Who Will Inherit Jewelry Collection of Princess Astrid of Norway¿

Princess Astrid of Norway has died at the age of 94, just two days after she attended the funeral of her younger brother, King Harald V. For decades, she was one of the quiet pillars of the Norwegian monarchy. But now, another question is emerging among royal jewelry lovers. What happens to Princess Astrid's remarkable collection of royal jewels? Will her five children inherit everything? The surprising answer is that Princess Astrid had already made her wishes known about many of these jewels years ago. And the division is not as simple as everything goes to her children. So today, let's look at the extraordinary life of Princess Astrid, and then follow the journey of her most important jewels to discover what is likely to happen to them now. Princess Astrid Maud Ingeborg was born on February 12th, 1932, the second daughter of Crown Prince Olaf and Crown Princess Martha of Norway. She grew up in a family whose life was profoundly shaped by the Second World War. During the war, the Norwegian royal family was forced into exile, and Astrid spent several years in the United States before returning to Norway in 1945. Then, in 1954, her life changed dramatically. Her mother, Crown Princess Martha, died, leaving Astrid at only 22 years old to step into a role that nobody had expected her to occupy. She became Norway's First Lady. From 1954 until 1968, Astrid accompanied her father, King Olaf, at official events, welcomed foreign dignitaries, represented Norway abroad, and stood beside the royal family during a period when the modern Norwegian monarchy was taking shape. That time, she had access to the mainline jewels, including Leuchtenberg Emerald Perure and Queen Josephine Diamond Tiara. In other words, long before the world knew her simply as King Harald's sister, Astrid had already spent years performing the duties expected of a queen consort, without actually being a queen. And then came another major change. In 1961, she married businessman and Olympic sailor Johan Martin Ferner. Because Ferner had previously been married, the marriage attracted controversy at the time. King Olaf nevertheless decided that Astrid would retain her title as Princess Astrid, Mrs. Ferner. She gave up her appanage after marriage, but continued carrying out representational duties. The couple eventually had five children, Catherine, Benedicta, Alexander, Elizabeth, and Carl Christian. Johan Ferner died in 2015, leaving Astrid a widow after more than five decades of marriage. And remarkably, she continued serving Norway, even in a wheelchair, until her last breath. If you look at photographs of Princess Astrid over the decades, there's something fascinating about her jewelry choices. She did not always wear the enormous, spectacular pieces that we might expect from a senior European royal. Instead, she often chose unusual, sometimes distinctly old-fashioned ornaments. There were delicate gold jewels, small egrets, and one of her most recognizable jewels actually looks so unusual that it is easy to understand why some people might call it an acquired taste. But there was a very good reason. Much of Astrid's jewelry was not modern jewelry chosen simply because she liked the design. It was inherited jewelry, family history, pieces that had passed through generations of Norwegian, Swedish, and British royalty. But among these jewels, one was a very distinct piece, the one which now will return to Norway's royal vault, the Vasa tiara. This art deco diamond and platinum tiara was created by Swedish jeweler Karlmann and presented to Astrid's mother, Crown Princess Martha, as a wedding gift from the city of Stockholm in 1929. The design incorporates the heraldic symbolism of the Swedish Vasa dynasty. The tiara contains 956 diamonds and was originally designed to be worn low across the forehead, in keeping with the fashion of the 1920s. After Martha died in 1954, the division of her jewelry was postponed until her youngest child, Harold, reached adulthood. When the family jewels were finally divided in 1968, the Vasa tiara became part of Astrid's share. She wore it for decades as first lady, at royal weddings, at state visits, and long before her passing, she already carefully thought over her jewelry division. The Vasa tiara would return to the king along with the next important family heirloom, Queen Alexandra's turquoise circlet. The jewel has British royal origins and was associated with Queen Alexandra, wife of King Edward VII. Its exact early provenance is not completely certain, but a 1902 newspaper report suggests that Edward VII gave Alexandra a diamond and turquoise tiara as a birthday present. After Alexandra, the jewel passed to her daughter, Queen Maud of Norway. Eventually, after the deaths of Maud and Crown Princess Martha, the Norwegian royal jewels were divided among the royal siblings. Astrid received the turquoise circlet and its accompanying turquoise jewels. For decades, she wore the set at major royal occasions. She wore it for the wedding of Crown Prince Hakon and Mette-Marie in 2001. She wore it for the 80th birthday celebrations of King Harold and Queen Sonia in 2017. And what I like about Princess Astrid is that despite her age and difficulties with movement, she was always there. By her brother's side, she always attended state events, galas, always shining no matter what. But unlike her personal acquisitions, this tiara was never intended to remain permanently with the Ferner family. Astrid had stated that the turquoise circlet and its associated jewels would eventually return to the main line of the Norwegian royal family. So this is where the answer becomes fascinating. Her children were not simply going to inherit everything she owned. Some of her jewels were effectively treated as part of the family's wider royal heritage. Then there is the jewel that may be the most unmistakably Astrid of them all, the ruby and diamond aigrette. This remarkable ornament originally belonged to Queen Maud, one of her wedding gifts from a group described as lady and gentleman friends. It is an aigrette rather than a conventional tiara. The central floral element is surrounded by two long ruby and diamond antennae, and Astrid had a sense of humor about it. She reportedly joked that when she wore the jewel, one antenna received London and the other Moscow. She often paired the ruby aigrette along the rest of Queen Maud's wedding gifts. The ruby brooch also worn as pendant on the diamond Riviere necklace and ruby earrings. But the jewel was much more versatile than it first appeared. The same base could hold a second ornament, a pair of trembling diamond wings. The origins of these diamond wings are less firmly documented than the ruby ornament, but they are believed to have come from Queen Maud's collection as well. Astrid began wearing the diamond version decades ago, including royal state occasions. So she effectively had two different versions using the same framework. She increasingly favored these lighter pieces as she grew older, while reserving the large Vasa and turquoise tiaras for particularly important occasions. And this is another important answer to our question. Both aigrette versions are expected to stay with the Feirner family as part of Astrid's personal inheritance. Astrid once told Norwegian royal jewelry historian Trond Norén Isaksson that she intended her aigrettes to be inherited by her children. And next, there is an even more interesting jewel. In fact, it came to her because a family member initially thought it wasn't even real, Princess Astrid's gold bandeau tiara and perure. At first glance, this is one of the least conventional pieces in the Norwegian collection. It is a polished gold bandeau decorated with pearls and semi-precious stones, accompanied by matching earrings and a corsage brooch. But its history is far older than Astrid. The jewels can be traced to Duchess Pauline of Nassau, who was born a princess of Württemberg. They later passed to her daughter, Queen Sophia of Sweden, and then to Princess Ingeborg of Sweden and Denmark, Astrid's maternal grandmother. And there is a wonderful story attached to them. Princess Ingeborg apparently believed that the gold jewels were costume jewelry. Astrid received them in a package from her grandmother in the 1950s, and took them to the Norwegian jeweler, Taastrup. That's when she discovered that the pieces were actually made of real gold and genuine stones, and they were considerably older and more historically important than the family had realized. She wore the set during her years as First Lady, including major royal occasions. And here's the important part. This is one of the jewels that Astrid had indicated would remain with her children. So unlike some of her most important royal heirlooms, the gold bandeau was not expected to return to the reigning royal family. But one of her distinctive and important pieces of jewelry found its new wearer already in 2019. Actually, we can't say it is a jewel, but the first class badge order reworked to be worn as a bracelet. Princess Astrid inherited Queen Maud's order of Victoria and Albert, which has a very long history, consisting of a medallion depicting Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. The badge is set in diamonds and surmounted by an imperial crown attached to a bow of white silk ribbon. First worn on a sash, at some point Princess Astrid mounted the diamond badge onto a gold and diamond bangle, wearing it for high-profile state banquets over the decades. In 2019, Princess Astrid chose to give the historic order of Victoria and Albert bracelet to Princess Ingrid Alexandra as a confirmation gift, who debuted the piece the same evening at a private celebration at Skagom. While Princess Astrid also had a diamond Riviere necklace and several diamond brooches with diamond earrings, their provenance was never well-recorded nor she talked about their future fate. But I believe all small wearable jewels will stay in the Ferner family. So whenever I read someone's comments about why Princess Astrid wears some of the most peculiar jewels, I have one answer. Princess Astrid's jewelry collection was never simply about big or small, beautiful or strange diamond rubies or a simple gold. It was a map of her family, Swedish ancestry in the Vasa tiara, British royal ancestry in Queen Alexandra's turquoise circlet, Queen Maud's personal jewels in the ruby and diamond egrets, and the parcel she received to discover a true gold jewel. Perhaps that is why calling her jewelry taste bad would completely miss the point. Astrid wasn't trying to compete with the enormous emeralds or diamonds of other queens. She was wearing history. Sometimes that history was spectacular. Sometimes it was quirky and almost old-fashioned. And perhaps one day when Princess Ingrid Alexandra or another future Norwegian royal appears in the Vasa tiara or Queen Alexandra's turquoise circlet, we will remember that these jewels spent the final decades of their previous chapter with Princess Astrid, Mrs. Ferner, Norway's first lady, King Harald's devoted sister, and one of the last great guardians of the old Norwegian royal jewelry collection. If you liked today's video, hit the like button, subscribe, and leave your impressions below to help us bring you more jewelry stories.