The sparkling sapphires that link a modern queen to a fallen empire

It’s the tiara everyone is expecting to see this September. The month’s birthstone is sapphire and that just happens to be the star gem of a diadem favoured by a queen who is about to host a right royal celebration for a truly historic event. Silvia of Sweden is at the heart of her country’s festivities for the Golden Jubilee of her husband, King Carl XVI Gustaf, and when that party reaches gala level, there are high hopes that the queen will wear the famous sapphires in her royal collection for this sparkling moment of history.

Queen Silvia is rather fond of the sapphire tiara belonging to her family’s dynasty. She’s worn it on many important occasions, including a string of Nobel Prize ceremonies and at the wedding of her only son, Prince Carl Philip. But the tiara, which is part of a particularly impressive parure, has a long history that links Silvia to a famous, fallen, self made emperor.

The sapphires began life as a wedding present. The bride in question was Augusta, daughter of King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria. The groom was Eugene de Beauharnais, the stepson of Napoleon Bonaparte who had declared himself Emperor of France. Napoleon is thought to have presented the sapphires to Augusta for her marriage. Several years later, the King of Bavaria presented the title of Duke of Leuchtenberg to Eugene. The name also stuck to the wedding jewels which have been known as the Leuchtenberg sapphires for many years.

They ended up in Sweden thanks to a queen who shared her name with Eugene’s mother, the Empress Josephine. When he and Augusta had their first child, in 1807, they named her after his mama. The younger Josephine would go on to marry the future King Oscar I of Sweden and so the sapphires from an emperor ended up in the royal vaults of Stockholm. They were passed between family members before Queen Victoria, consort to King Gustaf V, decided they should become part of the official gem collection and so never leave royal possession.

Queen Silvia has made great use of the gems since becoming consort in 1976 and it’s easy to see why. It’s a striking tiara with diamond floral motifs topped by eleven large sapphires, each surrounded by more little diamonds.

The sapphires don’t stop there. There’s also a large necklace with fourteen huge sapphires, a pair of earrings and a brooch. Queen Silvia usually wears them all together.

Now, in the month that her husband becomes the first Swedish monarch to celebrate a Golden Jubilee, there is every expectation that Silvia will, at some point in the days of glittering festivities, choose to wear the Leuchtenberg sapphires. It would be another major moment in their history, the perfect sapphires for September.

Lydia Starbuck is a pen name of June Woolerton who has written extensively on royal history. Her book, A History of Royal Jubilees, is available now. She is also the author of a popular cosy mystery, All Manner of Murder.

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