9 Famous royal jewels that hide a whole story behind many generations of princesses and monarchs

Some royal jewels hide very interesting and even controversial stories behind all their pomp and beauty. For example, Alice of the UK’s “haunted” tiara, which is said to have ruined the lives of more than one person, has such a bad reputation that no one wears it anymore. And the stars of Empress Sissi’s famous braids still attract the attention of filmmakers and history buffs today.

we, from awesome.club, we decided to open the royal “jewelry box” and invite you to take a journey through history with us. Follow up!

The “haunted” Strawberry Leaf Tiara of Hesse is a jewel that belonged to the Hesse-Darmstadium family, which ruled the Grand Duchy of Hesse and the Rhine, in present-day Germany. The piece was commissioned by Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, for the wedding day of his daughter Alice to the Grand Duke of Hesse Ludwig IV. However, Prince Albert died before the wedding. And the ceremony, held in a mournful atmosphere, felt more like a funeral.

After having a series of owners, whose lives were marked by misfortunes, the tiara was inherited by the sister of Prince Philip, husband of Queen Elizabeth II. Princess Cecilie is said to have often worn her great-grandmother Alice’s jewel. However, in 1937 the princess and other family members suffered a plane crash. Since then, the tiara has never been worn by royalty.

Sissi, as the Empress Consort of Austria Elisabeth was known, despite not being well liked at court, was certainly well loved by the people. She had a lot of charisma and a great beauty. Her long hair that passed her waist enchanted people, and the empress even ordered 27 stars with diamonds to adorn her beautiful locks.

Despite the fact that the jewelry was modest for the time, Sissi ended up causing a real sensation in high society, creating a trend. So much so that other royal women also began to wear similar accessories in their hair. The famous diamond stars were immortalized in the grandiose portrait of the empress which, incidentally, was reinterpreted by supermodel and actress Cara Delevingne.

The queen consort of Portugal Dona Maria Pia was known for her extravagance, high spending and, interestingly, charitable actions. The monarch commissioned a diadem with stars made of Brazilian diamonds that were sensitive to movement. In other words, as he walked, the pieces swayed and glittered overhead. Interesting, isn’t it? Later, the piece ended up being inherited by Dona Maria Pia’s daughter-in-law.

The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara was a gift from Queen Consort Mary’s bridesmaids on her wedding to King George V. By the way, the jewel can also be worn as a necklace. In 1947, Mary herself gave the piece as a gift to her granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth II.

The jewel is one of the best-known tiaras of Elizabeth II: the monarch has appeared wearing it in several portraits, including the one that illustrates postage stamps, notes and coins of pound sterling in the United Kingdom.

The Iron Crown is so called because it has an iron ring 1 cm wide inside. The piece, however, is made of gold and decorated with precious stones. This jewel has already crowned several monarchs, including Napoleon Bonaparte. It is currently housed in the Cathedral of Monza in Milan.

Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom broke several customs at once in her marriage. It was she who introduced the tradition of getting married in white, popularizing the color. White, however, was not new at weddings, the tone was a kind of symbol of wealth: a way for the bride’s family to demonstrate that she could afford the cost of cleaning the dress.

Brides of the British royal family before Victoria, however, used to choose silver or gold fabrics as a way of showing that they belonged to the monarchy. At the time, by the way, people thought the Queen’s wedding dress was rather plain. And one of the guests even criticized that the bridesmaids looked like peasants.

In place of a tiara with precious stones, Victoria adorned her head on her wedding day with a wreath of orange blossoms, her favorite. Her admiration for them was so great that, previously, the Queen had even received a brooch decorated with these flowers from her then-fiance Albert. And if on the one hand the court found the wreath too modest, the subjects took it as a romantic gesture. Later, other brides of the royal family also began to include orange blossoms in their wedding attire.

Later, on the sixth wedding anniversary, Prince Albert presented the Queen with a headdress made of porcelain orange blossoms, with gold leaf and four oranges coated with green enamel, which symbolized the couple’s children.

The Oriental Tiara is decorated with representations of lotus flowers throughout its length. Its design was personally developed by Prince Albert for a gift to Queen Victoria. The prince loved opals, so this was the stone chosen to decorate the piece.

On the other hand, Albert’s daughter-in-law, Queen Consort Alexandra, did not share the same love for opals. In addition, she believed that these stones brought bad luck. So when the jewel passed to her, Alexandra had them replaced with rubies. It was in this way, by the way, that the world saw Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, the Queen Mother, wear the tiara.

Queen Elizabeth II suggested that Diana wear the Lover’s Knot Tiara (“Knot of Lovers”, in free translation) at her wedding, but the princess chose to use her family’s tiara. The piece is said to date from the 18th century, but in fact, the diadem was made from Spencer family jewelry from several different periods.

The centerpiece of the tiara is a diamond brooch that Princess Diana’s grandmother received as a wedding present. The piece took its final form in 1935 and became a family jewel, having also been worn by the princess’s sisters at their weddings.

The Koh-i-Noor diamond has a mysterious reputation. Its history dates back to the 14th century, although there are legends that give it 5,000 years. The stone has passed through many owners, and ancient rulers have vied for its ownership.

Because of this, there is a belief that the Koh-i-Noor brings bad luck to men and only women can use it. In any case, the diamond is currently in the Queen Mother’s Crown, used in the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, whose reign has been long and prosperous. Probably, the next to wear this crown and its diamond will be Kate Middleton, since in the future, she will be the queen consort of the United Kingdom.

What was the royal jewel that caught your attention the most? Sometimes even the simplest ring can hold important memories and feelings for its owners. Do you have any family accessories full of history and meanings? Share your stories and photos with us in the comments section!