Royal Jewels

The Mellerio Shell Tiara

The Mellerio Shell Tiara was bought in 1868 by Queen Isabella II of Spain. It was created in 1867 and bought by Queen Isabella as a wedding present for her eldest daughter. Infanta Isabella married Prince Gaetan, Count of Girgenti, the third surviving son of King Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies. The tiara was [read more]
Ansorena tiara
Letizia of Spain

The Asturias Fleur-de-Lis Tiara

One of the newest tiaras in the Spanish royal collections is the Asturias Fleur-de-Lis Tiara, also known as the Ansorena tiara. This pearl and diamond tiara was made by Ansorena in 2009. Queen Letizia wore elements of the tiara before debuting the entire tiara at Queen Margrethe II of Denmark’s 75th birthday celebrations in 2015. [read more]
Mathilde de Morny
Hortense de Beauharnais

Mathilde de Morny – Queen Hortense’s unconventional grandchild (Part two)

Read part one here. Since turning 16, Mathilde had joined the very exclusive Cercle, a so-called “love society”, frequented by French and Spanish aristocracy. All of their correspondence was in code to prevent anything from leaking. Mathilde once performed acrobatics on a trapeze while they were naked. The Cercle was also very well known for [read more]