It’s not one of the grandest tiaras in the royal vaults but it comes laden with sentimental meaning for its family and it’s just been presented to a princess by her devoted grandma who also happens to be one of the most important monarchs their dynasty has ever produced. Meet the bandeau that binds generations of royal women together and which now belongs to Princess Isabella of Denmark.
The tiara in question is made of turquoises which are shaped into delicate daisies – the nickname of Isabella’s grandmother, Queen Margrethe.
(Steen Evald, Kongehuset ©)
In recent years, it’s been worn several times by Margrethe. Although the monarch who reigned in Denmark for over half a century never shied away from the grand tiaras that are reserved for queens only, she also dabbled with this diadem quite frequently. And it has a rather special connection for her.
For the story of the bandeau of turquoise flowers begins with the grandmother that Margrethe never knew but with whom she shares her name and her family nickname. This pretty little tiara first belonged to Princess Margaret of Connaught, one of the many granddaughters of Queen Victoria. Margaret married into the Swedish royal family in 1905 and became known as Margaretha. But loved ones also called her Daisy. She died in 1920, much mourned by her family.
Her only daughter, Ingrid, inherited the tiara and was seen wearing it through the 1920s. She took it with her to Copenhagen when she married Frederik, then Crown Prince of Denmark, in 1935.
(Steen Evald, Kongehuset ©)
Ingrid named her first child after her mother and when she and Frederik became King and Queen of Denmark in 1947, they soon began working towards changing royal rules so that their daughter, Margrethe, could one day take the throne. She did, eventually, succeed her father and became Queen Margrethe II in 1972. And even though she had access to some of the grandest tiaras in Europe, reserved only for the Queen of Denmark, Margrethe still used this pretty diadem for big occasions.
As well as being seen on Ingrid and Margrethe, the tiara has travelled well over the decades. It has been used by Margrethe’s nieces, perhaps most famously by Princess Theodora of Greece who wore it to a family celebration in Denmark in 2012.
Family links are perhaps just one reason why this tiara has proved so popular. As well as its sentimental attachments, it’s also rather easy to wear. The turquoise and diamond flowers it’s made up of are arranged in a simple band shape. In the 1920s, it was worn almost flapper style across the top of the forehead. Now, it’s set in a more traditional tiara style for use on the top of the head.
However, it has a new home now which means it won’t be passed around quite so many princesses in the years to come. Queen Margrethe gave it to her eldest granddaughter, Princess Isabella Henrietta Ingrid Margrethe, for her eighteenth birthday. Now, as well as sharing the names of her grandmother, great grandmother and great, great grandmother, Isabella also shares their jewels.
There’s no doubt that this little gem is really rather popular. Princesses and queens have both proved that.
