Duchess Elisabeth in Bavaria, who became Belgium’s queen when she married King Albert I, makes an interesting tiara choice
Vintage Royals: Elisabeth in Bavaria
The Douglas Floral Tiara
Happy birthday to Hereditary Princess Sophie of Liechtenstein! In honor of her big day, let’s have a look at her sparkling diamond wedding tiara.
Although Sophie was born a Bavarian duchess and married a prince from Liechtenstein, her wedding tiara actually has French and Swedish roots. According to our friends over at Luxarazzi (who also cover the princely family of Liechtenstein), the tiara is made of diamond daisies surrounded by additional diamond berries and leaves, was made by an unidentified French jeweler at some point in the nineteenth century.
The tiara was later gifted to Sophie’s mother, who was born Countess Elisabeth Douglas. Although the title sounds Scottish (and indeed, the family has 17th-century Scottish roots), the family is actually Swedish nobility.
Elisabeth’s floral tiara has become something of an official wedding tiara for her descendants. Four of her daughters — Sophie, Marie-Caroline, Elisabeth, and Maria-Anna — have borrowed the tiara from their mother and used it as a bridal diadem.
More Queen Mum Jewels for Kate
Tonight at the Victoria and Albert Museum, Kate debuted more jewels that previously belonged to the Queen Mother: her sapphire and diamond fringe earrings.
The Queen Mother began wearing the earrings sometime after her coronation. Posters at the RJWMB have speculated that they were perhaps made to coordinate with a suite of sapphires given to Elizabeth as a wedding present by Queen Mary, though to my knowledge, that’s never been officially clarified. Queen Elizabeth II would have inherited these earrings (along with the rest of her mother’s jewels) when the Queen Mother died in 2002.
The Queen Mum wore the earrings occasionally throughout her life, including at a 50th birthday reception for Prince Charles in 1998 and on the celebration of her own 93rd birthday (pictured above).
Kate has been slowly adding to her cache of jewels from the Queen Mum’s collection. By my count, so far we’ve seen her wear the Cartier Halo Tiara, the Lotus Flower/Papyrus Tiara, the Maple Leaf Brooch, and the bracelet made from one of Queen Mary’s choker necklaces.
