Today marks the 20th Anniversary of the Death of Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte of Luxembourg, who passed away on this day in 2005! The Belgian Princess who became the consort of the world’s only Grand Duchy, to mark the anniversary, we are featuring Queen Astrid’s Emerald Earrings!
Empire Tiara | Belgian Scroll Tiara | Chaumet Emerald Tiara | Grand Duchess Adélaïde Tiara | Chaumet Choker Tiara | Emerald Peacock Tiara | Queen Astrid’s Emerald Earrings | Congo Diamond Necklace Tiara | Princess Ingeborg’s Pearl Brooch
When Princess Astrid of Sweden married Crown Prince Leopold of Belgium in 1926, she received several magnificent Wedding Gifts, which included the Nine Provinces Tiara alongside several heirloom Emerald and Diamond Jewels, some taken from the Napoleonic Emerald Tiara, as well as a pair of Emerald and Diamond Earrings, that were transformed by the 1930s into these striking Emerald and Diamond Earrings.
By the time of King Leopold’s accession in 1934, the Emerald and Diamond Earrings had become trademarks of Queen Astrid, being worn for several official portraits as well as for the Royal Couple’s official entry into Antwerp.
The following year, Queen Astrid paired the Emerald Earrings with her Emerald Pendants and the Nine Provinces Tiara for the Wedding Gala of Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark and Princess Ingrid of Sweden at the Royal Palace of Stockholm in 1935.
During the summer of 1925, Queen Astrid wore the Emerald and Diamond Earrings for several portraits and quite a few gala occasions, often with her new Art Deco Bandeau Tiara.
One of the final appearances of the Emerald and Diamond Earrings came during the Duke and Duchess of York’s visit to Brussels in July 1935, which came just weeks before Queen Astrid’s tragic death in a car crash.
After Queen Astrid’s death, the King later remarried to the Princess of Réthy, who wore Queen Astrid’s Emerald Earrings on a number of occasions in exile in the 1940s, alongside Queen Astrid’s Emerald Tiara and her own Köchert Emerald Brooch.
When Queen Astrid’s only daughter, Princess Joséphine-Charlotte, married the Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg in 1953, Queen Astrid’s Emerald Earrings were among the few heirlooms passed along to the bride, while most of Queen Astrid’s other emerald jewels remained with the Princess of Réthy and have since disappeared. Queen Astrid’s Emerald Pendants were transfixed into the Emerald Peacock Necklace/Tiara and were often paired with the Emerald and Diamond Earrings.
Queen Astrid’s Emerald Earrings were among the most worn jewels of the then Hereditary Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte along with the Belgian Scroll Tiara and the Emerald Peacock Necklace, being worn for a Gala Performance at the Drottningholm Palace Theatre and the Order of Amaranth Ball in 1956, the Wedding Ball of King Constantine II of Greece and Princess Anne Marie of Denmark in 1964, the Wedding of Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik of Denmark in 1967, and the Wedding of her first cousin, King Harald, and Queen Sonja of Norway in 1968.
Grand Duchess Joséphine Charlotte also wore Queen Astrid’s Emerald Earrings for the Luxembourg State Visit to her native Belgium in 1968, the Luxembourg State Visit to Britain in 1972, the British State Visit to Luxembourg in 1976 and on the Dutch State Visit to Luxembourg in 1981.
In 1982, Grand Duchess Joséphine Charlotte loaned the Earrings and the Emerald Peacock Tiara to her daughter, the newlywed Archduchess Marie Astrid of Austria, for the Wedding Ball of Prince Nikolaus of Liechtenstein and her sister, Princess Margaretha of Luxembourg, at the Grand Ducal Palace.
Grand Duchess Joséphine Charlotte continued to wear Queen Astrid’s Emerald Earrings into the 1980s and the 1990s, usually with the Chaumet Emerald Tiara, notably for King Olav’s 80th Birthday Celebrations in 1983, Crown Prince Haakon’s 18th Birthday in 1991, and Infanta Elena’s Wedding Gala in 1995.
After her death in 2005, many of Grand Duchess Josephine Charlotte’s jewels were put on auction by her children, which was later cancelled due to public outcry, but Queen Astrid’s Emerald Earrings were among them. They have not been publicly seen since he passing, but let’s hope they reappear soon!
Empire Tiara | Belgian Scroll Tiara | Chaumet Emerald Tiara | Grand Duchess Adélaïde Tiara | Chaumet Choker Tiara | Emerald Peacock Tiara | Queen Astrid’s Emerald Earrings | Congo Diamond Necklace Tiara | Princess Ingeborg’s Pearl Brooch
