
This weekend at Hidden Gems, I’m beginning a new series on the fascinating courtship of Princess Margaret of Connaught, which took place 120 years ago this winter. As bonus reading today, I’ve got a look at some of the spectacular jewels worn by four more British royal granddaughters who had made glittering matches in the years before Margaret: an Empress of Russia, a Queen of Norway, a Queen of Romania, and a Queen of the Hellenes.

A Crown Prince or a King: The Courtship of Princesses Margaret and Patricia of Connaught (Part 1)
[Hidden Gems exclusive]
This January marks 120 years since the Duke and Duchess of Connaught embarked on a famous Mediterranean voyage with their eligible daughters, Margaret and Patricia. As the family stopped in countries along the way to their Egyptian destination, there were chances for royal romance to blossom—with varying results.

For royal jewel lovers, there are few things better than the sudden, surprise reappearance of a jewel that has been hidden away from public view for decades. One of the biggest of these surprises was the reemergence of one of the most impressive diadems belonging to the former royal family of Greece: the diamond tiara of Queen Sophie of the Hellenes.

Crown Princess Marie’s Dramatic Romanian Tiara
The Queen of Romania was born Princess Marie of Edinburgh, the eldest daughter of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh (a son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert) and Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia (the only daughter of Tsar Alexander II of Russia). She married Crown Prince Ferdinand of Romania in 1893, and they succeeded to the throne as King Ferdinand and Queen Marie of Romania in 1914. Around 1908, while she was still Romania’s crown princess, Marie posed for a series of dramatic portraits. These were published as postcards in Germany (where her parents lived) and Romania.

Empress Alexandra Feodorovna’s Pearl and Diamond Diadem
The diadem—which seems like the appropriate description of the head ornament, which is really too large to be described as a tiara—has a slightly uncertain provenance. We know that it was in Alexandra’s collection by 1906, but historians don’t seem to agree on the details of its creation. A.E. Fersman, who made the famous catalogue of Romanov jewels after the revolution, listed the diadem as a nineteenth-century jewel; he reportedly believed that the diadem was the most impressive jewel from the entire collection.

Terrifying Tiara Tales: The Norwegian Tiara That Vanished in London
As is so often true, this story begins with a royal wedding. In the summer of 1896, Princess Maud of Wales, the youngest daughter of the Prince and Princess of Wales, married a cousin, Prince Carl of Denmark. The glittering wedding was held in the presence of Maud’s grandmother, Queen Victoria, in the private chapel at Buckingham Palace. Royals from across Europe, most of whom were related to the bride and groom, were crammed into the small space for the wedding.
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