Prince Ricardo De La Cerda
It was a gift of love that entertained a king but which displeased a queen so much that she made sure it was returned to sender. However, the woman at the heart of the scandal made sure it returned to within royal walls.
he Edwardians: Age of Elegance is a new major exhibition that has opened at The King’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace. While the exhibition includes several historic pieces including Queen Alexandra’s Kokoshnik Tiara and her coronation gown, it also includes a small Fabergé trinket that hides a scandalous story.
There is a bright blue Fabergé cigarette case on display in Edwardians that was created in the early twentieth century. Made in the Art Nouveau style, it features guilloché enamelling and a diamond-set snake eating its own tail, a symbol of continuous love.
King Edward VII received the luxurious case as a gift- not from his wife, but from his mistress. Alice Keppel purchased the piece and gave it to the King in 1908.
King Edward VII died in May 1910 at the age of 68, leaving his mistress behind. Queen Alexandra had looked the other way throughout her marriage and ignored her husband’s infidelities, but she chose to return the cigarette case to Keppel after he passed. However, it would eventually return to the royal collection.
Alice Keppel was not particularly welcome at King George and Queen Mary’s new court, and she left London society. In 1936, the former royal mistress did give the Fabergé cigarette case as a gift to Queen Mary. And now it stars in a royal exhibition showcasing the splendour of life at the court of the King whose affair prompted its production.