Today marks the 90th Anniversary of the Death of Queen Astrid of Belgium, who died in a tragic car crash on this day in 1935! The Swedish Princess who became the beloved Belgian Queen and soon tragically died, Queen Astrid had some spectacular jewels including this Emerald and Diamond Necklace Tiara!
Nine Provinces Tiara | Queen Elisabeth’s Diamond Bandeau | Emerald Tiara | Emerald Earrings | Emerald Peacock Tiara | Queen Astrid’s Emeralds
To mark the birth of the future King Baudouin of Belgium in September 1930, the then Crown Princess Astrid received this striking Emerald and Diamond Necklace Tiara as a gift from her parents-in-law, King Albert I and Queen Elisabeth of Belgium.
Crown Princess Astrid wore the Emerald and Diamond Necklace Tiara for a series of portraits soon afterwards, paired with her Emerald Earrings and also several Emerald Pendants and Brooches later made into the Emerald Peacock Necklace/Tiara.
While not worn as frequently as the Nine Provinces Tiara or her Art Deco Bandeau Tiara, Queen Astrid frequently wore the Emerald and Diamond Necklace Tiara on several occasions through the early 1930s, usually for portraits.
One of the final appearances of the Emerald and Diamond Necklace Tiara on Queen Astrid was at a Gala Performance at the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm in May 1935, on the eve of the Wedding of Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark and Princess Ingrid of Sweden, just a few months before Queen Astrid’s tragic death in a car crash.
After Queen Astrid’s death, the King later remarried to the Princess of Réthy, who wore Emerald Necklace Tiara on a number of occasions in exile in the 1940s, alongside Queen Astrid’s Emerald Earrings and her own Köchert Emerald Brooch.
The Princess de Réthy also wore the Emerald and Diamond Necklace for portraits in the early 1950s, as well as with the Art Deco Bandeau Tiara and Queen Astrid’s Emerald Brooch and Earrings for a Banquet at the American Embassy in Brussels in 1958. The Emerald Necklace/Tiara has not been seen since the late 1950s and it is unlikely that it continues to exist, having likely been broken up or discreetly sold off by the Princess de Réthy.
Nine Provinces Tiara | Queen Elisabeth’s Diamond Bandeau | Emerald Tiara | Emerald Earrings | Emerald Peacock Tiara | Queen Astrid’s Emeralds
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