Belgian Royal Jewels of the Past


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I've recently been working on the tiaras of the Belgian Royal Family. They don't have as many grand jewels as some other royal families mostly due to pieces being inherited out of the main line of the royal family and subsequently sold. Here are some (but certainly not all) tiaras that at one point in time belonged to the Belgian Royal Family but has since been sold or else just lost to time.

Queen Louise Marie's Diamond Coronet (pic)

Queen Marie Henriette's Pearl & Diamond Tiara
Queen Marie Henriette's Small Diamond Tiara (pic)
Queen Marie Henriette's Floral Tiara (pic1) (pic2)

Countess of Flanders' Baden Pearl Tiara
Countess of Flanders' Pearl & Diamond Tiara
Countess of Flanders' Turquoise Parure Tiara

Queen Elisabeth's Diamond Bandeau
Queen Elisabeth's Diamond Scroll Tiara
Queen Elisabeth's Leuchtenberg Diamond Tiara
Queen Elisabeth's Upside Down Tiara (pic)
Queen Elisabeth's Mystery Tiara (pic)

Queen Astrid's Emerald Necklace Tiara
Queen Astrid's Stockholm Tiarahttp://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/
 
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Thank you. I love this tiara. It is such a pretty, delicate and elegant piece. It is a great pity that the Belgian RF did not buy it from Pss M. Gabriela of Savoy, who auctioned it a few years ago. It didn't sell for that much money (at least for royal purses) and it is such a pity that the Belgians didn't buy this historic piece back, it has such an interesting history!
 
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This is the first time I see a picture of Stephanie de Beauharnais wearing this beautiful tiara. The sale of this tiara is really such a loss. But then it is typical for the BRF that they do not buy back historic family jewels :bang:.
 
Yes I too can't believe that the BRF didn't buy this back when it was auctioned off by Princess Maria Gabriella of Savoy! It would have made a lovely addition to their jewel chest.
 
Perhps the princess needed the money for other investments? I do not think it is bad perse that she auctioned of her jewels, she is a private person. But it would have been nice if the Belgian RF would have been offered the possibility to buy some items back that belonged to Q. Elisabeth. Maybe they were offered and declined. A great pity, considering the empty jewelry boxes at Laeken & the general lack of historic jewelry. In the same year of the auction king Albert II bought a yacht for 4,5 million euros (which is now for sale for 3 million euros) so the Belgian RF obviously has other priorities.

A pearl choker and diamond & sapphire clasp was auctioned in November 2013. The necklace belonged to Pss Henriette of Belgium, sister of King Albert I.

Vente d’un collier de perles ayant appartenu à la duchesse de Vendôme, née princesse Henriette de Belgique
 
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You are right their priorities were for Albert Ii yachts and the year later a new bigger Yacht "ALPA", now for sale as Marengo wrote !

For Princess Claire's wedding they bought one of the smalest tiara you can find ..

Prince Philippe's priority was his privite Helicopter...
 
The actual Royal Family are descendants from the Count of Flanders.

For the main Branch Queen Marie-Henriette, Princess Louise , Prncess Stephanie and Empress Charlotte had great parures , sold or robbed..

Only Princess Clementine Leopold II 's younger daughter who had to wait her Father's death to marry Prince Napoleon kept her jewels.

The still alive Princess Alix Napoléon and the de Witt Family have some of them
 
What a beautiful tiara and makes me think that once upon a time the Belgian RF did have a very impressive jewel chest!
 
Even Queen Elisabeth Ii owns one of Princess Louise 's nice jewel .
 
Beautiful tiara with historic links to Elisabeth of Bavaria and another one now no longer in royal hands :sad:
 
Very stunning. Even more so when you see it live.
 
I do not like this tiara but is very sad that is not the royal family anymore.:sad:
 
Seeing as we don't know the fate of Queen Fabiola's tiaras,what is the current tiara count in the Belgian Royal Family?

Queen Mathilde : 2
Queen Paola : 1
Princess Astrid : 1
Princess Claire : 1
 
I really hope the Queen Fabiola to the left of jewelry and tiara to Mathilde. Only two tiaras; On the other hand it still does not have the difficulties which one to choose.

I agree with Tilia. The tiara of Paola you should stay in the royal family. For Elizabeth will be perfect.
 
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I am not sure about Claire: tiara no.1 has never been seen after the appearance of tiara no.2.
 
For Princess Claire's wedding there was a Royal jewelry Auction and someone contacted the Royal Palace to buy it for Princess Claire.
Answer :Too expensive.
The King and the Queen bought in a Brussels jewelry shop the smalest tiara you can find taxfree (The Royals never pay our taxes).
Did Laurent sold the first for buying the second ???

We have to wait the future State Event.

King Baudouin was not a jewels buyer. Queen Fabiola was not found of jewels.

He could have bought the Cartier tiara. I think he did not know the Auction because it was said , sold by a member of the Royal Family. A journalist wrote that the seller was the Princess of Rethy and she was very angry.
 
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As the Relationship between Queen Paola and Queen Mathilde is bad, I am sure that her great deco tiara will go to Princess Astrid and later her granddaughters.
 
The Dowager Margareta Habsbourg Este is still living.
The great Aosta jewels tiara and the necklace Princess Astrid is wearing are they a loan or did prince Lorenz already inherited them ?
She has 4 Children .
 
maria-olivia said:
The Dowager Margareta Habsbourg Este is still living.
The great Aosta jewels tiara and the necklace Princess Astrid is wearing are they a loan or did prince Lorenz already inherited them ?
She has 4 Children .
Click to expand...

Her other smaller tiara has ben worn by her other daughter-in-law Katharine. So perhaps it is intended that Lorenz gets the big flower tiara and Martin the smaller tiara.
 
Marengo said:
I am not sure about Claire: tiara no.1 has never been seen after the appearance of tiara no.2.
Click to expand...
Laurent is not known for his riches, and didn't they even decide to send their kids to public schools because the private school was too expensive? Of course we can't know for sure, but I wouldn't be surprised if the first tiara was sold.

I don't know how likely it is that Laurent & Claire will attend future State Banquets. It might be a very long wait till Claire has the next opportunity to wear a tiara.
maria-olivia said:
As the Relationship between Queen Paola and Queen Mathilde is bad, I am sure that her great deco tiara will go to Princess Astrid and later her granddaughters.
Click to expand...
I am not so sure. Queen Paola might leave the tiara directly to the her granddaughter, the Duchess of Brabant. But then I am convinced that Astrid will keep her mother-in-law's tiara and does not need a 2nd tiara. In contrast Princess Elisabeth will need her own tiara in a few years.
maria-olivia said:
The Dowager Margareta Habsbourg Este is still living.
The great Aosta jewels tiara and the necklace Princess Astrid is wearing are they a loan or did prince Lorenz already inherited them ?
She has 4 Children .
Click to expand...
Archduke Lorenz is the eldest son, and the one with the highest profile. That's why I am convinced that he and Astrid will keep the Aosta jewels. Either they have already been given the jewels as a gift, or they will inherit them. It is not know nwho the current owner is. The royals are always very private about the ownership of their jewels.
Stefan said:
Her other smaller tiara has ben worn by her other daughter-in-law Katharine. So perhaps it is intended that Lorenz gets the big flower tiara and Martin the smaller tiara.
Click to expand...
I agree, to me that seems the most likely scenario. Especially when one considers that the eldest daughter is married to the rather rich Count of Arco-Zinneberg and already has the grand ruby tiara of her husband (she spectecularly wore it at the pre-wedding in Luxembourg.)
 
No Laurent 's Children are at the expensive Lycée Français.
They don't speak Dutch.
 
Tilia C. said:
I am not so sure. Queen Paola might leave the tiara directly to the her granddaughter, the Duchess of Brabant. But then I am convinced that Astrid will keep her mother-in-law's tiara and does not need a 2nd tiara. In contrast Princess Elisabeth will need her own tiara in a few years.
Click to expand...

Lets hope that the art deco bandeau stays in the main line. B´tw. is ist actually clear who owns it. Albert or Paola. it is always said that it belong to Paola but it could also be that he is the rightfull owner. the best solution for the belgian jewels would ofcoruse be a Family foundation.
Paola also has some other nice jeqwels like a multistrand pearl necklace/choker and her 2 diamond neckleyce she always wear for Gala's. .

Tilia C. said:
Archduke Lorenz is the eldest son, and the one with the highest profile. That's why I am convinced that he and Astrid will keep the Aosta jewels. Either they have already been given the jewels as a gift, or they will inherit them. It is not know nwho the current owner is. The royals are always very private about the ownership of their jewels.

I agree, to me that seems the most likely scenario. Especially when one considers that the eldest daughter is married to the rather rich Count of Arco-Zinneberg and already has the grand ruby tiara of her husband (she spectecularly wore it at the pre-wedding in Luxembourg.)
Click to expand...

Has Margherita's younger daughter Isabella, Countess Czanocki-Lucchese seen with a tiara since her Wedding? At her Wedding she wore her mother's snaller diamond tiara.
Btw. Lorenz's second brother Gerhard also married recently. But his wife is older and not noble so they will probably have no chidren.
 
I don't think that the exact ownership of the art deco tiara is known. This tiara is the only tiara of Queen Elisabeth that still is in the family, and therefore also the oldest tiara owned by the RF. It would be a shame to see it go away from the main line.

Queen Fabiola's attempt to set up a foundation caused a public outburst, so maybe the family won't start another attempt just now? But if the is one RF that need a foundation, it's the Belgians.



I don't think that Isabella, Countess Czanocki-Lucchese, was ever seen with the tiara after her wedding. But we don't really know how many tiara events there still are behind the closed doors of private castles. Probably just very few.

AD Katharina happens to be the sister of the new Princess Sophie of Prussia, so she had the rare occasion to wear a tiara to that wedding. If it wasn't for that wedding, she too might never have been seen with that tiara again.
 
Tilia C. said:
Queen Fabiola's attempt to set up a foundation caused a public outburst, so maybe the family won't start another attempt just now? But if the is one RF that need a foundation, it's the Belgians.
Click to expand...

That is so true Tilla,its a shame they didn't think of this years ago!
 
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