Today marks the 100th Anniversary of the Death of Queen Olga of Greece, who passed away on this day in 1926! The Russian Grand Duchess who married the first Greek King and was the grandmother of the Duke of Edinburgh among Royals from Greece, Spain, the United Kingdom, Romania, Serbia, and Italy, Queen Olga possessed a spectacular Jewellery Collection which made a dramatic escape from Revolutionary Russia!
It was a delight to be invited to the opening of the new Cartier Exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne today, which has my discovery of Queen Azizah’s Cartier Tiara on display, among several spectacular Royal and Noble Jewels from the Cartier Collection and the Victoria & Albert Museum !
Almost two years ago, I made the discovery connecting Queen Azizah’s Diamond Bandeau to Queen Mary’s ‘lost’ Diamond Lozenge Bandeau and I am now excited to reveal that Queen Azizah’s Cartier Tiara is now on display in the new Cartier Exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, which opens tomorrow and runs until October!
Today marks the 105th Anniversary of the Birth of Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh, who was born on this day in 192! The late Duke designed this striking Gold Bracelet as a gift to the Queen on their Fifth Wedding Anniversary, which is currently displayed at Buckingham Palace.
Today marks the 150th Anniversary of the Death of Queen Josefina of Sweden and Norway, who passed away on this day in 1876! The granddaughter of the legendary Empress Joséphine, Queen Josefina received and inherited many of the magnificent Napoleonic Heirlooms which form the Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian Royal Collections!
Yesterday, the British Royal Family celebrated the Wedding of Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling at the All Saints Church in Kemble, and while the bride didn’t wear a Tiara from Princess Anne’s collection, she did wear this striking Pragnell Tiara, which has several royal links!
We were sad to hear of the passing of the fascinating Lady Pamela Hicks yesterday at the age of 97! The younger daughter of Lord Mountbatten was the first cousin of the Duke of Edinburgh and served as the late Queen’s bridesmaid and lady-in-waiting before marrying an influential interior designer. Among several spectacular heirlooms, Lady Pamela inherited the iconic Chaumet Mountbatten Tiara!
Happy Birthday to Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin, the Tengku Permaisuri (Queen) of Selangor, who turns 55 today! The former News Presenter who is now the Queen of Malaysia’s largest and wealthiest Sultanate, to mark the day, we are featuring the new Selangor Lover’s Knot Tiara!
Happy Birthday to Queen Suthida of Thailand, who turns 48 today! The former flight attendant and Commander of the Royal Guard who became the fourth wife of the controversial Thai King, Queen Suthida has worn several Royal Heirlooms over the past few years, most recently the Thai Diamond Fringe Tiara!
Happy Birthday to Queen ‘Masenate Mohato Seeiso of Lesotho, who celebrates her 50th Birthday today! The hardworking Queen was the first commoner to marry into the Royal Family of the small African nation, Queen ‘Masenate does not have many tiara occasions, but today we are revisiting the Lesotho Diamond Spike Tiara!
Today marks the 120th Anniversary of the Wedding of King Alfonso XIII of Spain and British-born Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg, who were married in Madrid on this day in 1906! For the occasion, the young bride received an extraordinary collection of jewels from the Spanish Royal Family, her relatives across Europe, and several institutions and associations, many of which would become some of the most important jewels in the Spanish Crown collection!
Today marks the 120th Anniversary of the Birth of Princess Theodora, Margravine of Baden, who was born on this day in 1906! Earlier this month, the Margravine of Baden wore the heirloom Baden Sapphire Necklace and Earrings in New York City, which were first seen on her husband’s grandmother, Princess Theodora!
Today marks the 130th Anniversary of the birth of Doreen Knatchbull, Baroness Braboune, who was born OnThisDay in 1896! The daughter of the Marquess of Sligo who married the Governor of Bombay and the Governor of Bengal, and became the mother-in-law of Countess Mountbatten before passing away following the IRA attack which killed Earl Mountbatten, today we are featuring Lady Brabourne’s Art Deco Diamond Chain Tiara!
Happy Birthday to Princess Laurentien of The Netherlands, who turns 60 today! The sister-in-law of the Dutch King, known for her fight against illiteracy and eccentric sartorial choices, Princess Laurentien has worn many spectacular Heirloom Jewels from the Dutch Royal Collection, which includes the Dutch Ears of Wheat Tiara!
Tomorrow marks the Anniversary of the Birth of Maharani Gayatri Devi of Jaipur! The Cooch Behar Princess who married the dashing Maharaja of Jaipur, becoming the glamorous Maharani who won the world’s largest landslide election victory and was later jailed by the Indian Government ‘playing badminton with the prostitutes & murderesses’, Maharani Gayatri Devi possessed a spectacular jewellery collection, which she gave to the British Museum exactly 25 years ago!
Today marks the 220th Anniversary of the Birth of Harriet Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, the 2nd Duchess of Sutherland, who was born on this day in 1806! An aristocratic Courtier and Abolitionist, the Duchess was a great friend and Mistress of the Robes to Queen Victoria over several decades, also commissioning this spectacular Pearl and Ruby Necklace!
Today marks the 165th Anniversary of the Birth of the legendary Dame Nellie Melba, who was born on this day in 1861! The Opera Singer possessed a spectacular jewellery collection and a magnificent Cartier Pearl and Diamond Sautoir is going on Auction at Bonhams in London next month!
Happy Birthday to Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, who turns 55 today! The vibrant Argentinian financier who became the first Dutch Queen Consort in over a century and the main wearer of the magnificent Dutch Royal Jewellery collection, Queen Máxima was worn a variety of spectacular heirloom jewels, which includes the Dutch House Diamond Earrings!
There are many striking antique Jewels coming up for Auction this month, with a Diamond Meander Kokoshnik Tiara from the Counts of Faber-Castell going on Auction at Dorotheum in Vienna next week!
Last week, the Princess of Prussia wore Empress Auguste Viktoria’s Diamond Bow Brooch at the Ball of the Order of the Amarante in Stockholm, which was once part of a grand Diamond Stomacher given by the Ottoman Sultan!
