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| Photos (clockwise from top left): Queen Ena of Spain; tiara detail; tiara detail |
Everybody's got a wedding gift from their mother-in-law that they hide in the attic, right? I'm guessing, though, that most of you have ugly lamps and passive-aggressive heirlooms, not elaborate tiaras.
The princess on the receiving end of this mother-in-law gift was Ena of Battenberg, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. When she married King Alfonso XIII of Spain in 1906, Ena received this pearl tiara, made by Ansorena, from her new mother-in-law, Queen Maria Christina.
Queen MC was a formidable figure; she'd been born a Habsburg, and after she was widowed, she acted as regent for her young son. And she wasn't pleased initially with Alfonso's choice of bride -- she wanted him to marry a Habsburg cousin, and besides that, she didn't consider the Battenbergs royal enough for the family. (Joke's on her -- there's now a Battenberg on the throne of Spain, another became queen of Sweden, and eventually there will be one on the throne of the United Kingdom, too.)
Eventually Maria Christina relented, and Alfonso and Ena were allowed to wed. Perhaps this tiara was meant to be a peace offering, but if it was, its effects are dubious. Ena was never photographed wearing it; indeed, the only photo of the tiara I've been able to track down is from the record of Ena's wedding gifts. In the 1920s, it was broken up and used by Cartier to create the diamond and pearl tiara worn today by Queen Sofia. (More on that one later.)
So, word to the wise: take that ugly lamp and turn it into a gorgeous candelabra. That will show your mother-in-law who's boss...
This is why I like your blog. I have always wanted more information on this tiara and now I have it. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteHappy to help! :-)
DeleteKinda sparse...I'd call this merely a gesture.
ReplyDeleteStill, it's a tiara!
I agree!
DeleteActually it was part of a diamond and pearl parure Queen Maria Cristina gave to her daughter in law as a wedding present. It included a six strings of pearls necklace with a diamond and pearl clasp. This tiara looks a lot like a tiara offered to Queen Victoria Eugenie's sister in law Infanta Maria Teresa (King Alfonso's sister) when she married, by her aunt Infanta Isabel of Spain. It was made with pink diamonds and pearls. Maybe the fact of coming from her charismatic and not welcoming mother in law and being similar to another tiara in the family collection persuaded Queen Ena to use more regal jewels.
ReplyDeleteI don't think this one is ugly at all. I like the romantic heart, and the pearls appear to be enormous. Sparce, maybe, but sometimes the lighter tiaras are just right, depending on the occassion. Has this tiara been worn in more modern times? VERY flattering picture of Ena!
ReplyDeleteNo one has worn it for nearly a century -- as I noted above, it was dismantled in the 1920s, so no modern wearers!
DeleteVery pretty princess and sad that her mother-in-law was a snob. The tiara is pretty, I don't think all tiaras need or should be covered to the hilt with jewels...this is airy and very attractive and just right for young princess. Sad that it was dismantled, seems that the royals in life think nothing of taking apart thesee beautiful items and making something else out of them. Being a histtory buff, I enjoy the history of a piece of jewels, fabric, furniture or whatever...it says something about the people and the age.
ReplyDeleteSo who's the Battenberg on the throne of Spain? Juan Carlos is descended from a Battenberg (Ena), but his family name is Borbon y Borbon, and Queen Sofia is a Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glucksburg. (Queen Louise of Sweden and Philip's progeny in the UK I get, but I've never heard Juan Carlos called a Battenberg before.)
ReplyDeleteI'm referring more to heritage than to strict patrilineal descent, so yep, talking about JC.
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