New Revelations About the Provenance of Princess Sofia’s Wedding Tiara

Nine years ago today, Prince Carl Philip of Sweden married Sofia Hellqvist in a sparkling royal wedding in Stockholm. Now, new provenance details about Princess Sofia’s fascinating wedding tiara have emerged.

Sofia arrived for her royal wedding in June 2015 wearing a diamond palmette tiara with pear-shaped emerald toppers. The jewel was a new one, and on the wedding day we learned that the tiara was given to Sofia by her new parents-in-law, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden.

Over the years, we’ve learned more details about the tiara’s creation. In 2016, Jenny Alexandersson of Aftonbladet shared information about the tiara that was originally published in a Swedish magazine, Svensk Damtidning. Alexandersson wrote that the tiara was originally a necklace that had been given to Queen Silvia by an unidentified Thai prince. Ahead of Carl Philip and Sofia’s royal wedding, the necklace was sent back to Thailand, where it was transformed into a tiara for Silvia’s new daughter-in-law to wear on her wedding day.

Later, the tiara was renovated again. The frame of the tiara was rearranged so that it could be worn in a more open shape, and over the years, a whole slew of new colorful topper stones have been added to the piece as well. Now, Sarah Williams, the founder of the royal fashion website UFO No More, has confirmed that the tiara was made by Beauty Gems, a Thai jeweler that has provided pieces to the Swedish royal family for many years.

Sarah has also confirmed that this diamond and ruby necklace from Queen Silvia’s collection was made by Beauty Gems. She writes, “The ruby and diamond necklace was a gift from King Carl XVI Gustaf on the occasion of their anniversary,” though she does not clarify the specific year. (Rubies are traditional gifts to celebrate 40th anniversaries, but Silvia had the necklace in her jewelry box before 2016.) Above, Queen Silvia wears the necklace for Princess Madeleine’s pre-wedding gala in June 2013.

We recently saw the necklace on Crown Princess Victoria as well. She borrowed the jewel from her mother to wear for a reception at Buckingham Palace in London, held the night before the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla at Westminster Abbey in May 2023.