Grand Duchess Vladimir tiara: Expert on Queen’s 'favourite'
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The Queen inherited a vast array of jewels but she turns to time and again to the same tiara, the Grand Duchess Vladimir Tiara, for state occasions and formal events. The Grand Duchess Vladimir Tiara is steeped in history and hails originally from Russia.
Daena Borrowman, PR, Social and Digital Marketing Manager at jewellerybox, said: “The Grand Duchess Vladimir Tiara is rooted in the Russian Revolution.
“It was commissioned from the Romanov court jeweller Bolin by Duchess Marie or Grand Duchess Vladimir after she became the wife of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia, the uncle of the last Romanov Emperor, Nicholas II.
“When the Russian royals were forced to flee to safety, her son, Grand Duke Boris, had someone sneak into the Vladimir Palace disguised as a worker and transport all the royal jewels including the Grand Duchess Vladimir Tiara to London where the Grand Duchess’ son was living in exile.”
Many of the Grand Duchess’ gems were auctioned after her death to help support her family.
The Grand Duchess Vladimir Tiara subsequently fell into the hands of the current Queen’s beloved grandmother, Queen Mary, who was famed for her love of jewellery.
Many of the tiaras in the royal collection were collected by Mary, and she made sure to get the Grand Duchess Vladimir Tiara fixed after it was damaged in transit during the conflict.
The Queen also had the frame updated in the 1980s to ensure she could continue to wear the precious piece for decades to come.
The Queen is known to favour the Grand Duchess Vladimir Tiara with its dangling pearl additions, but it can also be worn with glistening emeralds.
On occasion, the Queen has also worn the piece ‘widowed’ without any gemstones at all.
Ms Borrowman added: “After the death of the Grand Duchess, Queen Mary purchased the tiara at auction, replacing the original dangling pearls with 15 of her mother’s Cambridge cabochon emeralds.
“The tiara has a mechanism allowing the pearls or emeralds to be swapped but it can also be worn without either.”
As for the Grand Duchess Vladimir Tiara’s value, Ms Borrowman said that “it is estimated at over £10million today.”
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Another tiara considered a favourite of the Queen is the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara.
This tiara appears on the portraits of the Queen on various coinage and banknotes across the UK and the Commonwealth.
The tiara also previously belonged to Queen Mary, and she was gifted it by a committee chaired by Lady Eva Greville.
Queen Mary gifted the piece to then Princess Elizabeth when she married Prince Philip in 1947, and it has made frequent outings during her reign.
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