Happy Birthday to Princess Sofia of the Bourbon Two Sicilies, the Duchess of Calabria, who turns 50 today! The Consort of the Head of the House of the Bourbon-Two Sicilies, the Duchess has only ever worn this historic royal heirloom, the Habsburg Diamond Button Tiara!
Habsburg Diamond Button Tiara | Calabria Sapphire Tiara | Queen Marie Antoinette’s Pearl Necklace | Diamond Bracelets | Royal Jewels from the Bourbon Parma Family
But first, let’s learn about the Duchess of Calabria! Doña Sofia Landaluce y Melgarejo is the daughter of José Manuel Landaluce y Domínguezand of María de las Nieves Blanca Melgarejo y González, a granddaughter of the 5th Duke of San Fernando de Quiroga. In 1992, she welcomed her first child, Prince Jaime of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duke of Noto, with is the wife of Prince Pedro of the Bourbon Two Sicilies, son of Infante Carlos, Duke of Calabria and Princess Anne of France, before her marriage in 2001, after which eh could have welcomed six more children. Prince Pedro became the Duke of Calabria and Count of Caserta, Pretender to the defunct throne of the Two Sicilies, in 2015, and the couple have recently welcomed their first grandchild, Princess Francesca.
Comprising five round diamond buttons with a foliage design set in a simple platinum structure, this Tiara was a family gift to Princess Alicia of Bourbon-Parma on the occasion of her Wedding to Infante Alfonso, Duke of Calabria, in 1936. The Infante was a first cousin of the Count of Barcelona and a half-brother of the Countess of Barcelona through their father, Prince Carlos of Borbon-Two Sicilies. The union of Don Alfonso and Doña Alicia united two branches of the Borbon family: the Borbons from Naples and the Borbons from Parma. Princess Alicia was also a Habsburg descendant through her mother, who was Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria-Teschen. The Habsburg Court is in fact the source of the five diamond buttons that today adorn the Calabria Tiara, like many of Infanta Alicia’s Jewels.
By family tradition, this set of XVIII century Diamond Buttons was passed through various generations of the Habsburg-Teschen branch. Archduchess Marie Christine (1742-1798) was portrayed by Martin van Meytens wearing them adorning her hair. The use of jewelled buttons in women’s fashion goes back centuries, during the XVIII and XIX centuries, buttons became fashionable accessories for women’s clothing. They were used to embellish various garments, including dresses, capes, hair, and even shoes. These buttons were typically crafted with precious stones, often diamonds, set in gold or silver. As fashion evolved over time and changes occurred, the prominence of jewelled buttons diminished. Thankfully, some examples have survived to this day although having been adapted to different uses, like the Swedish Four and Six Button Tiaras.
Unfortunately, there are no publicly known images of Infanta Alicia nor her daughter-in-law, Princess Anne of France, wearing the Calabria Button Tiara. The Orléans Princess chose a piece from her own family, a Diamond Comb, to adorn her hair when she wedded Infante Carlos, Duke of Calabria, in 1965.
Nonetheless, Doña Ana wore the Five Diamond Buttons suspended from a pearl necklace on the occasion of the Wedding of Infanta Elena and Jaime de Marichalar in 1995. These versatile heirlooms are currently adapted to be worn as earrings, pendants, brooches and hairpins.
The Calabria Tiara become the bridal jewel par excellence for the offspring of Don Carlos and Doña, as all except one of their daughters and their only daughter-in-law choose to wear the Diamond Buttons on their respective wedding days. In July 1994, their eldest daughter, Princess Cristina, married Pedro López-Quesada in the Family’s estate, “La Toledana”. For that occasion, she borrowed her mother’s old lace veil and the Calabria Button Tiara.
Two years later, in July 1996, it was Princess Maria Paloma who borrowed the veil and the Family Tiara for her wedding to Archduke Simeon of Habsburg-Lothringen, a grandson of Emperor Karl and Empress Zita of Austria.
In March 2001, it was the turn of Doña Sofía Landaluce to borrow the Diamond Tiara and Princess Anne’s wedding veil for her wedding to Prince Pedro, the then Duke of Noto. This happened ten years after the start of their relationship and after having a son together in 1996, as the couple was not allowed to marry before, due to family tensions.
In September 2003, Don Carlos and Doña Ana’s youngest daughter, Princess Victoria, borrowed the old lace veil and the Family’s Diamond Buttons for her marriage to Markos Nomikos. However, the Princess chose to display them as hairpins, on the back of her hair, out of the platinum structure.
From time to time, the Calabria Diamond Buttons have been worn as brooches and earrings by the ladies of the family. Princess Cristina has worn them often. On some occasions, the Princess has worn three of them fixed on her seed pearl choker.
The Duchess of Calabria has also worn the Buttons as earrings and brooches, most notably for the Wedding of her eldest son, Prince Jaime, Duke of Noto, with Lady Charlotte Lindesay Bethune in 2021. While several family heirlooms, including Queen Marie Antoinette’s Pearl Necklace and Diamond Bracelets, have been recently auctioned, these remain the most important jewels with the House of the Bourbon-Two Sicilies.
This article was written by assistant editor, David Rato, who runs the Spanish Royal Jewels account on Instagram!
Habsburg Diamond Button Tiara | Calabria Sapphire Tiara | Queen Marie Antoinette’s Pearl Necklace | Diamond Bracelets | Royal Jewels from the Bourbon Parma Family
