The Court Jeweller

Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World

Princess Benedikte’s Diamond and Pearl Scroll Brooch

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The trio of royal sisters in Denmark — Queen Margrethe, Princess Benedikte, and Queen Anne-Marie — have an amazing treasure trove of heirloom Scandinavian royal jewels in their possession. Today, we’re talking about a lovely bauble, Princess Benedikte’s Diamond and Pearl Scroll Brooch, that traces back at least two more generations in the family.

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Benedikte has had the brooch in her jewelry box since 1969. That year, she gave birth to her first child, Prince Gustav of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg. To mark the occasion, Benedikte’s mother, Queen Ingrid of Denmark, gave her daughter this brooch. Historians debate about the exact provenance of the brooch. Bjarne Steen Jensen, author of a book on Denmark’s royal jewels, argue that that the brooch belonged to Ingrid’s mother, Margaret of Connaught. I’ve also read, however, that the brooch came from Benedikte’s paternal grandparents, and was a gift from King Christian X of Denmark to his wife, Queen Alexandrine.

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Benedikte first wore the brooch for baby Gustav’s first official portraits. Since then, the piece has become a versatile staple in her jewelry wardrobe. She often wears it as a traditional brooch, as she did during Queen Margrethe’s 2009 visit to Germany. Above, during the 1995 wedding celebrations for her nephew, Prince Joachim of Denmark, she uses the brooch in another way: as a pendant on her pearl necklace.

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She wore the brooch in the same pendant configuration on a single-stranded pearl necklace for a dinner at Christiansborg Palace in 2006. For Joachim’s wedding, she wore the pendant with the Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg Fringe Tiara; on this occasion, however, she paired it with her own Floral Birthday Tiara.

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The brooch’s scroll shape bears a strong resemblance to a heart, so it shouldn’t be surprising that Benedikte has worn the piece at funeral services for two of the people she loved most. Above, she wears the scroll brooch for the funeral of her mother, Queen Ingrid, in 2000.

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And in 2017, she wore the brooch at the funeral of her husband, Prince Richard of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, who died quite suddenly at the age of 83. The gesture, literally wearing her heart pinned to her coat, was a lovely, sentimental statement during the celebration of Richard’s life.

The Countess of Barcelona’s Pearl Drop Brooch

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As Queen Letizia of Spain has grown into her royal role in recent years, we’ve seen her embrace more and more heirloom jewels. Today, we’ve got a closer look at a brooch she debuted last year: the Countess of Barcelona’s Pearl Drop Brooch.

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The lovely diamond and pearl drop features a large central pearl and diamond cluster, from which is suspended an additional round diamond and a pear-shaped pearl drop. The piece was a gift to the Countess of Barcelona, mother of King Juan Carlos of Spain, for her wedding in 1935.

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The brooch has long been a favorite of Mercedes’s daughter-in-law, Queen Sofia of Spain. She often wears it for receptions and dinners that are not tiara events. Above, she wears the brooch in January 2005 at a gala dinner during a state visit to Morocco.

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In April 2011, Queen Sofia wore the brooch at a dinner at the Royal Palace in Madrid given for the Emir of Qatar.

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She has also used the brooch for important daytime occasions. In April 2008, she chose to wear it for a military review outside parliament in Madrid.

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Queen Letizia’s debut in the brooch came in October 2017, during the country’s National Day festivities in Madrid.

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A photo of Letizia wearing the king’s grandmother’s brooch on National Day even made it to the family’s Christmas card this year.

Queen Fabiola’s Diamond Fringe Brooch

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We’ve been discussing the jewelry box of Queen Mathilde of the Belgians this month, and today we’ve got a special bonus feature: an in-depth look at one of her most important brooches, the diamond fringe brooch that belonged to the late Queen Fabiola.

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The floral fringe brooch has been with the Belgian royals since the 1980s, but it has a much longer history. The diamond, silver, and gold brooch dates to the nineteenth-century. According to Ursula’s site, the brooch was sold at Christie’s in Geneva in 1983.

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Queen Fabiola began wearing the brooch around the same time, suggesting that it was acquired by her or for her, perhaps by her husband, King Baudouin. Above, she wears the brooch in Brussels in April 1986.

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Queen Mathilde began wearing the brooch in public a few years before Queen Fabiola’s death. Above, the brooch is striking against Mathilde’s vibrant blue dress at the princely wedding in Monaco in July 2011.

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A year later, Mathilde also wore the brooch for another royal wedding — this time, a family affair. She paired the brooch with her diamond scroll earrings for the wedding of Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume of Luxembourg, a cousin of King Philippe, in October 2012. Notably, Queen Fabiola (the groom’s great-aunt) was also present for this wedding.

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Mathilde has also used the brooch for glittering gala occasions. In April 2013, she wore the brooch for the pre-inauguration dinner in the Netherlands, pairing it with her diamond laurel wreath tiara and her diamond fringe earrings. She also wore the brooch with the base of the Nine Provinces Tiara and Queen Fabiola’s pearl drop earrings at Prince Carl Philip’s wedding in Stockholm in June 2015, as you can see in the photo at the top of the post.

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In April 2011, she also used the brooch as a hair ornament. The fringes are just visible in her hair in this photograph from the pre-wedding gala in the United Kingdom.

(Sidenote: we recently featured this unusual diamond fringe necklace on the blog, and last week, a Twitter user contacted me to let me know that the necklace is currently for sale at Wolfers. It seems likely that Mathilde borrowed the necklace from the jeweler on the two occasions when she wore it.)

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After Fabiola’s death in 2014, the brooch has retained pride of place in Mathilde’s jewelry box. Above, she wears it with the Nine Provinces Tiara and Queen Fabiola’s pearl drop earrings during a glittering state visit to the Netherlands in November 2016.

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The brooch’s importance was underscored in July 2013, when Mathilde became the country’s first Belgian-born queen consort. For her first official portrait as queen, the brooch was front and center, securing the sash of Belgium’s highest order of chivalry, the Order of Leopold.