Today marks the 60th Anniversary of the Death of Princess Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood, who passed away on this day in 1965! The only daughter of King George V and Queen Mary who married into the prominent Aristocratic Family, Princess Mary had an enormous jewellery collection, which was highlighted by the Harewood Diamond Scroll Tiara!
Harewood Scroll Tiara | Queen Victoria’s Sapphire Tiara | Harewood Fringe Tiara | Emerald Necklace | Russian Sapphire Devant de Corsage | Diamond Chain
When Princess Mary married Viscount Lascelles, the future 6th Earl of Harewood, in 1922, the King’s only daughter received several spectacular Wedding Gifts, which was highlighted by this magnificent Diamond Scroll Tiara newly created by Garrard using the ancient Clanricarde Jewels inherited by Viscount Lascelles from his eccentric great-uncle, the last Marquess of Clanricarde which had lain unused in a bank vault for over a century. Two hundred years earlier, it had been reportedly prophesied that
‘the diamonds would one day be worn by the daughter of a King’
A newlywed Princess Mary wore the Tiara with a Sapphire and Diamond Brooch in the central element along with Queen Victoria’s Sapphire Necklace and her Russian Sapphire Devant de Corsage for a Presentation Court at Buckingham Palace in 1922, when Official Portraits were taken.
Princess Mary wore the Harewood Diamond Tiara on numerous occasions over the years, paired with Diamond Brooches and Pendants also created from the Clanricarde Jewels, among them for the French State Visit to Britain in 1939.
The Princess Royal wore the Harewood Diamond Tiara, set with the Sapphire, with Queen Victoria’s Sapphire Necklace and her Russian Sapphire Devant de Corsage for the Coronation of her brother, King George VI, and a series of portraits taken at the same time.
Princess Mary also wore the Harewood Diamond Tiara, set with the Sapphire, with Queen Victoria’s Sapphire Necklace and her Russian Sapphire Devant de Corsage for the Coronation of her niece, Queen Elizabeth II, in 1953.
The Harewood Diamond Tiara was worn by Princess Mary for the Coronation Gala at Covent Garden in 1953 and also with her Emerald Necklace for a Gala Performance at Covent Garden during the Swedish State Visit to Britain in 1954 as well as during the Ethiopian State Visit to Britain in 1954.
One of the last notable appearances of the Sapphire version of the Harewood Tiara came in 1956, when Princess Mary paired it with Queen Victoria’s Sapphire Necklace and her Russian Sapphire Devant de Corsage as she joined the British Royal Family for a Banquet hosted by the British Army in the Great Hall of the Royal Hospital in Chelsea.
Princess Mary continued to wear the Harewood Diamond Tiara into the latter years of her life, like for the German State Visit to Britain in 1958, a Gala Performance at Covent Garden in 1960, and the Belgian State Visit to Britain in 1963.
Following Princess Mary’s death in 1965, the Harewood Scroll Tiara, in the diamond version, was auction in 1970 for £9,500 while the Sapphire and Diamond Brooch was sold for £10,500. The Russian Sapphire Devant de Corsage had been sold for £28,000 in 1960, during her lifetime, while the Queen Victoria’s Sapphire Necklace sold for £8,000.
More recently, after remaining in the family for decades, Queen Victoria’s Sapphire Coronet was sold, but unlike the other pieces which disappeared, it is now on display the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.
Harewood Scroll Tiara | Queen Victoria’s Sapphire Tiara | Harewood Fringe Tiara | Emerald Necklace | Russian Sapphire Devant de Corsage | Diamond Chain
