It’s not too often that a rare tiara comes out of the woodwork, with royals like Princess Kate often relying on favorite pieces like the diamond-and-pearl Lover’s Knot. But after more than 140 years in royal storage, Queen Caroline Amalie’s gold tiara has finally seen the light of chandeliers again. Queen Mary of Denmark pulled the historic piece out for the first time this week while visiting Finland for a state visit, and its history is pretty incredible.
Queen Mary, 53, chose the slim gold headband for a formal dinner hosted by Finnish President Alexander Stubb at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki. The Danish royal family’s Instagram account shared some details on her new-to-us jewelry on March 4, writing, “During the state visit to Finland, Her Majesty the Queen has chosen to wear two special historical pieces of jewelry. At the gala dinner in Helsinki, the Queen will wear Queen Caroline Amalie’s gold tiara with antique gems and Princess Vilhelmine Marie’s bracelet with Vesuvius stone.”
The palace explained that the 11 gems adorning the headpiece weren’t just decorative—they were collected by King Christian VIII, who ruled Denmark from 1839 to 1848. The monarch himself found the jewels during his time in Italy with wife Queen Caroline Amalie from 1819 to 1821, where they visited Rome and the excavations at Pompeii. Unlike today’s diamond-heavy royal tiaras, this piece “reflects the classicist taste of the time” and was originally intended for everyday wear rather than state occasions.
The tiara was created around 1820, and the coordinating bracelet was later presented by Christian to his wife with the note, “It is from the summit of the flaming Vesuvius that my heart flies to you. April 24, 1828.”
Queen Mary is the first person to wear the tiara and its matching bracelet in more than a century, with the Danish royal family noting that the pieces “have not been worn for over 140 years.”
The queen’s tiara is more of a slim gold headband featuring carved stones found in Pompeii and Rome during the 1800s.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Queen Mary, joined by (from left) the President of Finland, Alexander Stubb, wife Suzanne Innes-Stubb and King Frederik, wore a leaf-print gown for the occasion.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
The Danish queen paired the jewels with a black leaf-patterned Jesper Høvring gown featuring gold detail that beautifully coordinated with her tiara.
This is the second time in recent weeks Queen Mary has broken out a tiara and ballgown. On Feb. 28, she shimmered in the same pink sequined Jenny Packham gown owned by Princess Kate during the royal family’s annual Evening Party for Art and Culture at Christiansborg Castle.
She paired the shimmering gown with her diamond necklace tiara, giving off a very different vibe than the ancient cameo-style stones featured in her recent headpiece.
As for the unearthed jewelry, the discovery follows another recent tiara mystery. In November, royal blogger Saad Salman told Marie Claire how he helped solve the case of Princess Margaret‘s long-lost tiara. It turns out the diamond headpiece has been in Queen Azizah of Malaysia’s collection for decades after she acquired it at auction in New York City—and the royal was completely “unaware” that the tiara once belonged to Princess Margaret.