It’s a tower of a tiara and it has a back story to match its might. The ‘Empire Tiara’ of Luxembourg is a huge collection of diamonds but despite being pretty hard to miss, no one is completely sure where it came from in the first place.
This impressive tiara was first recorded in 1829, though it may be older. It is over ten centimetres tall and almost 20 centimetres across – few royal tiaras are bigger. The height allows for multiple designs, including diamond set flowers, scrolls, and geometric.Â
Although the piece was recorded as having adjustments done in 1829, it was not actually worn publicly until 1919 when Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg married Prince Felix of Bourbon-Parma.
With one exception in 1930, the Luxembourg Empire Tiara has only been worn by the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg.
Grand Duchess Charlotte wore the tiara for several state events and portraits, and she even wore it in 1964 when she formally abdicated in favour of her son who became Grand Duke Jean.
His wife, Grand Duchess Joséphine Charlotte, wore the Luxembourg Empire Tiara many times, including for State Visits to the United Kingdom, Belgium and the Netherlands.Â
Her successor as Grand Duchess, Maria Teresa, has worn the diadem for some big events at home and overseas, including Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel of Sweden’s wedding in 2010.
In October, Luxembourg gets a brand new Grand Duchess when Maria Teresa’s husband, Grand Duke Henri, passed on the throne to their son, Guillaume. From then on, his wife, Stephanie, can wear the tiara.
It will be a new chapter in a tiara that’s hard to miss and even harder to pin down.
