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Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World

The Duchess of Alba’s Pearl Tiara

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Eugenia Martínez de Irujo, 12th Duchess of Montoro wears her mother’s diamond and pearl tiara on her wedding day in 1998 (screencapture)

There are royals, there are nobles, and then there was Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart y Silva, the 18th Duchess of Alba. During her lifetime, she may have been mostly famous for her appearance and her marriages, but she also had more legitimately recognized noble titles than anyone else on earth and a diamond and pearl tiara with a serious pedigree.

The Palafox y Portocarrero sisters: Paca (who married the 15th Duke of Alba) and Eugénie (who married Emperor Napoleon III of France) [Wikimedia Commons]

Cayetana’s pearl tiara had an illustrious previous owner: Eugénie, the last Empress of France. Eugénie was born in Spain, the daughter of an aristocratic Spanish family. Her sister María Francisca (known as “Paca”) married Jacobo Fitz-James Stuart, the Duke of Alba. (Can you tell that Jacobo had a significant royal connection? That surname means that he was descended from the 1st Duke of Berwick, who was the illegitimate son of James II of England and Arabella Churchill.)

Cayetana wears the tiara in New York, 1959

Jacobo and Paca were the great-grandparents of the late duchess. The tiara was inherited by Eugénie’s Alba relatives, traveled down through the family line to Cayetana.

Cayetana and her first husband, Luis Martínez de Irujo y Artázcoz, on their wedding day in October 1947

For her first wedding in 1947, Cayetana chose to wear Eugénie’s tiara, which features laurel wreath motifs and alternating upright pearls and square-cut diamonds. The marriage ended with her husband’s death in 1972, but the tiara, of course, remained with Cayetana.

Cayetana arrives at the Imperial Ball in New York, December 1959

Cayetana was a regular part of the international social scene, so she had plenty of opportunities to wear the diamond and pearl tiara in public. In December 1959, she brought the tiara with her to New York to wear at the Imperial Ball.

Cayetana dances at the Imperial Ball, 1959

The occasion allowed us to see the tiara in motion as she danced the night away.

Eugenia wears the tiara on her wedding day, October 1998

Two decades ago, Cayetana’s daughter, Eugenia, also used her namesake’s tiara as a bridal diadem. She wore the tiara as she married bullfighter Francisco Rivera Ordóñez in a grand televised ceremony at Seville Cathedral in October 1998. (The marriage produced a daughter named Cayetana, but the couple ultimately divorced. Eugenia is now married to music executive Narcís Rebollo Melció.)

Cayetana wears the tiara on her wedding day, October 1947

Cayetana died in 2014, and her son Carlos became the 19th Duke of Alba. The tiara reportedly remains with the family today. Hopefully we’ll see the piece sparkling on another family bride sometime in the future.

Note: This is an updated version of an earlier post, with new text and images.

This Week in Royal Jewels: September 21-27

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September 21-27, 2018
Lots of royals descended upon New York this week, bringing lots of jewelry with them. Don’t forget to vote for your favorites in the poll below!
JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP/Getty Images
15. For Tuesday’s state opening of parliament in Stockholm, Princess Sofia of Sweden wore classic diamond hoop earrings. (More on the event here!)

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14. Queen Letizia of Spain chose a playful pair of gold earrings shaped like prawns for a visit to a school in Marratxi on Thursday.
EDDIE MULHOLLAND/AFP/Getty Images
13. The Duchess of Sussex wore a rose gold, diamond, and onyx pendant necklace from Pascale Monvoisin for Monday’s Coach Core Awards at Loughborough University.
Riccardo Savi/Getty Images for Concordia Summit
12. Stacked bracelets and rings were the accessories of choice for Princess Lamia Al Saud (a granddaughter of King Saud of Saudi Arabia) as she spoke onstage during the 2018 Concordia Annual Summit on Tuesday in New York.
Riccardo Savi/Getty Images for Concordia Summit
11. Also in attendance at the Concordia Summit in New York was Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, who wore lovely earrings with pale pink drops as she delivered remarks on Monday.
DIRK WAEM/AFP/Getty Images
10. Queen Mathilde of the Belgians wore a pair of gold earrings with pearlescent disc drops to meet with some of Belgium’s champion athletes at the Royal Palace in Brussels on Thursday.
JACQUES DEMARTHON/AFP/Getty Images
9. Queen Sonja of Norway has been on a visit to France this week, and for Sunday’s visit to the National Ceramics Museum of Sevres, she wore a suite of beaded jewels with a distinctive bronze hue.
CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP/Getty Images
8. For Monday’s visit to the Pierre Corneille high school in Rouen with Brigitte Macron, Queen Sonja wore the earrings and necklace from one of her suites of modern metallic jewels.
ANGELA WEISS/AFP/Getty Images
7. To deliver her annual report at the United Nations in New York on Wednesday, Queen Maxima of the Netherlands wore her pearly shell earrings with a pearl drop pendant necklace.
JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP/Getty Images
6. Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden chose her diamond and pearl cluster stud earrings, a necklace with a horseshoe charm, and a gorgeous diamond rosette brooch for Tuesday’s state opening of parliament. (More here!)
5. Crown Princess Masako of Japan wore pearls with a lovely, classic brooch on Tuesday to attend a reception for the World Social Science Forum at the Fukuoka International Congress Center.
Chris Jackson/Getty Images
4. For her very first solo engagement, Tuesday’s visit to a new exhibition of Oceanic art, the Duchess of Sussex wore favorite diamond earrings from Birks with her usual set of rings. (More views here!)
Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images for Fashion 4 Development
3. Camilla of Bourbon-Two Sicilies sparkled in a major pair of geometric gem-set earrings on Tuesday for Fashion 4 Development’s 8th Annual Official First Ladies Luncheon in New York.
JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP/Getty Images
2. At the Riksdag on Tuesday, Queen Silvia of Sweden wore pearls — a single-stranded pearl necklace, diamond and pearl drop earrings, and a gorgeous diamond and pearl cluster and drop brooch — for the state opening of parliament. (Much more here!)
VALERY HACHE/AFP/Getty Images
1. Princess Charlene of Monaco sparkled in diamond stud earrings and a glittering diamond cuff bracelet with a lattice pattern for Wednesday’s second annual Monte-Carlo Gala for the Global Ocean.

This Week in Royal Jewels: September 14-20

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September 14-20, 2018
There’s some serious regal sparkle to enjoy in this week’s roundup! Don’t forget to vote for your favorites in the poll below!
BEN STANSALL/AFP/Getty Images
10. The Duchess of Sussex’s rings sparkled and gleamed at Kensington Palace on Thursday during the launch of Together, a cookbook produced by women affected by the Grenfell Tower Fire.

FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP/Getty Images

9. On Monday, Crown Princess Mary of Denmark wore classic hoop earrings to attend a WHO Regional Committee for Europe meeting in Rome.

Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images

8. In Salamanca, Queen Letizia of Spain chose her feather earrings for Tuesday’s visit to the Science Park.

BENOIT DOPPAGNE/AFP/Getty Images

7. Queen Mathilde of the Belgians wore a pair of her signature gold statement earrings on Tuesday for a visit to a school for children with special needs in Brussels.

JOHN THYS/AFP/Getty Images

6. Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg wore a massive pair of ornate earrings on Thursday for a football match between F91 Dudelange and AC Milan at the Josy Barthel Stadium.

BART MAAT/AFP/Getty Images

5. On Tuesday, Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands wore a suite of blue beaded jewelry during the Prinsjesdag celebrations in The Hague. (Much more over here!)

LINTAO ZHANG/AFP/Getty Images

4. Queen Monique of Cambodia, the mother of King Norodom Sihamoni, wore elegant pearls to accompany her son to Beijing on Wednesday.

Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images

3. Dazzling Bulgari earrings set with aquamarines and diamonds were Queen Letizia’s choice for a night at the opera in Madrid on Wednesday.

ROBIN UTRECHT/AFP/Getty Images

2. Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands sparkled in diamonds and aquamarines from the Dutch royal vaults for Prinsjesdag in The Hague on Tuesday. (More over here!)

ROBIN UTRECHT/AFP/Getty Images

1. For her annual Prinsjesdag appearance, Queen Maxima of the Netherlands glittered in diamonds, including modern fringe earrings, a diamond ribbon brooch, and several bracelets. (Much more over here!)