The Queen Maria Pia Star Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): Queen Amélia of Portugal; tiara detail; Queen Amélia of Portugal; tiara detail


One of the starriest and spangly-est tiaras that ever graced a royal head is the star tiara of Queen Maria Pia of Portugal. Also called the "Diadem of the Stars," the tiara is a part of the Portuguese Crown Jewels.



Maria Pia, who had been born an Italian princess, commissioned

Weekend Bonus: The Queen Mary Fringe Tiara

Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (1900-2002) wears the Queen Mary Fringe Tiara. She also wears two necklaces: the Queen Victoria Diamond Collet Necklace, worn by the last four British queens at their coronations, plus a longer collet necklace that was a gift from her husband, King George VI

Weekend Bonus: The Noor-ol-Ain Tiara

Farah Pahlavi (born 1938), the former empress of Iran, wears the Noor-ol-Ain Tiara

The Nine Provinces Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): Queen Astrid of the Belgians; Queen Astrid of the Belgians; Queen Astrid of the Belgians; Queen Fabiola of Belgium; tiara detail; Queen Paola of the Belgians


Last week we looked at one of Queen Astrid's tiaras that has disappeared; today, let's round out a week of meander tiaras by looking at one that has remained a central part of the Belgian royal

The Moroccan Meander Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): tiara detail; Princess Lalla Salma of Morocco; Princess Lalla Salma of Morocco


The impressive meander tiara that belongs to the Moroccan royal family is something of a mystery. But that's not especially surprising, given that many things about this royal family have been kept private over the years. The tiara featured at a truly remarkable royal event in the

The Spencer Honeysuckle Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): Cynthia Spencer, Countess Spencer; Charlotte Spencer, Countess Spencer; tiara detail; tiara detail; tiara detail


If you visited the traveling exhibition on the life of Diana, Princess of Wales, today's tiara will look awfully familiar to you. The Spencer Honeysuckle Tiara isn't the most famous of the family's jewels -- that honor goes to the Spencer Tiara,

The Prussian Meander Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): Princess Sophie of Prussia; Princess Kira of Prussia; Princess Sophie of Prussia; tiara detail


Several months ago, we saw a kokoshik tiara from the former imperial family of Germany; today, let's have a look at a family tiara that could almost be its twin. This is the kokoshnik-style meander tiara of the Prussian royal family.



The tiara is more than a

The Princess Andrew Meander Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): Princess Anne of the United Kingdom; Princess Andrew of Greece and Denmark; Zara Phillips; tiara detail


Most of the tiaras in the British royal collection arrived in Windsor hands through members of Queen Elizabeth II's family, especially Queen Alexandra, Queen Mary, and the Queen Mum. But today's Mountbatten-Windsors trace half of their royal heritage to

Weekend Bonus: The Württemberg Empire Tiara

Queen Charlotte of Württemberg (1864-1946) wears the Württemberg Empire Tiara

Weekend Bonus: The Vladimir Tiara

Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom (born 1926) wears the Vladimir Tiara with the Cambridge emerald drops. The portrait, which is featured in a new edition of Keepers of the Kingdom, depicts the monarch wearing the robes of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle, the most senior order of Scottish chivalry

The Empress Eugénie Pearl Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): Empress Eugénie of France; tiara detail; Princess Gloria of Thurn and Taxis; Princess Margarethe of Thurn and Taxis


The diamond and pearl tiara of the Duchess of Alba isn't the only major pearl tiara to come from the collection of Empress Eugénie of France. This rather magnificent pearl diadem also traces its way back to the country's last empress, wending

The Alba Pearl Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): Eugenia Martínez de Irujo y Fitz-James Stuart; tiara detail; Eugenia Martínez de Irujo y Fitz-James Stuart; Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart y Silva, 18th Duchess of Alba; Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart y Silva, 18th Duchess of Alba


There are royals, there are nobles, and then there's Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart y Silva, the 18th Duchess of Alba. Cayetana may be mostly

The Tsaritsa Giovanna Pearl Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): Princess Miriam of Bulgaria, Princess of Turnovo; tiara detail; Princess Miriam of Bulgaria, Princess of Turnovo; Princess Carla of Bulgaria, Princess of Panagiurishte


Time to peek into the jewel collection of a new royal family, everyone! This is one of the heirloom tiaras that belongs to the former royal family of Bulgaria: the diamond and pearl tiara of

The Stockholm Tiara

Photos (from left): Queen Astrid of the Belgians; tiara detail; Princess Lilian of Belgium (with brooch)


Today, the jewel vaults in Belgium are apparently rather drafty and sparse, but once upon a time, the family had a more substantial collection. One tiara that belonged to the Belgians, but has not been seen in decades, is the Stockholm Tiara.



The rather unusual piece was a wedding gift

The Queen Margherita Musy Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): Queen Marie José of Italy; Queen Marie José of Italy; Queen Margherita of Italy; Queen Marie José of Italy; tiara detail; Princess Marina of Savoy


Even though the House of Savoy's tenure as monarchs was a relatively short-lived one -- they ruled over a united Italy for less than a century -- the family still managed to amass quite the jewel collection. And

Weekend Bonus: The Poltimore Tiara

Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon (1930-2002) wears the Poltimore Tiara; she also wears the Teck Hoop Necklace, which is now owned by Viscount Linley

Weekend Bonus: The Queen Maud Pearl Tiara

Queen Maud of Norway (1869-1938) wears the large version of the original Queen Maud Pearl Tiara

The Golden Poppies Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): tiara detail; Queen Margrethe II of Denmark; Queen Margrethe II of Denmark; tiara detail; Queen Margrethe II of Denmark


Let's wrap up a week of wild, weird, and out-of-this-world tiaras with the wackiest of them all: the Golden Poppies of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark.


Made in 1976 by Arje Griegst, this piece ticks all the "unusual tiara" boxes: it's made

The Chaumet Emerald Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg; Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg; Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg; tiara detail


Not all royal families have a tiara in their collections that's fit for a superhero, but I think Wonder Woman could borrow the art deco emerald tiara from Luxembourg in a heartbeat! (I assume superheros attend more white-tie

The Feather Aigrette Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): Princess Astrid, Mrs. Ferner; tiara detail; Princess Astrid, Mrs. Ferner; Princess Astrid, Mrs. Ferner


Princess Märtha Louise may be the member of the Norwegian royal family who claims to be able to speak with angels, but her aunt, Princess Astrid, is the only member of the family that owns a tiara that looks as if it could take flight at any moment.



The

The Modern Gold Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): Queen Sonja of Norway; Queen Sonja of Norway; tiara detail; tiara detail


If Princess Madeleine's aquamarine tiara looks like it comes from a mythological creature, this Norwegian tiara looks like it surely was stolen from a warrior princess. Queen Sonja's Modern Gold Tiara is one of the newest additions to the Norwegian royal collection, and it certainly

The Aquamarine Bandeau Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): tiara detail; Princess Madeleine of Sweden; Princess Désirée, Baroness Silfverschiöld; Princess Madeleine of Sweden


There are few royal tiaras more polarizing than this one: the aquamarine bandeau tiara worn by Princess Madeleine of Sweden. Funny how something so simple can be so divisive, huh?


The tiara -- which is often dubbed "the cyclops" for rather

Weekend Bonus: The Canadian Aquamarine Tiara

The Countess of Wessex (born 1965) wears the Canadian Aquamarine Tiara at the wedding of Princess Madeleine of Sweden and Christopher O'Neill

Weekend Bonus: The Modern Fringe Tiara

Princess Madeleine of Sweden (born 1982) wears the Modern Fringe Tiara. Her necklace is strung with diamond drops from the Connaught Diamond Tiara. Today, Madeleine's wedding to American businessman Christopher O'Neill will take place in Stockholm

ETA: It's the wedding tiara! I think I am some sort of tiara oracle...

The Gärdslösa Bridal Crown

All photos: Princess Margaretha, Mrs. Ambler


One of the reasons that I think the Cameo Tiara has become a mainstay of Swedish royal brides is its resemblance in shape to a traditional Swedish bridal crown. When King Carl XVI Gustaf's eldest sister, Princess Margaretha, married John Ambler in 1964, she eschewed a tiara in favor of one of these traditional headpieces.


Margaretha married in

The Cameo Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): Princess Birgitta of Hohenzollern; Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden; Queen Silvia of Sweden; Princess Désirée, Baroness Silfverschiöld; tiara detail


When Princess Madeleine of Sweden marries Christopher O'Neill tomorrow in Stockholm, history suggests that it's likely she'll have the family's cameo tiara perched atop her royal crown. The tiara has been worn

The Queen Sofia Diamond and Pearl Tiara

All photos: Princess Christina, Mrs. Magnuson


Unfortunately, Queen Maud's pearl tiara isn't the only royal tiara to have been targeted by a sticky-fingered thief. More recently, this tiara, the small diamond and pearl sparkler owned by Princess Christina of Sweden (another of the Haga Princesses), was also stolen.



The tiara, which was made by Ribbhagen, had major historical roots. It was

The Queen Maud Pearl Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): tiara detail; Princess Märtha Louise of Norway; Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway; Queen Sonja of Norway


Our penultimate Scandinavian wedding tiara of the week, the small version of the Queen Maud Pearl Tiara, has graced the heads of two generations of Norwegian royal women -- and it would have crowned a few more if only it hadn't been involved in a rather

The Crown Princess Victoria Birthday Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden; tiara detail; Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden; Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden


So far this week we've seen tiaras given to Swedish princesses on their wedding days: this afternoon, let's have a look at a tiara given to a Swedish princess on a milestone birthday. This teeny tiara was presented to Crown Princess Victoria

The Crown Princess Mary Wedding Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): Crown Princess Mary of Denmark; Crown Princess Mary of Denmark; Crown Princess Mary of Denmark; tiara detail; Crown Princess Mary of Denmark


When Aussie-born Mary Donaldson married Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark in 2004, she sported a brand-new diamond tiara. She also wore an heirloom veil that was first worn by Princess Margaret of Connaught a century

The Queen Louise Diamond Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): Princess Désirée, Baroness Silfverschiöld; Queen Louise of Sweden; Princess Désirée, Baroness Silfverschiöld; Queen Louise of Sweden; Princess Désirée, Baroness Silfverschiöld


Another day, another Haga princess, and another bonus tiara! Today, let's chat about the tiara given to Princess Désirée, the third of four daughters of Prince Gustaf Adolf and Princess

The Diamond Daisy Bandeau Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): tiara detail; Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway; Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway


Our second Scandinavian wedding tiara of the week belongs to the lovely Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway, who almost always works a simplistic Nordic cool kind of style. This tiara, the Diamond Daisy Bandeau, definitely fits in with her overall look.



The tiara,

The Pearl Circle Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): Princess Désirée of Hohenzollern; Princess Birgitta of Hohenzollern; Princess Désirée of Hohenzollern; Princess Désirée of Hohenzollern; tiara detail


Surprise! It's another bonus tiara week, readers! We've got to celebrate Madeleine's upcoming big day in style, don't we? Let's start off with a piece, the Pearl Circle Tiara, that has a connection to another

The Princess Dagmar Floral Tiara

Photos (clockwise from top left): Princess Marie of Denmark; tiara detail; Queen Margrethe II of Denmark; Princess Marie of Denmark


Since she officially became an HRH in 2008, Princess Marie of Denmark has worn precisely one tiara: this diamond floral piece that has been in the family for several generations. From her wedding to the annual Danish New Year's Courts to family celebrations, it's

Weekend Bonus: The Habsburg Fringe Tiara

Hereditary Princess Sophie of Liechtenstein (born 1967) wears the Habsburg Fringe Tiara at the gala event during the inauguration of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands in April