Today marks the 60th Anniversary of the Death of Queen Louise of Sweden, who passed away on this day in 1965! The Battenberg Princess that became a Lady and then married the widower future King of Sweden, despite frequently declaring that she would ‘never marry a king or a widower’, Queen Louise only ever wore five Tiaras in over four decades as the Swedish Crown Princess and Queen!
Click on the highlighted link/image to see the article on each jewel/event!
Braganza Tiara
Origin: Empress Amélie of Brazil and then inherited by her sister, Queen Josefina of Sweden and Norway, passing on to Queen Sofia, Queen Victoria, and Queen Louise before going to Queen Silvia in 1976
Notable Appearances: The Wedding Gala in Stockholm of Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark and Princess Ingrid of Sweden in 1935, the Coronation of King George VI at Westminster Abbey in 1937, the Danish State Banquet at the Royal Palace of Stockholm in 1947, the Swedish State Opening of Parliament in 1951, the Swedish State Visit to Denmark in 1952, and the British State Visit to Sweden in 1956
Leuchtenberg Sapphire Parure
Origin: Empress Josephine’s gift to her daughter-in-law, Princess Augusta, Duchess of Leuchtenberg, in 1811, which was given as a wedding gift to her daughter, Queen Josefina of Sweden and Norway, in 1823
Notable Appearances: The Wedding Gala of Prince Gustav Adolf of Sweden and Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in 1932, the Wedding Gala of Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark and Princess Ingrid of Sweden in 1935, King Gustav V’s 80th Birthday in 1938, the Swedish State Visit to Denmark in 1952, the Nobel Prize Ceremony in 1953, the Swedish State Visit to Britain in 1954, the Swedish Opening of Parliament, the British State Visit to Sweden, the Order of Amaranth Ball in 1956 and the Dutch State Visit to Sweden in 1957
Queen Sofia’s Nine Prong Tiara
Origin: Created by Queen Sofia from an older Diamond Hair Comb in the 1870s, given as a Wedding Gift to Queen Louise in 1923
Notable Appearances: A Gala Performance at the Kungliga Operan in Stockholm in 1923, the Wedding Gala of Prince Gustav Adolf of Sweden and Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in 1932 King Gustav V’s 80th Birthday in 1938, the Nobel Prize Ceremony in 1953, the British State Visit to Sweden in 1956, the Dutch State Visit to Sweden in 1957, the Swedish Opening of Parliament in 1962, and King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden’s 80th Birthday in 1962
Baden Fringe Tiara
Origin: Queen Victoria of Sweden’s Wedding Gift from her parents, Grand Duke Frederick I of Baden and Princess Louise of Prussia, in 1881
Notable Appearances: The Dutch State Visit to Sweden in 1946, Queen Juliana’s Inauguration Gala in 1948, King Gustav V’s 90th Birthday in 1948, the Nobel Prize Ceremony in 1948, a Banquet at Royal Naval College in Greenwich in 1955, the British State Visit to Sweden in 1956, the Order of Amaranth Ball in 1956, the Thai State Visit to Sweden in 1960, the Wedding Ball of Princess Birgitta of Sweden and Prince Johann Georg of Hohenzollern in 1961, the Anglo-Swedish Society Dinner in London in 1961, and the Wedding Ball of Princess Margaretha and Princess Désirée of Sweden in 1964
Diamond Tiara
Origin: A Wedding Gift from her brother and sister-in-law, Lord and Lady Mountbatten in 1923
Notable Appearances: Worn in portraits and at galas from the 1920s to the 1940s
Fate: Given as a wedding gift to Princess Désirée in 1964
Pink Topaz Parure
Origin: Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia, that went to Eisenach, Prussia and Baden before arriving in Sweden in 1923
Notable Appearances: The Coronation of King George VI at Westminster Abbey in 1937 and Queen Juliana’s Inauguration Gala in 1948.
Napoleonic Amethyst Parure
Origin: Empress Josephine of France, which was left to her daughter-in-law, Princess Augusta, Duchess of Leuchtenberg, and later ended up with Queen Josefina of Sweden and Norway. The Necklace was turned into a Tiara by Queen Silvia in the late 1970s
Notable Appearances: The Dutch State Visit to Sweden in 1946, the Danish State Banquet at the Royal Palace of Stockholm in 1947, the British State Visit to Sweden in 1956 and a State Visit to France in 1963.
Hesse Emerald Brooch
Origin: Originally belonged to Princess Elisabeth of Prussia, Princess Charles of Hesse and by Rhine from 1830, and given as a Wedding Gift from her mother, Princess Victoria, Marchioness of Milford Haven, in 1923
Notable Appearances: Portrait in 1920s
Fate: Given to her niece, Princess Sophie of Greece, in 1946, after her jewels were stolen by American Soldiers following the Second World War. Sold to Princess Gloria von Thurn and Taxis in the 1980s and auctioned in 1992
Karl Johan Earrings
Origin: Originated from King Karl XIV Johan
Notable Appearances: The Wedding Gala of Prince Gustav Adolf of Sweden and Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in 1932, the Coronation Gala in London in 1937, King Gustav V’s 80th Birthday in 1938, the Inauguration of Queen Juliana of The Netherlands in 1948, the Swedish State Opening of Parliament in 1951, the Swedish State Visit to Denmark in 1952, the British State Visit to Sweden in 1956, and the Dutch State Visit to Sweden in 1957, the Wedding Ball of Princess Birgitta of Sweden and Prince Johann Georg of Hohenzollern in 1961, for the Anglo-Swedish Society Dinner in London in 1961, at the Swedish Opening of Parliament in 1962, and at King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden’s 80th Birthday in 1962
Sapphire Spray Brooch
Origin: Unknown
Notable Appearances: The Wedding Gala of Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark and Princess Ingrid of Sweden in 1935, Swedish State Visit to Denmark in 1952, a Gala Performance at the Drottningholm Palace Theatre in Stockholm, the Swedish Opening of Parliament in 1956 and in 1962.
Fate: Inherited by Princess Margaretha of Sweden
Diamond Stomacher
Origin: Queen Josefina of Sweden and Norway
Notable Appearances: The Coronation Gala in London in 1937 and Queen Juliana’s Inauguration Gala in 1948
Hesse Emerald Cross
Origin: Originally belonged to Princess Elisabeth of Prussia, Princess Charles of Hesse and by Rhine from 1830, and given as a Wedding Gift from her mother, Princess Victoria, Marchioness of Milford Haven, in 1923
Notable Appearances: Portrait in 1920s and a Gala in the 1940s
Fate: Given to her niece, Princess Sophie of Greece, in 1946, after her jewels were stolen by American Soldiers following the Second World War.
Swedish Processional Necklace
Origin: A Wedding Gift from the Swedish People to Queen Victoria of Sweden
Notable Appearances: The Banquet at Royal Naval College in Greenwich in 1955, and a Gala Performance in Stockholm in 1956.
Seed Pearl Brooch
Origin: Unknown
Notable Appearances: Portrait in the 1940s
Fate: Now belongs to her granddaughter, Queen Anne-Marie of Greece
Queen Josefina’s Five Pearl Brooch
Origin: Queen Josefina of Sweden and Norway
Notable Appearances: Galas in the 1950s and 1960s
Queen Louise’s Diamond Lozange Brooch
Origin: A Wedding Gift from King George V and Queen Mary in 1923
Notable Appearances: Portrait in 1945 and Services in the 1960s
Fate: Inherited by her niece, Patricia Knatchbull, the 2nd Countess Mountbatten of Burma, and now worn by the current Countess Mountbatten of Burma
The Braganza Tiara
Leuchtenberg Sapphire Parure
Queen Sofia’s 9-Prong Tiara
The Swedish Cameo Parure
The Connaught Diamond Tiara
The Baden Fringe Tiara
Napoleonic Amethyst Parure
King Edward VII Ruby Tiara
Swedish Aquamarine Kokoshnik Tiara
Napoleonic Cut Steel Tiara
Princess Lilian’s Laurel Wreath Tiara
Princess Sofia’s Wedding Tiara
Modern Fringe Tiara
Swedish Pink Topaz Parure
Bernadotte Emerald Parure
