Today marks the 10th Anniversary of the Death of Marion, Countess of Harewood, who passed away on this day in 2014! The Austrian Pianist who was married to a King’s grandson and later a scandalous MP, the Countess was never seen wearing the jewels of her mother-in-law, Princess Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood, but primarily wore this heirloom Diamond Floral Tiaras!
This striking Diamond Floral Tiara is an heirloom of the Earls of Harewood, and was recorded at the Cartier Exhibition ahead of the Coronation of King George V in 1911, being described:
The Countess of Harewood has her diamonds set like fine roses, standing out from leaves and branches of diamonds
Although the tiaras were all firmly placed on velvet cushions, inside the heavy cases, there was one which caught the eye by the quivering of a flower above it. This was the Countess of Harewood’s tiara. The flower—a rose of diamonds— nodded ever so slightly on its slender silver stem —a delightful surprise in jewellery.
Princess Mary reset Family Heirlooms into the Harewood Scroll Tiara, or wore Royal Heirlooms and Wedding Gifts like Queen Victoria’s Sapphire Tiara and her Fringe Tiara, so the Harewood Floral Tiara wasn’t seen until after the marriage of her elder son, the Earl of Harewood, and Marion Stein in 1949, notably appearing on the newlywed Countess during Princess Elizabeth’s Tour of Yorkshire in 1949.
The Countess of Harewood also wore the Diamond Floral Tiara for the the inaugural Gala Performance at the Royal Albert Hall, marking the opening of the Festival of Britain in 1951, ahead of the Festival Opera Ball at The Dorchester Hotel. The annual opera-inspired fancy dress ball was created by the Countess in aid of her friend, Benjamin Britten’s, English Opera Group.
The most prominent appearance of the Diamond Floral Tiara came in 1953, when it was worn by the Countess of Harewood at the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey.
A few days later, the Countess of Harewood also wore the Diamond Floral Tiara to the Coronation Gala at Covent Garden.
The Countess of Harewood was a smart opera goer at London’s Covent Garden. She wore a bouffant gown of blue and white floral organza with a silver-fox fur and a diamond tiara.
Two years later, the Diamond Floral Tiara was worn by the Countess of Harewood for a Gala Performance at Covent Garden during the Portuguese State Visit to Britain in 1955.
Through the late 1950s, the Countess was frequently pictured with a large floral spray on her bodice, which may or may not have been elements of the Diamond Floral Tiara.
The Countess of Harewood wore the Diamond Floral Tiara for another notable appearance at some point in the late 1950s, dancing with her friend, Benjamin Britten. By 1959, the couple’s marriage was over but the Countess refused a divorce until 1967, by when the Earl already had a son with his later second wife. Marion, Countess of Harewood remarried to MP Jeremy Thorpe, and stood by him through the scandalous Thorpe affair, passing away on this day 10 years ago at the age of 87. The elder of there three sons is the current Earl of Harewood.
The Diamond Floral Tiara has not been publicly worn again, and the next Countess was only seen wearing Queen Victoria’s Sapphire Tiara. From the 1960s, the Harewoods have been selling off their jewels, like the Harewood Scroll Tiara, the Fringe Tiara, Princess Mary’s Emerald Necklace, her Russian Sapphire Devant de Corsage, and most recently the Queen Victoria’s Sapphire Tiara, the fate of the Diamond Floral Tiara remains unknown but it seems to have been put on display sometime in the past few years.
In ‘Tiaras, a history of splendour’ Geoffrey Munn stated that he sent a letter to to the Earl of Harewood and the Countess telephoned him saying that “there is only one tiara (Queen Victoria’s Sapphire Tiara), but it was so small you probably didn’t want it’ But Munn’s enquiry was about ‘anything of royal provenance’, so it’s possible that the Diamond Floral Tiara (which may be an entailed piece) remains in the family.
Harewood Floral Tiara | Harewood Scroll Tiara | Queen Victoria’s Sapphire Tiara | Harewood Fringe Tiara | Emerald Necklace | Russian Sapphire Devant de Corsage
