The Ones That Got Away (Part Two)

Two Tiaras That Belonged To An Iconic Queen…

Welcome to the second part of my look at the jewels that I wish were still part of the British royal family’s jewel collection. In the first part of this series I covered two tiaras that belonged to the late Queen and Princess Margaret. I’ll pop the link for that one at the bottom of this, in case you missed it. This week, I’m exploring what happened to two tiaras from the collection of Queen Victoria. These are two real treausres and I think it’s such a shame that they can no longer be worn by royal women. Enjoy…

Queen Victoria’s Sapphire & Diamond Coronet

Queen Victoria’s Sapphire and Diamond Coronet is a (relatively) tiny but extremely beautiful piece of jewellery. Prince Albert created some extraordinary jewels for his wife and I think that this is definitely amongst the most stunning. When Victoria and Albert were married in 1840, he presented her with a large sapphire brooch that she adored and wore pinned to her wedding dress. That brooch remains in the royal family and is currently worn by Queen Camilla.

Albert decided to create a sapphire tiara for his new wife to match her beloved brooch. In 1840, the same year that they were married, Albert designed the sapphire and diamond coronet and it was made by Joseph Kitching of Kitching and Abud jewellers. The coronet became one of Queen Victoria’s most treasured jewels.

The Sapphire Coronet is a small tiara made from silver and gold. It features festoon and trefoil shaped diamond ornaments above an intricately designed base of diamonds and sapphires in both cushion and kite cuts. It is a flexible tiara - it can be worn in an open setting - like a traditional tiara or closed tightly like a small coronet. The coronet first appeared in the public sphere in 1842 when VIctoria wore it in a famous portrait painted by Franz Xavier Winterhalter - one of the most iconic images of her early reign.

After Albert’s tragic death in 1861, Victoria rarely wore jewellery with coloured stones - this coronet became the exception. She was often pictured wearing the coronet atop the white lace cap that she frequently wore during her widowhood. In 1866 when she felt able to open parliament for the first time since her loss, it was the sapphire and diamond coronet that she chose to wear, with her crown (the Imperial State Crown) being carried on a cushion.

Just dream with me for a moment here… How stunning would this look on the Princess of Wales at a state banquet or the annual diplomatic reception? A lovely image, isn’t it? Sadly, that is all that it will remain as the sapphire and diamond coronet was lost to the main line of the royal family decades ago…

How did it leave the royal family and where is it now?

There is not some big mystery or dramatic story to the “loss” of the sapphire and diamond coronet. This precious gem simply passed out of the main royal line through inheritance. After Queen Victoria’s death in 1901 the coronet passed to her son, the new Edward VII, and in turn to his son George V. Neither of their wives - Queen Alexandra and Queen Mary - wore the tiara, at least not publicly. In 1932 when George and Mary’s daughter, Princess Mary (the Princess Royal) married, they gave her Queen Victoria’s sapphire jewels (the coronet, a necklace and a bracelet) as a wedding present. Princess Mary often wore the coronet, including in the portrait seen below, and for events like gala concerts and receptions.

Mary also allowed the tiara and Queen Victoria’s other sapphire pieces to be exhibited.

It then passed to her son, the 7th Earl of Harewood. His wife, the Countess, wore the coronet several times, including to a silver jubilee event in Leeds with the Queen in 1977. The sapphire and diamond coronet was worn at a family wedding in the 1990s and after that the trail gets a little cloudy.

The tiara was exhibited several times and is believed to have been sold after the seventh earl’s death in 2011 - likely due to the burden of inheritance taxes. The identity of this buyer has never been revealed. What we do know is that in 2015 this person sold the coronet to a new owner from outside the United Kingdom. The news that such an historic piece was going to be leaving the country caused a significant outcry. To avoid the scenario of Victoria’s coronet being lost to the UK, the government refused the buyer an export license and the hunt was on for a new UK based buyer.

In 2016, it was announced that a buyer had been found. Thanks to the generosity of the Bollinger family (a hedge fund tycoon) the coronet would remain in the UK. They purchased it and gave it as a gift to the nation and to the Commonwealth. In 2017 the Victoria and Albert Museum announced that their new jewellery gallery would become the new permanent home for the coronet. It went on permanent public display in 2019. Hmmm, a thought just occurred- Kate is patron of the V & A. So next time she visits, maybe she could just slip it in her bag? I’m sure that nobody would notice! 😂

Queen Victoria’s Emerald Tiara

This is another incredible gem commissioned and designed for Queen Victoria by her beloved Prince Albert. The tiara has the shape of a tapered open work band featuring cushion cut diamonds and emeralds set in gold collets. Above this is beautiful diamond scrollwork topped by nineteen exquisite inverted pear shaped emeralds - the largest of which weighs 15 carats! Albert also designed an emerald necklace, earrings and a brooch. Albert commissioned the tiara from jeweller Joseph Kitching for £1150! Albert presented the incredible gift to Victoria in 1845 - perfect for her as emerald was her birthstone.

The emerald tiara became a favourite of the young Queen and she wore it for a variety of different occasions, including a state visit to France in 1855, and in several portraits painted by Winterhalter between 1846 and 1859.

After Albert’s death in 1861, Queen Victoria loaned the emerald tiara to her granddaughter Princess Victoria, Marchioness of Milford Haven (Prince Philip’s grandmother). The princess wore it to a costume ball in the 1880s when she wore it around a velvet cap.

It was also possibly loaned to Queen Victoria’s daughter Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll as she appears to be wearing it in pictures from the wedding of the future King George V and Queen Mary in 1893.

How Did It Leave The Royal Family and where is it now?

It may have left the direct line of the royal family but the emerald and diamond tiara still belongs to a descendant of Queen Victoria. It was either left or given to Victoria’s granddaughter Princes Alexandra, the Duchess of Fife. It was last seen being publicly worn by Caroline. the Duchess of Fife (wife of the third duke)at the 1960 State Opening of Parliament.

Queen Victoria’s emerald tiara is now on exhibit at Kensington Palace. The tiara and other pieces of Victoria’s emerald parure (along with other Fife jewels) are on a long term loan from the estate of the third Duke of Fife, who died in 2015. It was also previously displayed at other exhibitions such as Power & Image : Royal and Aristocratic Tiaras at Sothebys London and “One Hundred Tiaras, An Evolution of Style” in 1997.

It’s sad that both of these beautiful tiaras are no longer able to be worn. But it is also wonderful that they can now be seen by the public.

Have you enjoyed these “missing” jewellery newsletters? Because I have a couple more gems that I have discovered in my research that I would love to share with you! If you missed my first “the ones that got away” newsletter, here’s the link for you -

Thanks for reading,

Jane.