Following up on last week’s discussion on the Luxembourg Empire Tiara, we’re going all in on the big guns! Let’s see which of these comes out on top.
The Bragança Tiara
This is the biggest gun, and one of the oldest, in the Swedish vault. Originally owned by Empress Amélie of Brazil (hence one name for this one – The Brazilian Tiara), it was then inherited by her sister Queen Josephine of Sweden upon Amélie’s death in 1873. While the sharing from the Swedish vaults is legendary (although not as widespread as the Dutch), this one is reserved solely for the Queen.
The Stuart Tiara
The name for this tiara comes from the Stuart Diamond which is the centerpiece of this tiara. The stone originally belonged to King William III and Queen Mary of England. The diamond is a massive, rose cut, pear shaped 39.75 carat wonder, and it has a pale blue-greenish tint to it. Upon King William’s death in 1702 the stone returned to the Netherlands. Since then it has been worn as a brooch, a pendant, and ultimately as the main stone of the Stuart Tiara, which was created in 1897 for Queen Wilhelmina’s inauguration. This was a favorite of Wilhelmina’s daughter, Queen Juliana, but was not worn by Queen Beatrix. Luckily for us, Queen Maxima seems to have taken a shine to it.
Queen Sophie’s Diamond Tiara
The Greek entry for this battle is Queen Sophie’s Diamond Tiara. Princess Sophie of Prussia received this tiara as a wedding present upon her marriage to Crown Prince Constantine of Greece in 1889. It is thought to have been a gift from one of her many royal relatives (being a granddaughter of Queen Victoria, there were quite a few), with most guessing her mother, Empress Friedrich, or her brother, Kaiser Wilhelm II. Upon Sophie’s death in 1932, the tiara was next worn by Queen Friederike, born Princess of Hanover, her daughter in law. When Friederike passed away in 1981, the tiara disappeared from view, with many thinking it had been sold during exile. Marie Chantal surprised us all when she wore this piece to Queen Margrethe’s Ruby Jubilee in 2012.
