Prince Ricardo De La Cerda
Today marks the 155th Anniversary of the Birth of Queen Maud of Norway, who was born on this day in 1869! The British Princess who married a Danish Prince and became the first Queen of an independent Kingdom of Norway, Queen Maud possessed a spectacular Jewellery Collection composed of magnificent Heirlooms and spectacular Wedding Gifts, which included her Pearl and Diamond Necklace!
Queen Alexandra’s Diamond Circlet | Queen Maud’s Pearl Tiara | Diamond Tiara | Vifte Tiara | Queen Alexandra’s Turquoise Circlet | Pearl and Diamond Necklace | Diamond Chandelier Earrings | Seed Pearl Choker | Diamond and Pearl Brooch |Drapers’ Company Brooch | Aquamarine Brooch | Diamond Brooch | Pearl Bow Brooch | The Jewels of Queen Maud of Norway
When Princess Maud of Wales married Prince Charles of Denmark in 1896, she received a plethora of glittering jewels which included a Pearl Tiara from her parents, a Diamond Tiara from ‘Lady and Gentlemen Friends’, and the Vifte Tiara from the Rothschilds, as well as this ‘Diamond and Pearl Necklace, Convertible into a Tiara’ from the ‘Royal Warrant Holders of England’.
Princess Maud wore the Necklace as a Coronet the following year, for the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire’s legendary Ball at Devonshire House in London during Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee Celebrations.
A few years later, the Pearl and Diamond Necklace was worn by Princess Maud with the Vifte Tiara for the State Opening of Parliament in 1901, just weeks after the death of Queen Victoria.
In 1902, the Diamond and Pearl Necklace was worn as a Corsage Ornament by Princess Maud with her Diamond Tiara for the Coronation of her parents, King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra.
Around that time, Princess Maud wore the Pearl and Diamond Necklace with her Pearl Tiarafor a series of Official Portraits taken around the turn of the century.
Upon Prince Charles’ accession to the Norwegian Throne in 1905, the new Queen Maud wore her Pearl and Diamond Necklace as a Coronet for a Gala Dinner hosted by the Norwegian Prime Minister on this day in 1905, which was Queen Maud’s 36th Birthday.
The Pearl and Diamond Necklace was notably worn by Queen Maud for the Coronation of King Haakon VII of Norway and her own Coronation at Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim in 1906
Queen Maud’s Pearl and Diamond Necklace was last seen as a Coronet later that year at the Formal Opening of the Storting (Parliament) at the Stortingsbygningen in Oslo, following which the Necklace disappeared from public view and was likely dismantled to create other jewels. Trond said:
The pearl and diamond necklace was used in the coronation, but not long after that it «disappeared». It has never been worn by anyone other than Queen Maud. Princess Astrid told she has never seen the piece. Where is it? There were made a replica with fake stones for an exhibition of the coronation dress and regalia/jewelry. But it is not in the royal collection any longer.
Queen Alexandra’s Diamond Circlet | Queen Maud’s Pearl Tiara | Diamond Tiara | Vifte Tiara | Queen Alexandra’s Turquoise Circlet | Pearl and Diamond Necklace | Diamond Chandelier Earrings | Seed Pearl Choker | Diamond and Pearl Brooch |Drapers’ Company Brooch | Aquamarine Brooch | Diamond Brooch | Pearl Bow Brooch | The Jewels of Queen Maud of Norway