The epathetic princess and her jewellery collection Princess Gloria von Thurn and Taxis

The flamboyant Catholic princess became one of the most beloved celebrities of the 20th century. At 19, she married in a similarly sensational manner. Her groom was 34 years her senior and held the title of Prince of Thern and Taxes. This modest heiress of impoverished aristocrats, who tied the knot at 19, stepped out into society as a punk icon. She was nicknamed Princess TNT. Looking at Glorious Life, one could pen a captivating novel. The storyline is worthy of a female novelist's pen. This tale unfolded not in the 19th century, but in the 20th, an era seemingly devoid of romance. Gloria was born on February 23, 1960, to a family where her father led the Glauchau branch of the House of Schoenberg, and her mother was a scion of the noble Hungarian Szekernyi family, with ancestors including Princes Golitsyn and Trubetskoy. When there's Russian blood running through one's veins, everything becomes as clear as day. Society attributed the princess's rebellious nature to this Russian spirit. Her noble lineage bestowed nothing but lofty titles. While the family's wealth and castle were seized by communists, her father, a journalist, took the family to places like Somalia and Togo for work. In 1970, the girl was sent to a school at a Benedictine monastery, where prudent young ladies were educated. Gloria was a devout Catholic, even when she began appearing in outfits. In her youth, she worked as a waitress at the upscale ski resort of St. Moritz. It was here that she met her future husband. Johannes, the prince, was 34 years older than the beautiful Gloria. The couple dated briefly before their scandalous wedding. When Prince Johannes passed away in 1990, he left behind a debt of $500 million. Princess Gloria, as the guardian of her son, sold jewels and other assets to preserve the family fortune. She studied finance, accounting, and estate management, became a Roman Catholic activist, philanthropist, an artist, and achieved remarkable success as a businesswoman. But let's move on to her jewels. We begin with the magnificent Thern and Taxis sapphire tiara. This stunningly tall diamond diadem, featuring large sapphire and diamond clusters within an elaborate diamond frame, was crafted by Kreuter at some point in the 19th century. The accompanying period includes a versatile necklace, a pair of substantial earrings, and a bow brooch, all of which can be worn with diamonds in place of the sapphires. The High Empire-style diadem, adorned with diamonds, has a large oval sapphire at its center, with a sizable cushion-cut sapphire set above as a finial, both encased in diamond borders. Delicate, filigree diamond tendrils form a towering structure, with acanthus leaves woven into diamond-encrusted borders and accents, for additional sapphires are strategically placed within the central motif, making this an exceptional jewel from the royal family's treasury. The tiara, along with the entire diamond period, was reworked in the 19th century by the renowned Kreuter Company of Hanoi, experts in white jewels, or enhanced with diamonds and gemstones from the jewelry house. Archduchess Margareth Clementine of Austria, the eighth princess of Thern and Taxis, was depicted wearing the tall diamond tiara and matching diamond necklace in the late 19th century. The sapphire tiara remained unworn for decades until Countess Gloria von Schönberg-Glauchau donned it at a grand ball at St. Emmeram's Castle in Regensburg on the eve of her wedding to Johannes, the eleventh prince of Thern and Taxis. In 1980, throughout the 1980s, Princess Gloria frequently wore both the sapphire and diamond versions of the necklace, typically paired with large diamond earrings, especially during Prince Albert von Thern and Taxis' christening in 1983. In 1987, Princess Gloria wore the sapphire and diamond necklace with the sapphire bow, brooch as a clasp to the 36th annual ball in April at the Waldorf Hotel in New York, with an incredibly extravagant hairstyle. Fortunately, the sapphire period was not included in the jewels sold at the famous Thern and Taxis jewelry auction in 1992, which was organized to settle Johannes' debts. It reappeared as a rare adornment during Princess Gloria's widowhood at the wedding ball of Hereditary Prince Alois of Liechtenstein and Duchess Sophie in Bavaria at Nymphenburg Castle in 1993, paired with massive diamond earrings, a sapphire and diamond necklace, and a sapphire bow brooch. More recently, Princess Gloria wore the sapphire necklace with the sapphire bow brooch at the wedding gala of Archduke George of Austria and Duchess Eilika of Oldenburg in Budapest in 1997. Let's move on to another stunning piece of jewelry, the Thern and Taxis Emerald Tiara, crafted by the London jeweler Hancocks and displayed at the Paris Exhibition of 1855. This tiara features a design of diamond scrolls with pear-shaped cabochon emeralds. The accompanying period includes earrings and a necklace. The tiara was first photographed on Margareth, Princess of Thern and Taxis, née Archduchess of Austria, who was the wife of the eighth prince. The couple was married for over 60 years and had eight children. Margareth wore the tiara and perua for an official portrait and at her daughter, Princess Helene von Thern and Taxis's wedding to Prince Friedrich of Saxony in 1923. The next person depicted wearing the Thern and Taxis Emerald Tiara was our heroine of today, Princess Gloria von Thern and Taxis. Fortunately, the Emerald Tiara and perua were not among the jewels sold at the famous Thern and Taxis jewelry auction in 1992. Princess Gloria wore them to the wedding ball of Duchess Fleur of Württemberg and Count Moritz von Goos in 2003. In 2010, Princess Gloria lent the Thern and Taxis Emerald Tiara to her daughter-in-law, Princess Irina of Hesse, Countess Schönberg-Glauchau, for a gala evening celebrating her mother's 80th birthday, Countess Beatrix Schönberg-Glauchau. Most recently, Princess Gloria donned Thern and Taxis Emerald Tiara for a Vanity Fair photoshoot in 2015. Next, we have the breathtaking Thern and Taxis Emerald and Ruby Choker. This choker, adorned with large rubies and emeralds set in a richly decorated Belle Époque-style high-diamond necklace with two substantial pearls, was created by G. Brue, Kreuter, Hanau, around the time when Archduchess Margareth Clementine of Austria married the 8th Prince of Thern and Taxis in 1890. However, the heavy, richly embellished design suggests it might have been made even earlier, possibly for the prince's mother, the former Duchess Helena of Bavaria, eldest sister of Empress Elizabeth of Austria. The necklace was spotted on Archduchess Margareth Clementine in a portrait with her children in the early 20th century. The Thern and Taxis Emerald and Ruby Choker found an extravagant owner in Countess Gloria von Schönberg-Glauchau after she married Johannes, the 11th Prince of Thern and Taxis. In 1980, this extravagant choker perfectly complemented Princess TNT's outrageous outfits and hairstyles. A notable appearance was at Rudolf Nureev's 51st birthday at the Paris Opera in 1989, where the choker was paired with Princess Olga's emerald earrings. The Thern and Taxis Emerald and Ruby Choker also remained in the family, but appeared only rarely, notably at the wedding celebration of Archduke Karl von Habsburg and Baroness Another exquisite piece is the Thern and Taxis Sapphire Bow Brooch. This brooch, featuring a massive sapphire surrounded by a diamond bow with a large pearl drop, was likely crafted by F. Kreuter in Hanau around the same time as the family sapphire peror. In the 19th century, probably from ancestral stones, Archduchess Margareth Clementine of Austria, the 8th Princess of Thern and Taxis, was depicted with the sapphire bow brooch in the 1880s. She also wore it in a portrait alongside the pearl tiara of Empress Eugenie, which hangs in the family residence, Regensburg Castle. The sapphire bow brooch found an extravagant owner when Countess Gloria von Schomburg-Glauchau married Johannes. The new princess used the large brooch in various versatile ways, such as fastening the family sapphire and diamond necklace at the 36th Annual Ball in April at the Waldorf Hotel in New York in 1987, paired with an outrageously extravagant hairstyle. Another notable appearance of the sapphire bow brooch was at Rudolf Nureyev's 51st birthday at the Paris Opera in 1989, when the brooch was worn in Princess Gloria's hair, paired with the emerald and ruby choker and Princess Olga's emerald earrings. This magnificent piece also remained in the family. And how do you like the punk princess's style? Which piece of jewelry did you find the most appealing? Share your comments.