Princess Anne’s Diamond Scroll Tiara

The Princess Royal celebrates her 76th Birthday today! The only daughter of the late Queen and Duke of Edinburgh, Princess Anne has amassed a magnificent collection of heirloom jewels and modern acquisitions over the past six decades as one of the most hardworking members of the Royal Family, but also once wore this mystery Diamond Scroll Tiara!

When Princess Anne was photographed by Norman Parkinson for her 21st Birthday at Frogmore House in Windsor 55 years ago, she wore this striking Diamond Scroll Tiara for several of the photographs.

Princess Anne wears a Diamond Tiara and ice pale long dress with Medici sleeves. The backdrop, an imaginary landscape painted for her birthday by Gordon Davis, a white horse carries her standard.

The exact origin of this Diamond Scroll Tiara is not known but there are several theories. The leading one being that the Tiara was borrowed by a British Jeweller for the photoshoot and returned to them, being sold and passed into a private collection who are unaware of the piece’s brush with Royalty.

Another theory is that the Tiara is an unworn royal heirloom which rests in the Royal Vault and was only worn once in public but may be privately worn by members of the Royal Family. Again, the provenance of the piece is unknown but it may have been privately acquired or commissioned or may even be among the pieces of the Greville Bequest.