The Grand Duchess Vladimir Tiara - Blog Posts

𝒯𝒾𝒶𝓇𝒶 𝒯𝓊𝑒𝓈𝒹𝒶𝓎

𝒯𝒾𝒶𝓇𝒶 𝒩𝒶𝓂𝑒

The Delhi Durbar Tiara

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𝒪𝓌𝓃𝑒𝓇𝓈/𝒲𝑒𝒶𝓇𝑒𝓇𝓈:

♕ Her Majesty Queen Mary (1910 - 1946): The tiara was designed for Her Majesty Queen Mary as a fitting celebration of His Majesty King George V new status as King and Emperor.

♕ Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother (1946 - 2002): The Queen was loaned the tiara from Her Majesty Queen Mary. The only time the Delhi Durbar Tiara was seen with the Queen was during her South Africa tour in 1947.  It remained in her possession until her death.

♕ Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II (2002 - 2005): The tiara was passed down to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II when her mother Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother passed away in 2002, along with the rest of the Queen Mother’s jewels. 

♕ Her Royal Highness Camilla The Duchess of Cornwall (2005): The Duchess was loaned the tiara from her mother-in-law Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II for the Norwegian State Visit & also her first tiara appearance as a member of the British Royal Family. 

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𝒞𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃 𝒴𝑒𝒶𝓇:

The Delhi Durbar Tiara was designed as a fitting celebration of His Majesty King George V new status as King and Emperor. The tiara was designed for Her Majesty Queen Mary in 1911 by Garrad.

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𝒟𝑒𝓈𝒾𝑔𝓃:

The Delhi Durbar Tiara was designed with remains of another tiara & some other smaller jewels - a tradition of Queen Mary when creating tiaras. The remains used were from a diadem tiara made for Queen Mary by Boucheron in 1901 after a visit to South Africa, when she had been given a present that consisted of diamonds from the De Beers Mine. The new Delhi Tiara was set in both platinum & gold but also had diamonds that formed lyres & s-scrolls that would overlap diamond festoons. The tiara is a complete circle that wraps around the head. The Delhi Durbar Tiara was originally set with 10 Cabochon Emerald Drops that are located on top of the tiara. These emeralds are a part of the famous Cambridge Emeralds set that once belonged to the grandmother of Queen Mary. Mary had acquire the emeralds after they were left to her late brother Prince Francis of Teck’s mistress Ellen (neé Constance) Needham. After Mary acquired the emeralds, they were used to create the tiara but were removed from the tiara in 1922. The emeralds were not sat aside though! The emeralds were used for the dangling emerald drops in the The Grand Duchess Vladimir Tiara or they are used for uprights on The Kent Diamond and Pearl Fringe Tiara left to The Duchess of Kent. The Cullinan III & IV Stones were used as temporary centerpieces of the tiara. The 94.4 carat pear-shaped Cullinan III stone was an upright in the top center & the 63.6 carat Cullinan IV stone was placed in the front center. The tiara could have the 2 stones that could be worn or could be worn with 1 stone. There is another centerpiece for the tiara, as no one has used the Cullinan stones since Queen Mary. This tiara went under minor changes before Queen Mary loaned the tiara to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. While the tiara has not made an appearance after 60 years in the vault, it made a new appearance with Her Royal Highness Camilla The Duchess of Cornwall for the Norwegian State Visit. This tiara has always seemed in medium size when past queens have worn it, but it’s actually very large in size. The tiara has a layered effect that is created by the festoons on top of the scrolls.

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𝑅𝑜𝓎𝒶𝓁 𝐸𝓋𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓈

♕ 1911: Her Majesty Queen Mary’s official portrait for the Coronation of her husband  His Majesty King George V. 2 Portraits of the Queen have been done wearing the tiara in 2 different styles: one portrait has the tiara with emeralds & the second portrait has the Cullinan Stones.

♕ 1947: South Africa Tour worn by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. 

♕ 2005: Norwegian State Visit worn by Her Royal Highness Camilla The Duchess of Cornwall

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𝐹𝓊𝓃 𝐹𝒶𝒸𝓉𝓈:

♕ In 1910, it was decided that the Crown Jewels were not allowed to leave the United Kingdom.

♕ Even though she had paid for her own hew crown his coronation, the Tiara was designed for Her Majesty Queen Mary. This meant that this tiara was not a part of the Crown Jewels. 

♕ Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II allowed The Delhi Durbar Tiara to be exhibited. After 60 years in the vault, the tiara would make a new appearance on a new member of the the royal family.

♕ When The Duchess of Cornwall was seen wearing the tiara in 2005, it caused quite a problem with the public. 3 Queen’s have been possession of this crown & now a duchess marrying a prince (who is the heir to the throne) for both their 2nd marriages? The public did not agree & did not like the way the tiara look as people believed it had been altered. The tiara was not altered at all & is still a circlet style tiara.

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𝒯𝒾𝒶𝓇𝒶 𝒯𝓊𝑒𝓈𝒹𝒶𝓎

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𝒯𝒾𝒶𝓇𝒶 𝒩𝒶𝓂𝑒

The Grand Duchess Vladimir Tiara

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𝒪𝓌𝓃𝑒𝓇𝓈/𝒲𝑒𝒶𝓇𝑒𝓇𝓈:

♕ Her Imperial Highness Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia (1874 - 1920): Created for the Grand Duchess by the Bolin, the Russian imperial court jeweler for her wedding to Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia.

♕ Her Imperial and Royal Highness Princess Nicholas of Greece and Denmark, Grand Duchess Elena of Russia (1920 - 1921): The Princess inherited the Tiara from her mother Her Imperial Highness Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia, after her death.

♕ Her Majesty Queen Mary (1921 - 1953): The Queen purchased the Tiara from Her Imperial and Royal Highness Princess Nicholas of Greece and Denmark, Grand Duchess Elena of Russia.

♕ Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II (1953 - 2014): The Queen inherited the Tiara from her grandmother Her Majesty Queen Mary, after her death.

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𝒞𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃 𝒴𝑒𝒶𝓇:

Created for the Grand Duchess by the Bolin, the Russian imperial court jeweler in 1874 for her wedding to Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia.

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𝒟𝑒𝓈𝒾𝑔𝓃:

The Tiara is an elaborate diamond and pearl tiara. The piece is delightfully flexible & the pearls can be removed, as well as part of the diamond-encrusted structure, allowing it to be worn in a more closed form. The tiara is generally described as "widowed" when worn without its pendant stones. Maria wore the tiara without its pendants as a smaller closed coronet. In 1920, the Vladimir Tiara was damaged during its journey from Russia to England, as some of the pearls and diamonds were missing from the piece. In 1921, Her Majesty Queen Mary purchased the tiara from Her Imperial and Royal Highness Princess Nicholas of Greece and Denmark, Grand Duchess Elena of Russia to have the tiara fixed. 3 years later in 1924, Queen Mary had the tiara re-worked again, so that the Vladimir Tiara adapted so it could be worn in a third setting, with a series of fifteen cabochon drops from the Cambridge emerald collection. From then on, the emerald version of the tiara was often worn with pieces from the Delhi Durbar Suite (Including the Delhi Durbur Parure Tiara). In 1988, The House of Garrard renovated the hundred-year-old tiara once more, building it a completely new frame. In 2002, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II wore the tiara "widowed" -- meaning the tiara had neither its pearl or emerald drops.

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𝑅𝑜𝓎𝒶𝓁 𝐸𝓋𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓈

♕ 1880 (2 Times): 1. Portrait of Her Imperial Highness Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia & 2. Romanov Historical Masquerade Ball

♕ 1891: The Cover of Le Petit Journal Magazine (Her Imperial Highness Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia)

♕ 1902: Mother Daughter Wedding Portrait of Her Imperial and Royal Highness Princess Nicholas of Greece and Denmark, Grand Duchess Elena of Russia (Her Wedding Portrait) & Her Imperial Highness Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia (Maria Wearing the Tiara)

♕ 1904: Royal Portrait of Her Imperial Highness Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia

♕ 1930: Portrait of Her Majesty Queen Mary with the Pearl Version of The Grand Duchess Vladimir Tiara

♕ 1934: Portrait of Her Imperial and Royal Highness Princess Nicholas of Greece and Denmark, Grand Duchess Elena of Russia

♕ 1935: King’s Silver Jubilee Portrait of Her Majesty Queen Mary

♕ 1936: Her Majesty Queen Mary’s Portrait for Edward VIII's Coronation with the Pearl Version of The Grand Duchess Vladimir Tiara (Which never happened due to his Abdication)

♕ 1954: Royal Film Performance of Beau Brummel (Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II)

♕ 1955: The movie premiere of Richard III in Leicester Square (Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II)

♕ 1961: Royal Event (Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II)

♕ 1963: Gala performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream during the Greek State Visit (Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II)

♕ 1966: Worn at the Austrian Embassy in London (Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II)

♕ 1969: State Visit to Austria (Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II)

♕ 1972: Royal Event (Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II)

♕ 1976: State Banquet with President Gerald Ford in The United States of America (Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II)

♕ 1978: Official Tour of Germany. (Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II)

♕ 1980: A Visit to the Vatican (Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II)

♕ 1982: State Banquet honoring the Sultan of Oman at Buckingham Palace (Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II)

♕ 1983: A Visit to San Francisco (Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II)

♕ 1986: A Visit to Nepal (Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II)

♕ 1994: State Banquet during The Zimbabwe State Visit at Buckingham Palace in London (Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II)

♕ 1996: State Visit to King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand (Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II)

♕ 1999: State Banquet during the Chinese State Visit at Buckingham Palace in London (Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II)

♕ 2002: State Dinner in New Zealand (Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II)

♕ 2004: State Banquet in London (Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II)

♕ 2006: State Banquet during the Baltic State Visit at Buckingham Palace in London (Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II)

♕ 2014: Landmark State Visit from President Higgins of Ireland

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𝐹𝓊𝓃 𝐹𝒶𝒸𝓉𝓈:

♕ When Maria fled the palatial Vladimir Palace in Saint Petersburg for a villa in Kislovodsk, her jewels, including the tiara, remained in a hidden safe in her bedroom at the palace. That summer, Maria Pavlovna's son, Grand Duke Boris (pictured above), and a friend, Bertie Stopford, hatched a dangerous plan to retrieve her jewels. He and Boris disguised themselves as workmen, and with the help of a palace caretaker, they snuck into the Vladimir Palace and smuggled out the contents of Miechen's secret safe. The Vladimir Tiara and her other jewels were placed in a pair of Gladstone bags, and Stopford managed to sneak them out of Russia. He took the jewels to London, where they were placed in a safety deposit box.

♕ In 1921, Her Imperial and Royal Highness Princess Nicholas of Greece and Denmark, Grand Duchess Elena of Russia decided to sell some of her mother's jewels.

♕ What a Group of Women! A 2 Grand Duchesses & 2 Queens have worn this tiara! The power that tiara holds!

♕ This is one of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s favorite tiara’s due to the amount of times she has worn during incredibly important royal events.

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