#princesse joséphine de leuchtenberg

[andiatas]

Queen Josefina of Sweden and Norway by Sophie Adlersparre (oil on canvas, 1856)

Joséphine Maximiliana Eugenia Napoleona of Leuchtenberg was born in March 1807 in Milan, the daughter of a French general.

On 23 August 1822, Crown Prince Oskar came on a visit to Eichstätt in Bavaria, where he met Joséphine. The Crown Prince fell in love with her, and asked for her hand in marriage a few days later.

On 19 June 1823, her Swedish marriage ceremony took place at Stockholm Cathedral. Her official name became Josefina.

Josefina contributed towards the construction of the first Catholic church in Stockholm in 1837, and towards establishing the Catholic congregations in Gothenburg and Kristiania. She established and supported many philanthropic associations, including the Josephinahemmet home in Blackeberg, Stockholm, and she worked hard to help poor mothers and widows with children.

When Oskar ascended to the throne in 1844, Josefina gained increased political influence. She was the king's only truly loyal advisor.

Photo: royalpalaces.se

[royalpain16]

Royal Tiara Challenge 2024

Day 13 - Favorite Amethyst Tiara

The Napoleonic Amethyst Tiara

Hands down, the Swedish Napoleonic amethyst tiara is the most beautiful amethyst tiara in my opinion.

The family that currently sits on the Swedish throne has genealogical ties to Swedish kings from centuries ago, but they’re more immediately descended from French nobility. Because of this, the family’s jewel coffers are full of trinkets with connections to the French imperial court of Napoleon Bonaparte. The [tiara] from the family’s amethyst parure, is just such a piece.

The tiara actually didn’t start out as a tiara at all; in fact, it’s only been a tiara for a few decades. Instead, the piece was original a necklace made of diamonds surrounding fifteen large amethysts. The demi-parure also included drop earrings, two bracelets, and a devant de corsage. The dark purple amethysts are set in gold, while the diamonds are set in silver. Princess Christina wearing the tiara in its original state as a necklace in 1968:

The original owner of the jewels is said to have been Joséphine de Beauharnais, the first wife of Napoleon Bonaparte. Lots of royal jewels are said to have belonged to the empress, but this suite apparently actually did. Joséphine gave the amethyst parure to her daughter-in-law, Princess Augusta of Bavaria, who had married Eugène de Beauharnais in 1806. (Augusta’s father, King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria, later made the couple the Duke and Duchess of Leuchtenberg.) In turn, Augusta passed the suite along to her own daughter, Joséphine of Leuchtenberg, when she married the future King Oscar I of Sweden and Norway in 1823. - the court jeweller.com

[charlotte-of-wales]

Royal Tiara Highlights: Swedish Amethyst Tiara

This tiara is apart of a set that includes drop earrings, two bracelets, and a devant de corsage and it was initially a necklace made of diamonds surrounding fitfteen large amethysts. The dark purple amethysts are set in gold, while the diamonds are set in silver. 

The original owner of the set is believed to be Empress Joséphine of France, the first wife of Napoleon Bonaparte. Joséphine gave the parure to her daughter-in-law, Princess Augusta of Bavaria who then passed it on to her own daughter, Joséphine of Leuchtenberg, when she married the future King Oscar I of Sweden and Norway in 1823. The jewels have been in the Swedish Royal Vault ever since.

When Queen Silvia married King Carl XVI Gustaf in 1976, she realized the set needed a tiara. Since the original necklace was too heavy and uncomfortable to wear, Silvia decided to turn it into a tiara. She also altered the parure bracelets so they could be worn as necklace; all these alterations are not permanent and the set can still be worn in its original form. 

via The Court Jeweller 

[steliosagapitos]

~ "Pair of antique amethyst and diamond ear pendants, part of the Swedish Royal amethyst parure, early 19th Century, designed as a pair of pear cut amethysts within old cut diamond surround, alternate by a foliate shaped motif, mounted in gold and silver. The parure has an interesting provenance, it was a gift by Napoleon to his first wife Empress Josephine. Joséphine de Beauharnais gave the amethyst parure to her daughter-in-law, Princess Augusta of Bavaria, who had married Eugène de Beauharnais in 1806, who became the Duke and Duchess of Leuchtenberg. Because Augusta’s father, King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria, gave the couple this name. Augusta passed the suite along to her own daughter, Joséphine of Leuchtenberg, when she married the future King Oscar I of Sweden and Norway in 1823. The amethysts have been in the Swedish royal collection ever since; today they are a part of the Bernadotte family jewel foundation, and so they cannot be sold." ~

[die-greifen]

what: new tiaras

(These tiaras have recently been sold at auction through either Sotheby's or Christie’s. I’ve fictionally had them all bought by Karolina Augusta to expand her tiara collection)

(All italicised text in this post is made up for the sake of this story)

THE BADEN PEARL & DIAMOND TIARA

Created in 1829 for Stéphanie, Dowager Grand Duchess of Baden (nee de Beauharnais), the adopted daughter of Napoleon Bonaparte. The tiara passed through  Stéphanie’s descendants, including Princess Marie José of Belgium, who would be Italy’s last Queen in 1946. Marie José is shown wearing the tiara in above and below. She had the tiara modified in 1924 to be worn as a bandeau across the forehead.

Marie José died in 2001 and the tiara passed to her daughter, Princess Maria Gabriella of Savoy. Maria Gabriella put the tiara up for auction in 2007.

Karolina Augusta, impressed with its royal heritage, bought the tiara in 2007. She had the tiara restored to its original form (wearing it on top of her head as shown in the photo below worn by Queen Carola of Saxony). As the private property of Karolina Augusta, she is the only member of the royal family to wear the tiara to date.

THE EMPRESS JOSÉPHINE TIARA

The tiara was created for the Dukes of Leuchtenberg in 1890 from diamonds owned by their ancestor, Empress Joséphine. The tiara was created by Fabergé (famed for their eggs). The Dukes of Leuchtenberg sold the tiara following the First World War, when it was bought by King Albert I and Queen Elisabeth of the Belgians. They gave the tiara to their youngest son, Charles, who gave it to his sister, Marie José (the above pictured). Such as with the Baden Pearl & Diamond Tiara, the Empress Joséphine Tiara was then inherited by her daughter, Maria Gabriella, who put the Empress Joséphine Tiara up for auction at the same time as the Baden tiara in 2007.

Karolina Augusta I, while not descended from Empress Joséphine, could not resist the heritage and the Fabergé connection and bought the small tiara for a massive sum in 2007. This purchase was anonymous and Karolina Augusta allowed the tiara to tour a number of museums in Europe before wearing the tiara for the first time at the wedding of Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden and Daniel Westling in June 2010. Karolina Augusta remains the sole wearer of the Empress Josephine Tiara.

THE HABSBURG SAPPHIRE TIARA

Believed to have been made from jewels owned by Marie Louise of Austria, second wife to Napoleon Bonaparte, and created into a diamond and sapphire parure consisting of a tiara, necklace, bracelet, and three brooches by her relatives, the parure was put up for auction in 2012.

Karolina Augusta I, while only distantly related to the Habsburg family, could not resist a whole parure going on sale together and purchased the jewels for a large sum of money in 2012. The tiara is small and not often worn by Karolina Augusta, however the bracelet and necklace are among her favourite sapphire pieces.

THE HESKETH AQUAMARINE TIARA

The Hesketh Aquamarine Tiara was created by Cartier and features aquamarine clusters and diamond leaves arranged in a kokoshnik shape. This small tiara was previously owned by Christian, Lady Hesketh and was put up for auction in 2007 following her death.

Karolina Augusta I and her younger brother, Prince Klaus Wilhelm, purchased the tiara for their mother and presented it as a Christmas present in December 2007. Queen Eleonora loves aquamarines and owns a large collection of aquamarine jewellery. Following the end of the regency, Queen Eleonora chose to no longer wear the family’s only aquamarine tiara, the Alexandra Fabergé Tiara, and was deeply touched when she received the Hesketh tiara from her children. Presently, Queen Eleonora is the sole wearer of the tiara.

THE MÜRITZ EMERALD NECKLACE TIARA

The emerald and diamond necklace tiara is by an unknown creator with no known provenance. The tiara was put up for auction in 2011.

Karolina Augusta I purchased the necklace tiara in 2011 as she continues to grow a collection of smaller tiaras to be used for less important occasions. Karolina Augusta named the tiara after Lake Müritz, the largest lake in Mecklenburg. Karolina Augusta prefers to wear the tiara as a necklace, but has worn the piece as a tiara a number of times.

THE PORTLAND SAPPHIRE CIRCLET TIARA

This tiara was created in 1889 for William Cavendish-Bentinck, the 6th Duke of Portland and his new wife Winnifred Dallas-Yorke. The tiara is a full circle of 54 cm made of diamonds, pearls and sapphires, and came with a matching parure of jewels. The tiara and other jewels passed through a series of relatives until they came up for auction in 2010.

Karolina Augusta I bought the tiara, to fill in a gap in her jewel collection, along with the other jewels in the collection. Karolina Augusta has worn the tiara and other jewels several times since 2010.

THE ROSENBORG KOKOSHNIK TIARA

The Rosenborg Kokoshnik Tiara was created by Danish court jeweller, Dragsted, for Eleanor Green, the wife of Prince Viggo, Count of Rosenborg (born Prince Viggo of Denmark). The garland design features bows, flowers and other floral elements created out of diamonds, garnets and pearls. Viggo and Eleanor had no children and the tiara was inherited by their relatives who put the tiara up for auction in 2012. It was not purchased at the time and was put up for auction again in 2014.

Karolina Augusta I thought of purchasing the tiara in 2012, but found the tiara’s design to be too childish. A couple of years later, when the tiara was put up for auction again, Karolina Augusta had changed her mind regarding the tiara and purchased it. Karolina Augusta’s great-grandmother, Queen Karola, inherited a large collection of garnet jewellery from her mother and the tiara is now paired with those pieces, though still rarely worn by Karolina Augusta.

THE SCHWERIN KOKOSHNIK TIARA

Created circa 1910 and purchased by Mervyn Horatio Herbert, Viscount Clive, for his wife Vida Cuthbert in the 1930s, this tiara is made of diamonds in the kokoshnik style. The tiara was put up for auction in 2007.

Karolina Augusta I purchased the tiara in 2007, renaming it the Schwerin Kokoshnik Tiara. Karolina Augusta wears the tiara frequently thanks to its medium size and lightness.

THE SORGENFRI TURQUOISE  TIARA

Created in the 1880s, this turquoise and diamond tiara was later owned by Mrs James A. De Rothschild before being sold at auction in 1989. The tiara was once again put up for auction in 2010.

Karolina Augusta I purchased the small tiara in 2010 wanting to fill a hole in her tiara collection. She renamed it the Sorgenfri Turquoise Vine & Ribbon Tiara in honour of her grandmother, Queen Thyra of Mecklenburg, who was born at Sorgenfri Palace, and loved and owned many pieces of turquoise jewellery.

THE STUTTGART LAUREL WREATH TIARA

Created circa 1900, this emerald and pearl laurel wreath tiara can be split into two pieces and worn separately as hair ornaments. The tiara was put up for auction in 2011.

Karolina Augusta I purchased the small tiara in 2011 to fill a hole in her tiara collection. She renamed it the Stuttgart Emerald & Pearl Laurel Wreath Tiara in honour of her great-grandmother, Queen Karola of Mecklenburg, who was born in Stuttgart’s New Palace, and loved and owned many pieces of emerald or pearl jewellery. Karolina Augusta prefers to wear the tiara as separate hair ornaments.

THE VORPOMMERN PEARL & DIAMOND TIARA

Created in the late 19th century, the providence of the pearl and diamond tiara is unknown. The tiara can be dismantled into three brooches. The tiara was put up for auction in 2012.

Karolina Augusta I purchased the tiara because of its beauty, her attention was especially drawn to the foliate scroll design. The tiara was renamed the Vorpommern Pearl & Diamond Tiara.

Photos taken from sotheby’s, christie’s or Google Images.

[tiaramania]

Crown Princess Märtha & the Leuchtenberg Emerald Parure

I got an ask from @redrosecut about the scene in Atlantic Crossing where Crown Princess Märtha is given an emerald tiara by her mother, Princess Ingeborg, to sell if she needed to.  Sorry, Tumblr ate the ask so I had to start from scratch.

While people are upset about some of the creative liberties taken in Atlantic Crossing this part actually did happen.  In 1940, the Nazis invaded Norway so the government evacuated Crown Princess Märtha and her three children to Sweden and then to the United States.  Märtha was a Swedish princess by birth and stayed with her family there but some people were not happy with the Crown Princess of Norway taking refuge in Sweden because it put their neutrality at risk.  Her family wanted her to stay but she decided to go to the US during the war.  Her mother, Princess Ingeborg, gave her the tiara and the rest of the parure wrapped in a scarf at Stockholm Central Station and told her to sell it if she needed money to support her family.  Thankfully, Märtha and her children were able to safely return to Norway in 1945 and she didn’t have to sell the parure.  It’s still worn today by Märtha’s daughter-in-law, Queen Sonja of Norway, and is probably her most worn tiara or at least it’s the one I most associate with her.

The Leuchtenberg Emerald Parure Tiara was most likely a wedding present to Princess Augusta, Duchess of Leuchtenberg, from her husband’s stepfather, Emperor Napoleon, in 1806 and if it’s not from them then it from around that time.  The parure traveled to Brazil with Empress Amélie and then to her sister, Queen Josephine of Sweden.  It descended through the family until it was given to Princess Ingeborg of Sweden, the mother of Crown Princess Märtha of Norway, Queen Astrid of Belgium, and Princess Margaretha of Denmark.  She was the sibling, parent, grandparent, or cousin of basically all the Scandinavian royals and some of the non-Scandi ones too so she was at all of the big events and was very generous with loaning out her jewelry which I appreciate.  I’ve been updating my Scandinavian tiara posts recently so I’ve seen a lot of Ingeborg and there’s a few more of her tiaras coming up if you are someone that follows my regular site.  Ingeborg did make some controversial changes to the parure because by the time it got to her it did not have any earrings so she had the pear shaped emerald right next to the big rectangular center emerald on the tiara removed to make some.  You can see that they are still in place in the pictures of her below but in the pictures of Märtha above they have been replaced with diamond palmettes and she wearing the pear emeralds as earrings.  The Leuchtenberg Sapphire Parure also from Augusta that’s still in Sweden had missing earrings too and some were later created from hairpins.  The theory is that neither Queen Sophia or Queen Victoria of Sweden wore earrings so they gave them away or had them made into other jewelry.  The change certainly makes the big central emerald stand out more which most people don’t like and thinks that make the tiara look less balanced.  There also used to be seven pendants on the necklace (Queen Sonja is wearing one of them above right) that she distributed among her children.  The ones that went to Queen Astrid were eventually used to make Grand Duchess Joséphine Charoltte of Luxembourg’s Emerald Peacock Tiara.

I first read the story about the emeralds on Trond Norén Isaksen’s website.  He’s a Norwegian royal historian and presumably Princess Astrid, Crown Princess Märtha’s daughter, told it to him when he was interviewing her for her official biography.  Then in 2011, Queen Silvia of Sweden also told it in the documentary about royal jewels, De Kongelige Juveler.  The Norwegian royals declined participating in that documentary or Kungliga Smycken in 2020.  They really are much more private about their jewels compared to the other Scandinavian monarchies but we luckily still know a lot because so much of their jewelry passed through Sweden or Denmark first.  The bit about the tiara is at the 20 minute mark.  Queen Silvia speaks in English but you can turn on the captions to get English for the narrator’s part.

[omgthatdress]

The Swedish Cameo Tiara

Originally made in France in 1804 for Joséphine de Beauharnaise after the coronation of Napoléon. It was eventually loaned to her daughter, Hortense, who wore it during her stint as Queen of Holland. It eventually wound up in the possession of Hortense’s brother, Eugène, who gave it to his daughter, Joséphine of Leuchtenberg, who married Crown Prince Oscar of Sweden and Norway, and eventually became queen. The tiara was passed down through the Swedish family from them on.

In 1961, Princess Brigitta wore the tiara to her wedding, and started a tradition for Bernadotte brides. Since then, Princess Désirée, Queen Silvia, and Crown Princess Victoria have all worn it for their weddings.

[histoireettralala]

Hi there ! What do you know about the relationship between Jean Bernadotte and Désirée Clary? Thanks.

Hi! First of all I'm sorry for being so late to answer your question.

I don't know much about Bernadotte himself and his relationship with Désirée, so I have looked it up :)

I haven't looked very deep, I'm sorry, but here's what I have gathered.

Désirée, born in 1777 in Marseille, was first courted, when she wasn't yet of age, by Joseph Bonaparte, who promised her marriage. When Napoleon appeared, he chose Désirée for himself, and threw Joseph at her sister, Julie, whom he would marry. Napoleon told his brother that in a marriage, one of the spouses had to yield to the other, but both Joseph and Désirée were not decisive characters, while he, Napoleon, and Julie, knew what they wanted.

And Napoleon and Désirée were engaged in April 1795, although Mme Clary reacted with a "One Bonaparte in my family" -Joseph-" is enough."

But in 1796 Napoléon met Joséphine, and broke off the engagement with Désirée- she would always keep a grudge against Joséphine for this, and although she would assure Napoleon of her continued good will, she would not be happy to have been ditched.

If General Duphot hadn't been killed in Rome, he might have been her husband. Another "what if" in her turbulent life.

Désirée came back to Paris, and she was attractive, a pretty brunette with lovely eyes, and some say, coquettish, a bit frivolous. Junot was one of her suitors. In July 1798, she met Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, and two weeks later they were engaged, the next month, on August 17, they were married in Sceaux. Their only son, Oscar, was born the following year. Bernadotte had a good reputation, he was alluring, with piercing eyes, looked full of energy; and, very interestingly, he was a military and political opponent to Bonaparte, which might have sealed the deal for Désirée.

She seemed to have had genuine feelings for him, at least in the beginning. Laure Junot maliciously wrote about Désirée always crying about him - if he was away, because he was away, and if he was here, because he would go away again, maybe in eight days, but he would go away.

They were, like in most if not all of the Marshals' marriages, often separated. Maybe we can cut Désirée some slack given her youth.

Bernadotte was fourteen years older. He seems to have been very constant with her, forgiving and indulgent, too. He would have wanted her to be educated further, wishing her to shine in society. Apparently his constant instructions hurt Désirée, and Bernadotte backed off. It was alright if his wife wasn't a second Juliette Récamier (whom he admired). "My love for you will last as long as I live", he told Désirée.

When Bernadotte became the crown prince of Sweden, Désirée couldn't get used to the climate as well as to the atmosphere of the court, which she found severe and dull. Living in France, she used to give her husband information straight from the source, and he called her "his little spy". Napoleon also used Désirée to send messages to Bernadotte.

In Sweden, Bernadotte might have had mistresses, but only one was open about an affair, Mariana Koskull, already reputed to be the mistress of the previous king. What is sure is that Désirée, during the Restauration, fell for Armand-Emmanuel du Plessis de Richelieu, and pursued him, to everyone's knowledge, even though her feelings for her lover were unrequited. When the Duke died, she wore a mourning attire fit for a widow, which scandalized the contemporaries.

She came back to Sweden and stayed for good from 1823, a few days before her son Oscar married Joséphine of Leuchtenberg, Eugène's daughter...and thus Joséphine's granddaughter, in an ironic twist of history. She would finally get used to her new country.

Bernadotte forgave her infidelities and built for her the Palace of Rosendal, where she could live as she wished, far from the Court.

Bernadotte died on March 8, 1844; Oscar on July 8, 1859; and Désirée last, on December 17, 1860, at the age of 83.

When her husband died, Désirée said: "He only considered the good in me, and ignored the bad".

Both of them were commoners from Southern France (Bernadotte from Béarn, and Désirée from Marseille) who ended up ruling a northern, protestant kingdom; in spite of separations and infidelities, they don't seem to have been too unhappy together, as Bernadotte seemed to have always at least a soft spot for her, and Désirée was able to acknowledge her husband's steadfastness about her.

Not being a specialist, that's all I can say about their relationship. A few years ago, Princess Victoria of Sweden was in Sceaux, where she was presented a copy of her ancestors' marriage certificate, during a trip in France where she also visited the museum in Pau dedicated to Bernadotte, and a house they had acquired in Savigny in 1800. So the family seems to care about their origins; I don't know if we have Swedish people in this little Tumblr community, or historians who might know a little more. In any case, I hope I was able to answer your question, if only a little bit.

Thanks for asking :) and have a nice day!

[detournementsmineurs]

“Diadème aux Camées" porté par "L'Impératrice Joséphine" par Ferdinand-Paul Louis Quaglia (1813-14), puis par la "Reine Joséphine de Suède, née Leuchtenberg" dans ses portraits par Fredric Westin (1836) et Bertha Valerius (circa 1860), et depuis par ses descendantes la Reine Silvia de Suède (circa 2005) et sa fille la Princesses Victoria de Suède lors de son mariage (2010) présenté à la conférence “D'un Empire à l'Autre (1ère Partie : 1805-1820)” par Sophie Motsch - Attachée de Conservation au Musée des Arts Décoratifs de Paris - pendant le cycle de cours d'été “De la Parure de Cour à la Joaillerie Parisienne : Une Histoire du Bijou” de l'Ecole du Louvre, juillet 2021.

[heavyarethecrowns]

People that have married in the Royal Families since 1800

Sweden

Eugénie Bernardine Désirée Clary better known as  Désirée Clary (8 November 1777 – 17 December 1860) 

Clary was born in Marseille, France, the daughter of François Clary a wealthy silk manufacturer and merchant, by his second wife Françoise Rose Somis Eugénie was normally used as her name of address.

Clary had a sister and brother to whom she remained very close all her life. Her sister, Julie Clary, married Joseph Bonaparte, and later became Queen of Naples and Spain. Her brother, Nicholas Joseph Clary, was created 1st Count Clary

As a child, Clary received the convent schooling usually given to daughters of the upper classes in pre-revolutionary France. However, when she was barely eleven years old, the French Revolution of 1789 took place, and convents were closed. Clary returned to live with her parents, and was perforce home-schooled thereafter. Later, her education would be described as shallow.

In 1794, Clary's father died. Shortly after, it was discovered that in the years before the revolution, he had made an appeal to be ennobled, a request that had been denied. Because of this, Désirée Clary's brother Etienne, now the head of the family and her guardian, was arrested. 

Désirée Clary met Joseph Bonaparte and was introduced to her family. Bonaparte and Clary were engaged, and his brother Napoleon Bonaparte also met her family. Soon Joseph was engaged instead to her older sister Julie while Napoleon was engaged to Désirée Clary on 21 April 1795. In 1795–1797

Clary lived with her mother in Genoa in Italy, where her brother-in-law Joseph had a diplomatic mission; they were also joined by the Bonaparte family. In 1795, Napoleon became involved with Joséphine de Beauharnais and broke the engagement to Clary on 6 September. He married Joséphine in 1796. 

In 1797, Clary went to live in Rome with her sister Julie and her brother-in-law Joseph, who was French ambassador to the Papal States. Her relationship with Julie remained close. She was briefly engaged to Mathurin-Léonard Duphot, a French general. The engagement has been assumed to be Napoleon's idea to compensate her with a marriage, while Duphot was attracted to her dowry and position as sister-in-law of Napoleon. She agreed to the engagement though Duphot had a long-term relationship and a son with another woman. On 30 December 1797, on the eve of their marriage, Duphot was killed in an anti-French riot outside of their residence Palazzo Corsini in Rome.In later years, Clary vehemently denied that her engagement to Duphot had ever existed

After her return to France, Clary lived with Julie and Joseph in Paris. In Paris, she lived in the circle of the Bonaparte family, who sided with her against Josephine after Napoleon had broken off their engagement. She herself did not like Josephine either, as she has been quoted calling her an aged courtesan with a deservedly bad reputation, but she is not believed to have shown any hostility toward Josephine as did the members of the Bonaparte family. She received a proposal from General Junot, but turned it down because it was given through Marmont.Clary eventually met her future spouse, Jean Baptiste Jules Bernadotte, another French general and politician. They were married in a secular ceremony at Sceaux on 17 August 1798. In the marriage contract, Clary was given economic independence. On 4 July 1799, she gave birth to their only child, a son, Oscar.

In August 1810, Bernadotte's husband was elected heir to the throne of Sweden and she heiress, now in that position being given the official name of Desideria. She initially thought this was to be similar to the position of Prince of Pontecorvo, and did not expect to have to visit Sweden more than she had been forced to visit Pontecorvo: "I thought, that it was at it had been with Ponte Corvo, a place from where we would have a title."She was later to admit, that she had never cared about any other country than France and knew nothing of foreign countries nor did she care about them, and that she was in despair when she was told that this time, she would be expected to leave Paris. Desideria delayed her departure and did not leave with her spouse. She was delighted with the position she had received at the French court after her elevation to crown princess (she had been invited to court events every week), and she was frightened by the stories of her reluctant French servants, who tried to discourage her from leaving by saying that Sweden was a country close to the North Pole filled with Polar bears.Finally, she left Paris and traveled by Hamburg and Kronborg in Denmark over the Öresund to Helsingborg in Sweden.

On 22 December 1810, Desideria arrived with her son Oscar in Helsingborg in Sweden, and the 6 January 1811, she was introduced to the Swedish royal court at the Royal Palace in Stockholm. The Swedish climate was reportedly a shock for her: she arrived during the winter, and she hated the snow so much that she cried. Her spouse had converted upon his election as heir to the Swedish throne, and upon their arrival, her son was also to do so, as was required, and was taken from her to be brought up a Lutheran. There was, in accordance with the Tolerance Act, no demand that she should convert, and a Catholic chapel was arranged for her use. Desideria was not religious,but the Catholic masses served to remind her of France, and she celebrated the birth of the son of Napoleon, the King of Rome, by a Te Deum in her chapel. 

Desideria was unable to adapt to the demands of formal court etiquette or participate in the representational duties which were required of her in her position of Crown Princess. Her French entourage, especially Elise la Flotte, made her unpopular during her stay in Sweden by encouraging her to complain about everything.She did not have a good relationship with Queen Hedwig Elizabeth Charlotte, though the Dowager Queen Sophia Magdalena was reportedly kind to her. In her famous diaries, Queen Charlotte described her as good hearted, generous and pleasant when she chose to be and not one to plot, but also an immature "spoiled child", who hated all demands and was unable to handle any form of representation, and as "a French woman in every inch" who disliked and complained about everything which was not French, and "consequently, she is not liked." Queen Charlotte, who wanted to remain the center of attention at her own court, was not pleased with Desideria and also influenced King Charles against her. 

Desideria left Sweden in the summer of 1811 under the name of Countess of Gotland, officially because of her health, and returned to Paris, leaving her husband and her son behind. She herself said that the Swedish nobility had treated her as if they were made of ice: "Do not talk with me of Stockholm, I get a cold as soon as I hear the word." In Sweden, her husband took a mistress, the noble Mariana Koskull. Under the same alias Desideria officially resided incognito in Paris, thereby avoiding politics. However, her house at rue d'Anjou was watched by the secret police, and her letters were read by them. She had no court, just her lady's companion Elise la Flotte to assist her as hostess at her receptions, and she mostly associated with a circle of close friends and family.

In 1818, her husband became King of Sweden, which made Desideria Queen. However, she remained in France, officially for health reasons. After she became Queen, the Swedish Queen Dowager wrote to her and suggested that she should have Swedish ladies-in-waiting, but she replied that it was unnecessary for her to have a court as she still resided incognito. She officially kept herself incognito and did not host any court, but she kept in contact with the Swedish embassy, regularly visited the court of Louis XVIII and often saw Swedes at her receptions, which she hosted on Thursdays and Sundays, unofficially in her role as queen, though she still used the title of countess. 

During this period, she fell in love with the French prime minister, the Duc de Richelieu, which attracted attention. According to one version, she fell in love with him after Louis XVIII had given him the task to deny her regular appeal for her sister Julie in the most charming way possible. True or not, she did fall in love with him, but the affection was not answered by Richelieu, who referred to her as his "crazy Queen". According to Laure Junot, she did not dare to speak to him or approach him, but she followed him wherever he went, tried to make contact with him, followed him on his trip to Spa and had flowers placed in his room. She followed him around until his death in 1822.

During the summer of 1822, her son Oscar made a trip in Europe to inspect prospective brides, and it was decided they should meet. As France was deemed unsuitable, they met in Aachen and a second time in Switzerland. In 1823, Desideria returned to Sweden together with her son's bride, Josephine of Leuchtenberg. It was intended to be a visit, but she was to remain in Sweden for the rest of her life. She and Josephine arrived in Stockholm 13 June 1823. Three days later, the royal court and the government was presented to her, and 19 June, she participated in the official welcoming of Josephine and witnessed the wedding

On 21 August 1829, she was crowned Queen of Sweden in Storkyrkan in Stockholm. Her coronation had been suggested upon her return, but her consort had postponed it because he feared there could be religious difficulties. There was actually a suggestion that she should convert to the Lutheran faith before her coronation, but in the end, the question was not considered important enough to press, and she was crowned all the same. She was crowned at her own request after having pressed Charles John with a wish that she should be crowned: "otherwise she would be no proper Queen". A reason for this is believed to have been that she regarded it as protection against divorce

The relationship between her and her husband King Charles XIV John was somewhat distant, but friendly. Charles John treated her with some irritability, while she behaved very freely and informally toward him. The court was astonished by her informal behavior. She could enter his bedroom and stay there until late at night even though he hinted to her that he wished to be alone with his favorite Count Magnus Brahe. Every morning, she visited her husband in her nightgown, which was seen as shocking, because her husband usually conferred with members of the council of state in his bed chamber at that time. Because of their difference in habits, they seldom saw each other even though they lived together. Because she was always late at dinner, for example, he stopped having his meals with her, and as he also preferred to have his meals alone, it was not uncommon for the nobles of the court to sit alone at the dinner table, without the royal couple present

The 1830s were a period when she did her best to be active as a queen, a role she had never wanted to play. The decade is described as a time of balls and parties, more than had been seen at the Swedish court since the days of King Gustav III, but Desideria soon grew tired of her royal status and wanted to return to France. However, her husband did not allow it. As queen she is mostly known for her eccentric habits. She is known to have kept reversed hours and, consequently, for often being late and keeping guests waiting, something which agitated her spouse. Normally, she retired at four in the morning, and awoke at two o'clock in the afternoon. Before she went to bed, she took a "walk by carriage": during these trips, she often paid unannounced visits, which were normally inconvenient because of the time. When the weather was bad, her carriage drove round the courtyard of the royal palace instead. It was normal for her to arrive for a visit to an opera when the show had ended.

Desideria was interested in fashion, devoted a lot of interest and pride in her hair and wore low cut dresses until an advanced age. She enjoyed dancing: her standard question at court presentations were if the debutantes liked to dance, and she herself danced well also during her old age. Her conversations were mainly about her old life in France. Her niece, Marcelle Tascher de la Pagerie, served as her Mistress of the Robes her first years as queen and also her main company, as she could speak to her of her main topic, her old life. After her niece had returned to France, she often socialized with the rich merchant Carl Abraham Arfwedson, who had once been a guest in her childhood home.She never became very popular at the royal court, where she was regarded with some snobbery because of her past as a merchant's daughter and a republican. She never learned to speak the Swedish language, and there are many anecdotes of her attempts to speak the language.

In 1844, Charles XIV John died and Desideria became Queen Dowager. Her son, the new King Oscar I, allowed her to keep her usual quarters in the Royal Palace as well as her entire court, so she would not have to change her habits. When her daughter-in-law Queen Josephine tried to convince her to reduce her court of her own free will, saying she no longer needed such a big court as a queen dowager, she answered: "It is true that I no longer need them all, but all of them still need me." She was a considerate and well-liked employer among her staff. One notable member of her court was Countess Clara Bonde, who was described as a personal friend and served the queen from her return to Sweden until her death. 

Desideria did engage in charity but it was discreet, and it has been said: "Her charity was considerable but took place in silence". One example was that she supported poor upper-class women by giving them sewing work. She also acted as official protector of charitable institutions, such as the Women's Society Girl School. The same year she became a widow, she was described by the French diplomat Bacourt: "Royalty has not altered her — unfortunately, for the reputation of the Crown. She has always been and will always remain an ordinary merchant woman, surprised over her position, and surprising to find upon a throne."He also added that she was a goodhearted woman.

After becoming a widow, she grew more and more eccentric. She went to bed in the morning, got up in the evening, ate breakfast at night and wandered around the corridors of the sleeping palace with a light. Desideria sometimes would take in children from the streets to the palace and give them sweets; she was not able to engage in any real conversation, but she would say "Kom, kom!" (Swedish for "Come come!") There are stories about people having been awakened by her carriage when she drove through the streets at night. The carriage sometimes stopped; she would sleep for a while, and then she would wake and the carriage would continue on its way. Her habit or circling the courtyard in her coach she called "Kring kring" (Swedish for "around and around"), one of the few Swedish words she learned.

On the last day of her life, Queen Desideria entered her box at the Royal Swedish Opera just after the performance had ended, and collapsed before reaching her apartment upon returning to Stockholm Palace on 17 December 1860.

[theduchessofvastergotland]

Cut Steel Bandeau worn by Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and Princess Sofia of Sweden.

The Cut Steel Bandeau apparently shares an origin with the larger Cut Steel Tiara, which the royal court reports was created for Queen Hortense of Holland (1783-1837) and which most likely came to Sweden courtesy of Hortense's niece, Queen Josephine of Sweden (1807-1876). (It's thanks to these two women that the Swedish royal family has such a large collection of Napoleonic jewelry; Hortense de Beauharnais and Josephine of Leuchtenberg were the daughter and granddaughter, respectively, of Empress Joséphine, first wife of Napoleon.) Kungliga magazine reported the bandeau was another part of the cut steel jewelry collection that belonged to Hortense. The inclusion of a matching hair comb would also be typical of a set from her era. The royal court has simply referred to the bandeau as a "private tiara" made of steel, which does not say much, except to imply that the tiara is not part of the Bernadotte Foundation that houses much of the family's historical jewelry.

So it seems that the bandeau has been in the Swedish royal collection for many generations. And yet it remained unseen until 2012, when Crown Princess Victoria wore the tiara to the Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg's pre-wedding dinner. Victoria has worn the tiara a few times, and has used it while wearing the matching comb at the back of her head. Princess Sofia is the second person to wear the tiara.

[titoslondon-blog]

New Post has been published on Titos London

#Blog New Post has been published on http://www.titoslondon.co.uk/the-most-glamorous-royal-tiaras-through-the-years/

The most glamorous royal tiaras through the years

The history of royal tiaras is as long and fascinating as the headgear is sparkling. Take the tiaras worn by the late Diana, Princess of Wales, for instance. She married Prince Charles wearing a family heirloom of her own aristocratic lineage, the Spencer tiara, but the Cambridge Lovers’ Knot—with its 19 diamond arches and swinging pearls—was said to be among her favourites. (She famously teamed it with Catherine Walker’s pearl- and sequin-studded Elvis dress for a state dinner in 1989.) Originally commissioned by Queen Mary, the Cambridge Lovers’ Knot was passed down to her granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth II, and has most recently been seen on the head of the Duchess of Cambridge. Other British royal family sparklers of note include the Lotus Flower tiara—a favourite of Princess Margaret’s, the Egyptian-style headpiece originally belonged to the Queen Mother—and the Cartier Halo Scroll, which dates back to 1936 and was worn by the Duchess of Cambridge on her wedding day.

Among the oldest tiaras still in use is the Swedish royal family’s Cameo Tiara—a rich gold diadem, with seven delicate cameos framed in opulent seed pearl accents—was gifted to Empress Joséphine by Napoleon in 1809. The empress’s granddaughter, Josephine of Leuchtenberg, inherited it and took it with her into the Swedish royal family when she wed the future King Oscar I of Sweden and Norway. It has since been worn by many of the women in the household of King Carl Gustaf, from Princess Birgitta’s 1961 nuptials to Princess Victoria’s own wedding in 2010.

Not all royal households take the same inheritance approach to their gems though. The Japanese imperial household traditionally provides each family member a tiara of their own, either when they marry into the family, or when they come of age at 20. The most recent addition to the royal parure was Princess Kako of Akishino coming of age gift, an all-white scroll motif and diamond cluster set—including matching earrings, a brooch, bracelet, necklace and, of course, tiara—designed by Mikimoto. Here, Vogue dives into the treasure trove of royal tiaras.

1/36 Queen Mary wearing the "Girls of Great Britain and Ireland" Tiara, 1890s

Image: Rex Features

Duchess of York wearing the "Lotus Flower" tiara

Image: Alamy

Duchess of York wearing the “Strathmore Rose” tiara, 1923

Image: Getty

Princess Margaret wearing the “Cartier Halo Scroll” tiara, 1954

Image: Getty

Princess Birgitta wearing the “Cameo” tiara, 1961

Image: Getty

Queen Elizabeth II wearing the “Girls of Great Britain and Ireland” tiara, 1961

Image: Rex Features

Princess Margaret wearing the “Persian Turquoise” tiara, 1966

Image: Getty

Princess Margaret wearing the “Poltimore” tiara, 1969

Image: Getty

Queen Elizabeth II wearing the “Queen Alexandra's Kokoshnik” tiara, 1969

Image: Rex Features

Princess Grace wearing the ruby and diamond parure tiara, 1973

Image: Getty

Queen Silvia wearing the “Braganza” tiara, 1976

Image: Getty

Queen Elizabeth II wearing the “Burmese Ruby” tiara, 1977

Image: Getty

Queen Elizabeth II wearing the “Grand Duchess Vladimir” tiara, 1980

Image: Getty

Princess Diana wearing the “Spencer” tiara, 1983

Image: Getty

Princess Diana wearing the “Queen Mary” tiara, 1983

Image: Getty

Princess Anne wearing the “Princess Andrew’s Meander” tiara, 1988

Image: Getty

Princess Caroline wearing the “Cartier Pearl Drop” tiara, 1996

Image: Getty

Queen Elizabeth II wearing the “George VI Victorian Suite” tiara, 1996

Image: Getty

Crown Princess Victoria wearing the “Four Button” tiara, 1997

Image: Rex Features

Queen Rania wearing the “Halo Diamond Cartier” tiara, 2000

Image: Getty

Sarah Salleh wearing the “Diamond Floral” tiara, 2004

Image: Getty

Princess Madeleine wearing the “Modern Fringe” tiara, 2005

Image: Rex Features

Princess Letizia wearing the “Prussian” tiara, 2009

Image: Getty

Crown Princess Victoria wearing the “Cameo” tiara, 2010

Image: Getty

Duchess of Cambridge wearing the “Cartier Halo Scroll” tiara, 2011

Image: Getty

Princess Mako wearing “Princess Mako’s” tiara, 2011

Image: Getty

Princess Kako wearing “Princess Kako’s” tiara, 2014

Image: Getty

Princess Takamado of Japan, 2015

Image: Rex Features

Queen Letizia wearing the “Pearl Fleur de Lys” tiara, 2015

Image: Getty

Duchess of Cambridge wearing the “Queen Mary” tiara, 2016

Image: Getty

Grand Duchess Marie-Adelaide wearing a sapphire and diamond tiara, 2016

Image: Alamy

Princess Madeleine wearing the “Aquamarine Kokoshnik” tiara, 2017

Image: Rex Features

Princess Sofia wearing the “Amethyst” tiara, 2017

Image: Rex Features

Princess Sofia wearing a tiara gifted by parents-in-law, 2017

Image: Rex Features

Queen Letizia wearing the “Spanish Floral” tiara, 2017

Image: Rex Features

Alessandra de Osma wearing the “Hanoverian Floral” tiara, 2018

Image: Getty

The post The most glamorous royal tiaras through the years appeared first on VOGUE India.

[steliosagapitos]

                        The Leuchtenberg Sapphire Tiara

       ~ “Composed of 11 sapphires framed in diamonds on a diamond base of honeysuckle and leaf motifs, the Leuchtenberg Sapphire Tiara was probably made by the Parisian jeweller Marie-Etienne Nitot. Originally, pearls were included as an alternative to the sapphires; the pearls are no longer with the tiara, but supposedly the capability is still there. It’s a flexible tiara made in 11 different sections, allowing the user to adjust the circumference at will. It folds out to store flat in its box, a feature that Queen Silvia has noted makes it very handy to travel with.The sapphires are thought to have been a wedding gift from Napoléon to Princess Augusta of Bavaria, Duchess of Leuchtenberg, when she married Eugène de Beauharnais (Empress Joséphine's son). It makes the journey to Sweden with Augusta's daughter, Josephine, who married Oscar I of Sweden and Norway.” ~

[steliosagapitos]

        ~ Composed of 11 sapphires framed in diamonds on a diamond base of honeysuckle and leaf motifs, the Leuchtenberg Sapphire Tiara was probably made by the Parisian jeweller Marie-Etienne Nitot. Originally, pearls were included as an alternative to the sapphires; the pearls are no longer with the tiara, but supposedly the capability is still there. It’s a flexible tiara made in 11 different sections, allowing the user to adjust the circumference at will. It folds out to store flat in its box, a feature that Queen Silvia has noted makes it very handy to travel with.The sapphires are thought to have been a wedding gift from Napoléon to Princess Augusta of Bavaria, Duchess of Leuchtenberg, when she married Eugène de Beauharnais (Empress Joséphine's son). It makes the journey to Sweden with Augusta's daughter, Josephine, who married Oscar I of Sweden and Norway. It is now in the family foundation in Sweden, and has been worn mostly by queens and/or those acting as first ladies of the country. ~