Shipwrecks, Heists, and Attacks: The Chilling Tales of Tiaras That Witnessed Shocking Royal History

Terrifying Tiara Tales: Queen Ena’s Royal Wedding Tiara

In May 1906, Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg became Queen of Spain when she married King Alfonso XIII in a glittering ceremony in Madrid. The new queen consort sparkled in a magnificent diamond tiara during the ceremony. But a terrifying attack during the procession afterward transformed the joyful day into a nightmare scene.

The British Royal Jewels That Were Swept Out to Sea

Five years later, one of Queen Ena’s royal cousins also found herself in a perilous situation. Princess Louise, Princess Royal and Duchess of Fife, was the daughter of King Edward VII and the sister of King George V. On her way to an Egyptian winter holiday with her husband and daughters, the ship carrying the family foundered and began to sink—endangering the family and the royal jewels that Louise had packed in her luggage.

The Norwegian Tiara That Vanished in London

Almost a century later, jewels belonging to Louise’s sister, Queen Maud of Norway, found themselves in jeopardy in London. Maud’s great-grandson, King Harald V of Norway, sent several pieces of antique jewelry to Garrard to be cleaned and maintained. But while the jewels were being kept at the firm’s flagship store in London, a team of thieves plotted to capture the jewels for themselves.