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Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World

Queen Letizia’s Tiaras

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Today is Spain’s National Day, and to mark the occasion, we’ve got a sparkling roundup of all the tiaras worn by the lovely Queen Letizia. Enjoy!

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Worn on her wedding day, this tiara was an early favorite of Letizia’s. The piece is a German imperial heirloom, passed down from mother to daughter until it reached Letizia’s mother-in-law, Queen Sofia of Spain. (Sofia also wore the tiara on her wedding day.) The tiara was Letizia’s go-to jewel for the first five years of her royal marriage.
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The lovely diamond floral tiara from Queen Sofia’s collection has also been one of Letizia’s favorite sparklers. The piece was made in the nineteenth-century for a Spanish queen, then meandered through exile before being reunited with Queen Sofia in the 1960s. The lightweight, classic piece is one of the easiest Spanish royal tiaras to wear with modern clothes and hairstyles.

One of my favorite tiaras from the Spanish royal collection is the nineteenth-century diamond and pearl shell tiara made by Mellerio. It’s such a wearable work of art, but Letizia has only sported it on one occasion: a gala dinner in December 2007.
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The infamous “missing” tiara from Letizia’s collection finally made its first public appearance in April 2015 at Queen Margrethe of Denmark’s birthday celebrations. It’s the only tiara that Letizia owns personally, and she usually just wears the central fleur-de-lis element as a brooch.
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The gorgeous, balanced diamond and pearl tiara that Cartier made for Queen Ena is one of the most classic tiaras in the Spanish royal collection. Even better — it’s a recycled version of the wedding gift she received from her mother-in-law. (Genius!) Queen Letizia debuted the piece for the first time at a gala dinner in April 2018.
Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images

Although this large diamond and pearl tiara meandered away from the main line of the Spanish royal family, it’s since been returned to the royal fold. Queen Sofia wore it several times, but it had been MIA for more than a decade — until Letizia dusted it off for the first time in November 2018.
Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images

As Letizia is now the Spanish queen consort, she has the exclusive use of “La Buena.” It’s a century-old heirloom from Queen Ena’s collection, and she designated is as one of the joyas de pasar in her will. Letizia has brought it out of the vaults so far for a pair of glittering state banquets, including an important state visit to the United Kingdom.
Note: This is an updated and expanded version of an earlier post.

The Harewood Fringe Tiara

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Princess Mary wears her diamond fringe tiara, ca. 1922

With a recent appearance (as a replica) in the new Downton Abbey film, there’s been a lot of chatter about the diamond fringe tiara that belonged to Princess Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood. Today, we’ve got a look at this tiara’s history.

The fringe tiara is displayed alongside the rest of Mary’s wedding gifts, 1922 (Illustrated London News)

The classic diamond fringe tiara, an always-popular tiara design, was one of Mary’s wedding gifts, offered to her when she wed Viscount Lascelles in 1922. The tiara, which was made around 1890, was presented to her by Lord and Lady Inchcape. They could definitely afford to give a diadem to a princess: Lord Inchcape, who was born James Mackay, was a wealthy Scottish businessman who made a fortune in the shipping industry. He also served as a colonial diplomat and administrator, and he was ennobled as Baron Inchcape in 1911, Viscount Inchcape in 1924, and the 1st Earl of Inchcape in 1929.

Princess Mary wears the fringe tiara, ca. 1922

The new Viscountess Lascelles posed for portraits in her new fringe tiara shortly after her wedding. In the images, she wears the tiara low across her forehead, in 1920s fashion. The versatile tiara could also be taken off its frame and worn as a necklace.

Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Mary kept and wore the fringe tiara throughout her left. More than four decades after she received it, she wore the fringe during the Greek state visit of 1963. She selected the tiara for a special performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Aldwych Theatre in London. (In fact, you’ll note that she repeated almost all of her jewels from the 1922 portrait on this occasion.)

Princess Mary wears the fringe tiara, ca. 1922

Mary passed away in March 1965, and the tiara was sold at Christie’s by her sons in 1966. At some point, the tiara found new aristocratic owners: the Grosvenors. The late 6th Duke of Westminster acquired the tiara at some point, and it seems that it remains a part of the family collection today.

Luxembourg’s Sapphire Tiaras

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The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg may be small, but the royals who reign there have an absolutely massive collection of gorgeous jewels. Today, we’re looking at four (!) of the sapphire tiaras you’ll find in the family’s collection.

Albert Nieboer/Royal Press Europe/DPA/Alamy
The Grand Duchess Adelaide Tiara
One of the most important heirloom tiaras in the grand ducal collection, this diamond and sapphire sparkler features a single large sapphire flanked by diamond leaf designs. It’s a favorite tiara of the women in the grand ducal family, and it’s easy to see why — its simple, classic kokoshnik-style shape makes it easy to wear with modern hairstyles. (Read more about it here!)
Official Portrait/Grand Ducal Court of Luxembourg
The Sapphire Art Deco Necklace Tiara
This striking jewel features a trio of geometric ornaments placed on a simple base, including a central ornament featuring an enormous cabochon sapphire. The ornaments can be worn in various configurations on both a necklace or a tiara frame, and they can be removed and worn separately. Grand Duchess Josephine-Charlotte wears it as a tiara in the official portrait above, but Grand Duchess Maria Teresa has so far only worn it as a necklace.
DPA Picture Alliance Archive/Alamy
The Sapphire Necklace Tiara
This simple diamond and sapphire tiara features pear-shaped diamonds interspersed with smaller sapphires. It’s more often worn these days as a necklace by Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, but above, Grand Duchess Josephine-Charlotte wore it as a tiara during an official visit to Germany in March 1977.
Mark Renders/Getty Images
The Sapphire Bracelet Bandeau
This petite diamond and sapphire tiara, which was one of Grand Duchess Josephine-Charlotte’s wedding presents, is perhaps more often seen in its bracelet form. (In fact, you’ll see it worn that way by Josephine-Charlotte in the portrait above!) It was inherited by Princess Margaretha, Grand Duke Henri’s sister, in 2005. In March 2007, she wore it during a state banquet at Laeken Castle in Belgium.