THE DAZZLING COLLECTION OF DORIS DUKE
Duchess Louise of Sachsen-Coburg-Saalfeld, Mother of Prince Albert the consort of Queen Victoria, in her silver wedding gown, when she married in 1817.
„……this afternoon there was great court and dinner.
During the festivities the bridal jewelry of the Duchess Louise was also on public display…. and a poem was written about it. … The princess’s bridal trousseau, whose value is estimated at 100 000 Thlr., was on public display in the castle on the 16th and 17th. Of rare beauty was the massive silver toilet with its golden contents, the velvet and silk richly embroidered dresses, the linen etc………….“
„The magnificent bridal jewelry, which was recently added by the princess aunt Grand Duchess Anna Feodorovna with a splendid brilliant necklace, was particularly outstanding.“
It could be the diamond belt and the border of diamond loops along the neckline. One counts, 17 entwined diamond rings and the other with 15 entwined smaller diamond ornaments.
An example of this, in the picture the link band of seven intertwined rings, set with approx. 722 diamonds in different historical cuts, as Peruzzi cut diamonds, Mazarin, pear shaped. Originally probably part of a tiara, which is also indicated by the mounting holes in the setting, which was sold a few years ago from a German ducal estate.
We see on the portrait of the Duchess Louise:
a diamond necklace with 9 drop pearls is still remarkable, as are the diamond and pearl earrings each with 3 large drop pearls. In addition, a diamond diadem of 14 visibly upright diamond ears and a diamond and pearl comb, behind it.
More history:
Maria Antonia Duchess of Parma, Infanta of Portugal. On 15 October 1884 at Schloss Fischorn, Maria Antonia married Robert I, Duke of Parma as his second wife. She was the mother of Empress Zita.
She is pictured with one of my favorite diamond tiaras.
Princess Irene of the Netherlands, did also wear the beautiful diamond Bourbon-Parma-Tiara, of the family of her husband. Some diamonds of the tiara are from the Duchess of Angoulême, daughter of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette, she left France in 1830 to Austria. It is said that the tiara was made in Vienna – probably by the court jeweler Köchert, like an older tiara once owned by the Duchess built in style of the XIX siecle by the jeweller of the French crown. The centerpiece is changeable.
This tiara belonged to the Bourbon-Parma family and had been deposed to a lawyer in Paris. Unfortunately it seems to have been lost actually since 1996. The Parma Tiara was trusted, at that time, to an attorney office in the late 90s by Princess Marie-Cécilie of Bourbon-Parma, while succession procedures took place. Mysteriously the tiara „got lost“ and the attorney office had to pay € 3.022.500 to the Bourbon-Parma family.
More history:
La princesse Luis d’Orléans-Bragance née Maria Pia de Bourbon Siciles 1878-1973
Diamond Bow and Ribbon Swag Diamond Tiara | Chaumet
An imperial wedding celebration took place on November 3 and 4 at Cannes in 1903.
The newlywed, Prince Dom Luiz of Orleans and Braganza, the second son of Prince Gaston Count of Eu and Crown Princess Dona Ysabel of Brazil, is a grandson of Pedro II. Emperor of Brazil
Princess Maria de Grazia known as Princess Maria Pia of Bourbon-Sicily, is the granddaughter of two Austrian archduchesses; for the mother of the Count of Caserta, Teresa Queen of both Sicily, was a daughter of the glorious Archduke Charles and sister of Archduke Albrecht, the mother of the Countess of Caserta, Maria Jsabella Countess of Trapani, the eldest sister of Archduke Ferdinand IV Grand Duke of Tuscany.
The celebrations began on the 3rd of November with the civil wedding by the Maire of Cannes, the Duke of Chartres and Prince Dom Pedro of Orleans and Braganza were present for the groom and their brothers, the Duke of Calabria and Infante Don Carlos of Spain for the bride.
The bride was gifted with a diamond tiara from Archduke and Archduchess Rainer, ( the generous childless pair Archduke Rainer of Austria 1827-1913 wife Archduchess Marie of Austria the couple was probably the most popular amongst the Habsburg family )with swags of diamond, on top with bow and ribbons – a cluster was set above on each garland. Other precious presents see in the link.
In the afternoon, a tea was served at the Grand Hotel by the Count and Countess of Eu: the Duke of Chartres, the Princes Dom Pedro and Dom Antonio of Orleans and Braganza, the Count and Countess of Caserta the Duke of Calabria Jnfant Don Carlos of Spain Princess Louise of France, Prince and Princess Johann Georg of Saxony, Grand Duchess Mother Anastasia Michailowna of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and so on….
More about the history:
Princess Maria Pia of Bourbon-Sicily | Orleans Braganza| Imperial Brazil
Maria Andrassy- Choloniewska, wife of Count Emanuel Andrassy in the 30s, wearing the imperial emerald and diamond tiara….the story behind royal jewels…
The story behind royal jewels…. Royal Marriage of Prince Felix of Bourbon-Parma and Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg
Royal Wedding Present to Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg>>
Zita Kaiserin von Österreich| Imperiale Juwelen -Taufgeschenk des Kaisers Franz Joseph anlässlich der Taufe von Erzherzog Otto von Habsburg
The history of the imperial jewels
Shortly before her death in August 1997, Diana requested that the dress be sold in a charity auction. Florida-based businesswoman Maureen Dunkel bought it for £100,000 in New York in June 1997, along with nine other dresses formerly owned by the Princess.
The Travolta dress was the most expensive one sold at the auction. When she went bankrupt in 2011, Dunkel was forced to put them up for auction, but the Travolta dress was one of six that were not sold It was finally auctioned off by Kerry Taylor in London on 19 March 2013, fetching £240,000 ($362,424) and again being the most expensive auctioned dress. It was bought by „a British gentleman as a surprise to cheer up his wife“.
In 2019, it sold for £264,000 ($325,317) to Historic Royal Palaces a charity which looks after royal memorabilia including clothing and artifacts. The dress has joined the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection and belongs to the palace.
Designed for the Princess by fashion designer Victor Edelstein, this striking midnight blue dress is now on public display at Kensington Palace to celebrate the reopening of the palace this summer.
The midnight blue velvet gown became legendary when the Princess wore it to a White House Gala in 1985 and took to the dancefloor with John Travolta. Images of the Princess and the Hollywood actor dancing together made headlines around the world, securing a place in fashion history for the stunning gown
Following over four months of closure during lockdown, Kensington Palace will be reopening its doors once more to welcome visitors from Thursday, 30 July. To celebrate the re-opening, the famous ‘Travolta dress’, worn by the late Diana, Princess of Wales, will go on display at the palace for the first time since it was acquired by Historic Royal Palaces at auction in 2019.
The midnight blue velvet gown, designed by Victor Edelstein, became legendary when the Princess wore it to a White House Gala in 1985 and took to the dance floor with John Travolta. Images of the Princess and the Hollywood actor dancing together made headlines around the world, securing a place in fashion history for the stunning gown. In 2019, it was acquired by independent charity Historic Royal Palaces and has somewhat fittingly been in conservation ‘quarantine’ ever since, to protect it for posterity. Like Kensington Palace itself, the dress is now coming out of isolation, and will be on display at the Princess’s former home this Summer for visitors to enjoy.
Famously the birthplace of Queen Victoria, Kensington Palace has been a royal residence for over 300 years. Lavish Georgian parties were held within its spectacular state apartments in the eighteenth century. A hundred years later, in 1837, a young Princess Victoria woke up at the palace to the news of her accession to the throne. In recent years the palace has been home to Princess Margaret – sister of HM Queen Elizabeth II – and Diana, Princess of Wales. It is currently the London home of TRH The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
The palace closed in March 2020 in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and has since been quiet, with the shutters of its famous galleries closed to protect the remarkable collections on display. Palaces staff have returned to Kensington this week to gradually ‘reawaken’ the palace and install and array of new measures to ensure returning visitors feel safe. Hand sanitiser dispensers and social distancing signage have been installed across the site. Visitors are asked to book in advance, to help Historic Royal Palaces manage capacity, so visitors can enjoy their time at court with plenty of space. The State Apartments and the rooms Queen Victoria grew up in will both be open, with visitors asked to follow a one-way route through the palace.
Historic Royal Palaces, the independent charity that cares for Kensington Palace, is hoping visitors will show their support for its national treasures by returning for a visit this Summer. The charity is dependent on visitor income and facing a £98 million shortfall in its finances following the pandemic. The return of visitors will make a vital contribution to the charity’s work caring for Kensington Palace and sharing its stories with the public.
Sam Owen, Head of Kensington Palace, said,
‘We are delighted to be welcoming visitors back to the palace again this Thursday. Kensington Palace was built to be enjoyed by hundreds of people and it’s been sad to see it so quiet over the past couple of months. Myself and the team can’t wait to welcome visitors back again and give them a suitably royal welcome. We’ve never needed their support more – each visit is an important contribution to help us maintain this wonderful building for generations to come.’
Diana Princess of Wales Sapphire and Diamond Cluster Brooch Choker| Royal Jewels History