Nizam of Hyderabad Tiara

Today marks the 140th Anniversary of the Birth of Mir Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII, the Nizam of Hyderabad, who was born on this day in 1886! The wealthiest and highest ranking of the rulers in Princely India who reigned over a territory larger than France, the Nizam is the fourth wealthiest individual of all time, today were are revisiting a splendid jewel that he gifted to the late Queen: the Nizam of Hyderabad Tiara!

Consisting of three detachable english roses, one large and two smaller, set en tremblant in a foliate frame of leaves composed of diamonds set in platinum, this tiara was made by Cartier between 1939-1947, and the three roses could be removed, to be worn as brooches.

Ahead of the wedding of Princess Elizabeth to Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark in 1947, the Nizam of Hyderabad gave instructions to Cartier in London to allow the Princess to choose whatever she wanted as a wedding gift. In addition to this Tiara, the Princess also chose a Cartier Diamond Necklace, both of which were displayed with the Official Gifts at St. James’ Palace.

Princess Elizabeth publicly debuted the Cartier Tiara given by Nizam, paired with the Nizam of Hyderabad Necklace, and Queen Mary’s Diamond Stomacher, for a Gala Performance at the Opéra Garnier in Paris in May 1948, on her first Official Visit abroad after their Wedding.

Princess Elizabeth often wore the Nizam of Hyderabad’s Cartier Tiara in the early years of her marriage, alternating with the Girls of Great Britain & Ireland Tiara, with appearances including the State Banquet for the French State Visit to Britain in 1950 and the Return Banquet during the Dutch State Visit in 1950.

The Nizam of Hyderabad Tiara was also worn by Princess Elizabeth for the Danish State Visit in May 1951 as well as for a Dinner during the Norwegian State Visit the following month.

A few months later, Princess Elizabeth wore the Nizam of Hyderabad’s Cartier Tiara on several occasions on an extensive tour of Canada in the fall of 1951, which included the Banquet held by Governor General Lord Alexander at Rideau Hall in Ottawa, the Dinner hosted by the Ontario Government at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto, and also the Dinner hosted by the Premier and Government of Nova Scotia at the Nova Scotian Hotel in Halifax.

Following her Accession to the Throne in 1952, the new Queen wore the Nizam of Hyderabad Tiara with the Greville Diamond Chandelier Earrings as well as the Nizam of Hyderabad Necklace for the first Royal Variety Performance of her Reign, which was the last public appearance of the Tiara.

It is not known why the Queen stopped using the Nizam of Hyderabad Cartier Tiara, but she had gotten access to important tiaras that were heirlooms of the Crown and had also inherited much of the substantial collection of jewels from Queen Mary the following year. While the Queen continued to use the three diamond brooches over the following decades, in the 1970s, the Queen had the rest of the tiara dismantled to get diamonds to create her Burmese Ruby Tiara, which was confirmed by Hugh Roberts in ‘The Queen’s Diamonds’ in 2012.

The three Diamond Rose Brooches were often worn through the decades, starting from multiple appearances during the famous Commonwealth Tour in 1953-54, up until 2021. The larger brooch was worn most often, with a couple of public appearances every year, while the two smaller brooches, always worn in a pair, were seen more rarely. Lets hope we see these Brooches worn again sometime soon!