Today marks the Anniversary of the Death of Empress Zita of Austria, who passed away on this day in 1989! The Bourbon-Parma Princess who became the last Empress of Austria and then a tragic widow for over seven decades in exile, Empress Zita possessed a spectacular jewellery collection, which included this Order of the Starry Cross!
Diamond Tiara | Habsburg Crown Pearls | Jet Tiara | Habsburg Pearl and Diamond Bandeau | Order of the Starry Cross
The Order of the Starry Cross was founded in 1668 by Eleonora Gonzaga, Dowager Holy Roman Empress. The order, that was also approved by Pope Clement IX, should only be bestowed to Catholic high-born ladies, and after receiving the order they should dedicate themselves to their faith and live a virtuous life. The order’s motto is “Salue et Gloria”, meaning “Hail and Glory”. The order is composed of four grades, the highest grade (Special Class) being reserved for the Grand Mistress. The badge is to be worn suspended from a black ribbon, though many Archduchesses wore it suspended from Diamond Bow Brooches. Since the present Sovereign of the order, Archduke Karl, was separated for the majority of his tenure, the current Grand Mistress of the Order of the Starry Cross is his sister, Archduchess Gabriela.
Princess Zita of Bourbon Parma received the Order of the Starry Cross suspended form a spectacular Diamond Bow Brooch from Emperor Franz Joseph, when she married his nephew and eventual heir, Archduke Karl of Austria, in 1911, which she paired with a Diamond Tiara also given by the Emperor, for the Wedding at Schloss Schwarzau.
Empress Zita retained her Orders after the end of the Habsburg Monarchy, the theft of the Crown Jewels, and the trials of the Second World War, wearing the Diamond Brooch of the Order of the Starry Cross with her Jet Tiara for the Wedding of her youngest daughter, Archduchess Elisabeth of Austria, and Prince Heinrich of Liechtenstein at the Château de Lignières in 1949.
The following year, Empress Zita wore her Jet Tiara with the Diamond Brooch of the Order of the Starry Cross for the Wedding of her son, Archduke Carl Ludwig of Austria, and Princess Yolande of Ligne at the Château de Beloeil in 1950.
When Princess Regina of Saxe-Mainingen married Archduke Otto von Habsburg in 1951 (on Empress Zita’s 59th Birthday), Empress Zita gave the Diamond Brooch of the Order of the Starry Cross to the new Archduchess Regina, who paired it with Empress Zita’s Diamond Tiara, as the new Grand Mistress of the Order.
Two years later, Archduchess Regina wore the Diamond Brooch of the Order of the Starry Cross with Empress Zita’s Diamond Tiara for the Wedding Ball of her brother-in-law, Archduke Robert of Austria, and Princess Margherita of Savoy-Aosta.
The following day, Archduchess Regina wore the Order of the Starry Cross as she attended the Wedding of Archduke Robert of Austria and Princess Margherita of Savoy-Aosta the Royal Monastery of Brou, joined by Queen Marie Jose of Italy and Queen Giovanna of Bulgaria.
Archduchess Regina also wore the Diamond Badge of the Order of the Starry Cross at the Wedding of Princess Astrid of Belgium and Archduke Lorenz of Austria-Este in Brussels in 1984.
In later years, Archduchess Regina mainly wore the Order of the Starry Cross suspended from a Silk Ribbon, but in 2011, the Diamond Brooch of the Order of the Starry Cross was displayed during the Lying-in-State at St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna, ahead of the Burial of Archduke Otto and Archduchess Regina at the Capuchin Church (Kapuzinerkirche). It has yet to be publicly worn since.
Empress Zita’s Diamond Tiara | Habsburg Pearl and Diamond Bandeau | Diamond Necklace | Empress Zita’s Order of the Starry Cross
