It’s one of the most unusual tiaras in any royal collection and
the Queen of Norway surprised everyone with a recent rewear. Queen
Sonja’s unexpected diadem choice put a striking gem in the
headline. Sonja is one of the most stylish royals around – perhaps
no surprise as she was a fashion student before marrying into
royalty. And her unusual jewel is linked to another queen known for
her dress sense.
Queen Sonja of Norway chose a tiara known as the Maltese Cross
Circlet for a traditional celebration at Oslo’s Royal Palace last
December. The diadem consists of a diamond bandeau that can be worn
with three ‘toppers’ shaped as Maltese Crosses.
It was an appropriate pick as Queen Sonja was at the annual
dinner for Norway’s bishops, along with her husband, King Harald,
and their son, Crown Prince Haakon.
The tiara hasn’t been worn that often in public over the last
thirty years, just like the Oriental Circlet tiara that the
Princess of Wales surprised everyone with at the State Banquet at
Windsor that same month.
And just like Kate’s diadem, the Maltese Cross Circlet has a
link to Queen Alexandra.
It was Alexandra who changed the Oriental Circlet to the form it
is in today. The original tiara was designed by Prince Albert for
Queen Victoria and is inspired by Indian architecture. It has huge
diamond arches, based on Mughal designs, and Albert had them
decorated with opals.
Queen Victoria left the tiara to the Crown and her
daughter-in-law, Queen Alexandra, wanted the opals removed as she
thought them unlucky. She had them replaced with rubies and that’s
the design still used today.
The Maltese Crosses Circlet is also part of the considerable
influence that Alexandra had on royal jewels. She was considered
one of the most stylish royals of her generation and her fashion
picks were followed by many.
This circlet, though, is even more impressive. For it was
originally part of Alexandra’s Coronation jewels. The Court Jeweller explains that
it began life as part of the gems commissioned by Alexandra for the
spectacular ceremony when she was crowned alongside her husband,
King Edward VII in 1902.
Alexandra’s youngest daughter, Maud, would become Queen of
Norway in 1905. Maud only had one son, who became King Olav V of
Norway, and who inherited many of his mother’s jewels. That’s how
this circlet has ended up in the Norwegian royal jewellery box.
Queen Sonja is a bit of a style icon herself and paired the all
diamond tiara with a bright red evening gown, echoing the colours
of Norway’s flag in her outfit.
The Princess
of Wales had worn the red and white jewels of the diamond and ruby
Oriental circlet with a blue dress, making her own gesture
towards the colours of the flag of the United Kingdom.
The two unusual tiara picks have also put a spotlight on the
wide range of jewels that are rarely seen in public as royals tend
to have go to tiaras that are already fitted and ready to wear for
big events.
