Royal Legacy: Where Are Prince Albert’s Tiaras to Queen Victoria Now?

Prince Albert was quite the talented guy, you know. One of his many skills was designing jewelry, and he was really good at it. Especially when it came to making jewelry for his wife, Queen Victoria. Each piece he made was not just beautiful, but packed with meaning and love. Today, we shall delve into four tiaras designed by Albert for his wife over the course of their marriage. Each tiara boasts its own distinct narrative. The current whereabouts of one tiara remain a mystery, while another was miraculously preserved to prevent its departure from the country, safeguarding its historical significance. Remarkably, only one of these tiaras remains under the primary possession of the British royal family, now owned by King Charles III. Before we start, please support my channel by clicking on the like and subscribe buttons. Thank you. The Sapphire Coronet In 1842, Prince Albert had Joseph Kitching craft a sapphire and diamond coronet, personally designed by the prince for his wife, Queen Victoria. Mounted with diamonds in silver and featuring 11 step-cut sapphires in gold, the piece was intended to complement a sapphire and diamond brooch gifted to Victoria by Albert the day before their wedding, possibly igniting her passion for perus. The coronet gained fame in early portraits of Victoria, notably in Franz Saver Winterhalter's 1842 official portrait, becoming a symbol of her authority and status. Before Prince Albert's passing, Queen Victoria adored colorful gemstones and versatile pieces. In 1866, she wore the coronet in place of the heavy state crown at the first opening of Parliament she attended after Albert's death, perhaps signaling that the piece gave her confidence. In 1922, King George V presented Queen Victoria's sapphire coronet and its accompanying perure to his daughter, Princess Mary, upon her marriage to Viscount Lascelles. Although Princess Mary, later known as the Princess Royal, often wore the necklace with the Harewood Scroll tiara, the coronet itself was rarely seen. After Princess Mary's death in 1965, many jewels from her collection were auctioned off, although the sapphire coronet was inherited by her eldest son George, the 7th Earl of Harewood. However, in 2011, after the 7th Earl's death, there was speculation that the crown had been sold to an unknown buyer. Then, in 2012, it pops up at another exhibition, and people start speculating that Geoffrey But that's not all. In 2016, this anonymous foreign buyer swoops in to purchase the coronet. The British government freaks out and steps in to stop it from leaving the country. And finally, in 2017, the Victoria and Albert Museum swoops in and snags the tiara. It is perhaps fated that Queen Victoria's sapphire and diamond coronet found its permanent home at London's Victoria and Albert Museum. The coronet is considered one of Queen Victoria's most important jewels. The Emerald and Diamond Tiara The tiara, featuring cushion-shaped diamonds, step-cut emeralds, and 19 inverted pear-shaped emeralds, was designed by Prince Albert and commissioned by jeweler Joseph Kitching for £1,150. It was presented to Queen Victoria in 1845, who described it as a "...lovely diadem of diamonds and emeralds designed by my beloved Albert," in her journal, praising her husband's "...wonderful taste." This tiara exemplifies the neo-Gothic style of the 19th century, with quatrefoil patterns and alternating spikes adorned with cabochon emeralds and kite-shaped emeralds topped with diamonds. Queen Victoria was so pleased with her emerald-set jewellery that she chose to wear them for portraits by Winterhalter in 1846 and 1859, commemorating Prince Alfred's christening and other occasions. The tiara was passed down to Queen Victoria's granddaughter, Princess Alexandra, later the Duchess of Fife, and has remained in the family since. It was last worn by the third Duchess of Fife at the 1960 State Opening of Parliament. Speculation swirled regarding the potential sale, and even dismantling, of this diadem in the years following its two most recent public exhibitions, in a MUN-curated exhibit at Wartski in 1997 and in MUN's 2001 publication. Fortunately, however, such conjectures were unfounded. Presently, the parure is showcased at Kensington Palace, on loan from the estate of the Duke of Fife. The Ruby Strawberry Leaf Tiara Queen Victoria's strawberry leaf tiara has undergone some changes since Prince Albert designed it. Originally, the middle row of rectangular stones was actually the bottom of the tiara, and it contained rubies, not diamonds. Each of the strawberry leaves and diamond points on top also had a ruby. It looked dainty and feminine in its original state, which fits with Prince Albert's design ethos. Queen Victoria was depicted wearing the initial bandeau in an 1855 Winterhalter portrait, and she liked it so much that the ruby parure was one of the first. Coloured stonies she wore during her mourning, at the wedding of her daughter, Princess Lois, in 1871. In 1885, Queen Victoria gifted the ruby and diamond parure to her daughter, Princess Beatrice, Beatrice made significant alterations to the tiara, adding an extra row of diamond elements at the base, including strawberry leaf designs, giving the tiara a more imposing look. In the early 1920s, Princess Beatrice loaned Queen Victoria's strawberry leaf tiara to her daughter, by then Queen Victoria Eugénie of Spain, who wore the tiara and parure for a series of portraits. Upon Beatrice's death in 1944, the tiara went to her son, Alexander Mountbatten, the Marquess of Carisbrook, whose wife, Lady Irene Dennison, wore it in the 1930s. However, Lady Irene was not fond of rubies, so in 1933, she had the tiara reset as an all-diamond piece by Cartier, according to Geoffrey Munn. So what happened to Queen Victoria's tiara? Unfortunately, nobody seems to know, and its current location remains unknown, adding yet another unsolved mystery to the world of royal jewels. The Oriental Circlet The tale of the circlet commences in London in 1851. It was during this period that the prince consort, Albert, conceived the idea for a magnificent jewel adorned with arches and lotus flowers. This inspiration struck him after witnessing similar motifs at the Great Exhibition. Albert, known for his keen interest in design and jewelry, envisioned an Indian-inspired tiara adorned with his favorite gemstones, diamonds, and opals. With his vision in mind, Gerard, the esteemed crown jeweler, meticulously crafted the tiara according to Albert's specifications, completing it in 1853. The resulting piece was nothing short of spectacular, reflecting Albert's refined taste and innovative spirit. However, a legal dispute arose in 1857 when the Hanoverian family claimed jewels belonging to Queen Charlotte, necessitating the removal of diamonds from the circlet. Gerard collaborated with Queen Victoria and Prince Albert to remodel the jewelry, resulting in alterations to the circlet and its conversion into a slightly open design. In her will, Queen Victoria designated the circlet as an heirloom of the crown, intended for the use of future queens and queen's consort. Thus, the next wearer of the tiara was Victoria's daughter-in-law, Queen Alexandra. However, Alexandra, unlike Albert, did not share his fondness for opals and considered them to bring bad luck. Consequently, she opted to replace the opals with rubies, including those in the coordinating earrings and necklace. These rubies held a special significance as they were Burmese rubies gifted to Victoria in the 1870s, further enriching the tiara's history and connection to the empire's eastern reaches. Despite Alexandra's efforts to remodel the tiara, no photographs of her wearing the piece exist. The same holds true for her successor, Queen Mary, who also showed a great appreciation for tiaras, but seemingly never wore the oriental circlet in public. It wasn't until Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, was granted access to the tiara in 1937, following her husband's ascension to the throne, that it saw regular use. Queen Elizabeth frequently adorned herself with the tiara throughout her husband's reign, becoming synonymous with her regal elegance. Although it is an heirloom of the crown, and therefore should have passed to Queen Elizabeth II when she ascended to the throne in 1952, it remained with the Queen Mother until her death in 2002. Queen Elizabeth II has only been seen wearing the tiara publicly once, during a state dinner in Malta in 2005. Since then, the oriental circlet has remained hidden from public view, serving as a cherished memento of the Queen Mother's esteemed collection, leaving admirers eagerly awaiting its next appearance. Thank you for watching this video. Share your impressions in the comments and support my channel by subscribing and liking. Thank you.