The ‘Big Gun Tiara’ of the collection, the Luxembourg Empire Tiara has been in the Grand Ducal Family since the 1829, when it was first recorded in the Nassau Family vaults, and was possibly made by Frankfurt-based jeweller Jakob Tillmann Speltz. Known as the Reiches Diadem in German, the Tiara is 10.5 centimetres tall and and has a diameter of 19 centimetres, though it is now set in its current formation, despite originally having been able to be made into other tiaras, brooches, and rings.

The Tiara got its first publicly appearance in 1919, when the newly acceded Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg wore the Empire Tiara for her Wedding to Prince Felix of Bourbon-Parma at the Cathédral Notre-Dame in Luxembourg.

While it has primarily been reserved for the exclusive use of the reigning Grand Duchess, the only exception was in 1930, when Princess Hilda of Luxembourg wore the Empire Tiara for her Wedding to the 10th Prince of Schwarzenberg.

Grand Duchess Charlotte wore the Empire Tiara with other heirloom family diamonds for her State Portrait, which was painted around 1937.

While she preferred the Chaumet Emerald Tiara, Grand Duchess Charlotte continued to wear the Empire Tiara for Official Portraits and Gala events, including the Wedding Ball of King Baudouin and Doña Fabiola de Mora y Aragón at the Royal Palace of Brussles in 1960.

In 1964, Grand Duchess Charlotte wore the Empire Tiara for a final time, as she Abdicated the Throne in favour of her elder son, Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg.

Soon, the Empire Tiara was worn by the new Grand Duchess Joséphine Charlotte, who wore the Tiara for an Official Portrait and on State Visits to The Netherlands and her native Belgium.

Grand Duchess Joséphine Charlotte also reserved the Empire Tiara for the most special occasions, wearing the Tiara on a State Visit to Britain in 1972 and for the Belgian State Visit to Luxembourg in 1994.

A few years after the Grand Duke’s Accession, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa debuted the Empire Tiara on a State Visit to The Netherlands in 2006, and then on a State Visit to Belgium in 2007, both Kingdoms having strong political, social, and historical ties to the Grand Duchy and the Grand Ducal Family.

In 2010, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa wore the Empire Tiara for the Wedding of Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel of Sweden.

Most recently, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa wore the Empire Tiara for a series of Official Portraits taken around 2011. While the Grand Duchess has primarily worn the Belgian Scroll Tiara in recent years, with a State Visit to Belgium coming up next month, lets hope the magnificent Empire Tiara makes another appearance.

Luxembourg Empire Tiara | Belgian Scroll Tiara | Luxembourg Chaumet Emerald Tiara | Chaumet Choker Tiara | Vine Leaves Tiara | Grand Duchess Adélaïde Tiara | Emerald Peacock Tiara | Aquamarine Tiara | Turquoise Tiara | Diamond Rosettes