Today marks the 70th Anniversary of the Death of Crown Princess Antonia of Bavaria, who passed away on this day in 1954! The Luxembourg Princess who married the last Bavarian Crown Prince and was imprisoned in a Concentration Camp during the Second World War, Crown Princess Antonia possessed some splendid royal heirlooms, including the magnificent Bavarian Ruby Tiara!

But first, let’s learn about Crown Princess Antonia! The fourth daughter of Grand Duke Guillaume IV of Luxembourg and Infanta Marie Anne of Portugal, who was the younger sister of Grand Duchess Marie-Adélaïde and Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg, Princess Antonia married Crown Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria in 1921, following a three-year engagement due to his position in the German Army.

The couple had six children and spent the interwar years between the Bavarian Royal Family’s numerous Castles and Estates. During the Second World War, the Royal Family went into exile in Italy and Hungary before Crown Princess Antonia and her daughters were captured and imprisoned in a Concentration Camp until being liberated in 1945. Crown Princess Antonia, whose health was greatly affected by the torture the was subjected to by her captors, vowed never to return to German soil, and passed away in Switzerland nine years later.

In 1830, King Ludwig I of Bavaria commissioned this magnificent Ruby and Spinel Parure from Court Jeweller Caspar Rieländer as a gift for Queen Therese, consisting of a Tiara, a Necklace, a Pair of Earrings and two Bracelets.

Queen Therese thought the Bavarian Ruby Tiara was too heavy and preferred her smaller Tiaras, like the Bavarian Lover’s Knot Tiara, and it doesn’t seem to have been worn by subsequent Queens either.

Shortly after her marriage to Crown Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria in 1921, Crown Princess Antonia wore the massive Bavarian Ruby Tiara and Necklace for a series of portraits taken at the Residenz in Munich.

The Bavarian Royal Jewels remained with the Royal Family after the Second World War, and while the Bavarian Lover’s Knot Tiara was worn once, the Bavarian Ruby Tiara has never been worn again, but is on permanent display in the Schatzkammer (Treasury) of Munich’s Residenz, the former Royal Palace that is now a Museum.

Bavarian Lover’s Knot Tiara

Bavarian Ruby Tiara

Diamond and Pearl Tiara

Pearl and Diamond Floral Tiara

Douglas Floral Tiara

Diamond Rosette Tiara

Bavarian Sapphire Floral Tiara

Bavarian Sunburst Tiara