the Duke’s command of the Italian forces in East Africa during World War II, and after his death as a prisoner of war in Kenya in 1942, when the title passed to his younger brother and the Duchess and her daughters were arrested by the Germans.
After all those tribulations, Princess Anne notably wore the Diamond Tiara for the Wedding Ball of her elder daughter, Princess Margherita of Savoy-Aosta and Archduke Robert of Austria in 1953.
Princess Anne also wore the Diamond Tiara for a Gala in the 1950s as well as the Wedding Gala of Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia and Princess Maria Pia of Savoy at the Castro Guimarães Museum in Cascais in 1955.
In 1960, Princess Anne loaned the Diamond Tiara to her younger daughter, Princess Maria Cristina, who paired it with her Ruby Necklace for the Wedding of King Baudouin of Belgium and Doña Fabiola de Mora y Aragón at the Royal Palace of Brussels.
Two years later, the Dowager Duchess of Aosta loaned the Diamond Tiara to Princess Maria Pia of Savoy for the Wedding Ball of Prince Juan Carlos of Spain and Princess Sophia of Greece at the Royal Palace of Athens in 1962.
The following day, the Savoy Aosta Diamond Tiara was worn by her younger sister, Princess Maria Beatrice of Savoy, for the second Wedding Ball of Prince Juan Carlos of Spain and Princess Sophia of Greece in 1962.
The Tiara was inherited by Princess Margherita, Archduchess of Austria-Este after the Dowager Duchess’ death in 1986, and passed along to her daughter-in-law, Princess Astrid of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este, who began wearing the Tiara after the Wedding Ball of Duke Friedrich of Württemberg and Princess Marie of Wied in 1993.
Over the years, Princess Astrid wore the Tiara for numerous State Banquets, among them the Luxembourg State Banquet in 1999, the Spanish State Banquet in 2000 and the Dutch State Visit to Belgium in 2006.
Princess Astrid wore the Savoy Aosta Tiara on several occasions abroad, among them the Wedding of Princess Märtha Louise of Norway in 2002, the Wedding Gala and the Wedding of Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark in 2004, King Harald’s 70th Birthday Banquet in 2007, the Wedding of Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden in 2010, the Wedding Gala of Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume of Luxembourg and Countess Stephanie de Lannoy in 2012.
After a gap of several years, Princess Astrid wore the Savoy Aosta Tiara for the French State Banquet at the Royal Castle of Laeken in 2018.
Princess Astrid loaned the Savoy Aosta Tiara to her niece, Countess Anna von und zu Arco-Zinneberg, for her Wedding to Colin McKenzie in 2018.
The Savoy Aosta Tiara was also worn by Countess Margherita von und zu Arco-Zinneberg for her Wedding to Charles Green at Osterhofen Abbey in Bavaria in 2022.
Later that year, Princess Maria Laura of Belgium, Archduchess of Austria-Este wore the Savoy Aosta Tiara for her Wedding to William Isvy at the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula in Brussels.
Most recently, Princess Astrid wore the Savoy Aosta Tiara for the Dutch State Banquet at the Royal Chateau of Laeken in 2023 and there is no doubt we will continue to see it worn for years to come!
