Queen Josefina’s Diamond Tiara

Today marks the Centenary of the Death of Queen Lovisa of Denmark, who passed away on this day in 1926, 100 years ago! The Swedish Princess who became the Queen of Denmark and the mother of Danish and Norwegian Kings, Queen Lovisa had a legendary jewellery collection and to mark the anniversary, we are revisiting the spectacular Queen Josefina’s Diamond Tiara that has passed through the Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian Royal Families for the past 200 years!

But first, lets learn about Queen Lovisa! The only surviving child of King Charles XV of Sweden and Norway and Princess Louise of the Netherlands, Princess Lovisa could not be recognized as the Heir to the Thrones of Sweden and Norway, which went to her uncle, but grew up at the centre of the Swedish Royal Court in Stockholm. In 1869, Princess Lovisa married Crown Prince Frederick of Denmark, the eldest son and Heir of King Christian IX of Denmark who was also the brother of King George I of Greece, Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia, and Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom. The couple had eight children, including King Christian X of Denmark, King Haakon VII of Norway, and Princess Ingeborg of Sweden, and while Crown Princess Lovisa/Louise (as she was known in Denmark) was popular with the Danish public, she was not well-liked among the extended Danish Royal Family. During her decades as Crown Princess, she founded many charitable and religious organizations and rafter the death of her parents, remained close with the Swedish Royal Family, especially when her daughter, Princess Ingeborg, married her cousin, Prince Carl. When her son, Prince Carl, was appointed King of an independent Norway in 1905, it fulfilled her King Charles XV’s wish to see his descendent on one of his thrones. Crown Prince Frederick finally succeeded to the Danish Throne in 1906, and the new Queen Louise continued her patronage of art, literature and charity during their short reign until 1912, and afterwards as a widow, the Queen Dowager built Egelund Slot, where she resided until her death in 1926, a few months before her 75th birthday. Her descendents include Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, King Harald V of Norway, Queen Anne-Marie of Greece, King Philippe of Belgium, and Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg.

Composed of floral motifs and laurel wreaths depicted in diamonds and mounted in gold and silver, the Diamond Tiara originates from the reign of Emperor Napoleon, and was likely created by the Court Jeweller Nitot.

For several years, it was thought that this Tiara belonged to Queen Désirée of Sweden but historian Trond Noren Isaksen has revealed that the Tiara originally belonged to Empress Joséphine of the French, who left the Tiara to her namesake granddaughter, Queen Josefina of Sweden and Norway.

Before my book on the Norwegian royal tiaras and the women who have worn them, «Ingrid Alexandras arv», was published in 2023, the Queen wrongly believed that the tiara first belonged to the French-born Queen Désirée, the consort of King Carl XIV Johan. But as I pointed out in 2007, there is no evidence that Désirée owned it and it was worn by her daughter-in-law, Queen Josephine, while Désirée was still alive. Princess Astrid told me that she only knew that it had belonged to Queen Josephine but not from where she got it.

Princess Josefina likely wore the Diamond Tiara at her Wedding to Crown Prince Oscar of Sweden in 1823, and was portrayed wearing the Tiara as Queen of Sweden in a State Portrait by Friedrich Dürck in 1849.

After Queen Josefina’s death in 1876, the Diamond Tiara was left to her granddaughter, Princess Lovisa, by then Crown Princess of Denmark, who had brought so many jewels to Denmark from Sweden that “if it was all laid out on a card table, you could not see the fabric underneath”. Despite the legendary jewellery collection, Queen Lovisa was not depicted wearing many jewels, an exception being this Diamond Tiara, which was worn in several portraits.

Queen Lovisa also notably wore Queen Josefina’s Diamond Tiara for Laurits Tuxen’s State Portrait in 1911-1912, when it was paired with the Danish Crown Diamond Parure.

Queen Louise left Queen Josefina’s Diamond Tiara to her youngest son, Prince Gustav, who remained unmarried and loaned the Tiara to to his sister, Princess Thyra, also unmarried, for the Wedding Gala of Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark and Princess Ingrid of Sweden in 1935, King Christian X’s Silver Jubilee in 1937, and King Gustav V’s 80th Birthday in 1938.

Prince Gustav also loaned Queen Josefina’s Diamond Tiara to his niece, Crown Princess Märtha of Norway, for the Wedding of Prince Christian of Schaumburg-Lippe and Princess Feodora of Denmark in 1937.

After Prince Gustav’s death in 1944, Queen Josefina’s Diamond Tiara was inherited by Crown Princess Märtha, daughter of his sister, Princess Ingeborg of Denmark and Sweden, and the daughter-in-law of his brother, King Haakon VII of Norway, who claimed the piece upon the Royal Family’s return to Europe in 1945, following the Second World War and wore the Tiara for a series of Official Portraits.

In his will, Prince Gustav expressed a desire that these should be considered «family jewels» and that Crown Princess Märtha should leave these to her son, the present King, and that they would thereafter pass from king to king.

Over the next few years, Crown Princess Märtha frequently wore Queen Josefina’s Diamond Tiara, notably for King Gustaf V’s 90th Birthday, Queen Juliana’s Inauguration Gala in 1948 and the Coronation Gala at Covent Garden in 1953, shortly before her own untimely death in 1954.

After Crown Princess Märtha’s death, her daughter, Princess Astrid became the leading lady of the Norwegian Royal Court first for her grandfather, King Haakon VII, and then also for her father, King Olav V, wearing Queen Josefina’s Diamond Tiara for the British State Visit to Norway in 1955, Crown Prince Harald’s 21st Birthday in 1957, and the Danish State Visit to Norway in 1960 among a few other occasions.

Almost a decade later, the newlywed Crown Princess Sonja wore Queen Josefina’s Diamond Tiara with Queen Alexandra’s Diamond Pendant Earrings for her first series of official portraits.

Crown Princess Sonja regularly wore Queen Josefina’s Diamond Tiara with notable appearances during the the Icelandic State Visit to Norway in 1971, the Swedish State Visit to Norway in 1974, the Wedding of Princess Christina of Sweden in 1974, a Military Gala in Oslo in 1975.

Crown Princess Sonja also notably wore Queen Josefina’s Diamond Tiara for the Spanish State Visit to Norway in 1982, King Olav’s 80th Birthday Gala in 1983, Princess Märtha Louise’s Confirmation in 1986, Crown Prince Harald’s 50th Birthday in 1987, and King Olav’s 85th Birthday in 1988.

In the 1990s, Queen Josefina’s Diamond Tiara was worn by Queen Sonja for Crown Prince Haakon’s 18th Birthday in 1991, Norwegian State Visit to Denmark in 1991, Danish State Visit to Norway in 1992, King Harald and Queen Sonja’s Silver Wedding Anniversary in 1993, and the Norwegian State Visit to Britain in 1994.

Queen Sonja also wore Queen Josefina’s Diamond Tiara for Queen Margrethe’s 60th Birthday in 2000, the Norwegian State Visit to Japan in 2001, the Wedding of Princess Märtha Louise of Norway in 2002, the Wedding Gala of Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark in 2004, and the Norwegian State Visit to Britain in 2005.

After only a handful of appearances in the last decade, Queen Sonja wore Queen Josefina’s Diamond Tiara for Stortingsmiddag in 2018 in 2021, the Italian State Visit to Norway in 2023 and most recently the French State Banquet at the Royal Palace of Oslo last year. There is no doubt we will see this magnificent Royal Heirloom for years to come!

One thought on “Queen Josefina’s Diamond Tiara”

Regal Events says:

March 20, 2026 at 12:09 pm

This tiara is – unrightfully – put in the shadow of the tiara from the Emerald parure. But it is a beautiful tiara that I hope we will see on future Queens of Norway for a very long time, as well as getting to see Queen Sonja wear it for many years to come still

Loading...

Share this:

Like this:

Related

One thought on “Queen Josefina’s Diamond Tiara”

Leave a ReplyCancel reply

Discover more from The Royal Watcher