The Danish Ruby Parure Tiara (Denmark)

The Danish Ruby Parure Tiara

The Danish Ruby Parure Tiara's origin can be traced to the coronation of Napoleon Bonaparte (1804) and one of Napoleon's Marshals of France, Jean Baptiste Bernadotte.  French by birth, Bernadotte's lengthy career in the French Army lasted until 1810 when he was elected heir to the Swedish throne.

But back to Napoleon and his coronation as Emperor of France for a moment.  Wanting to insure that the event was one of the grandest ever held, Napoleon gave money to his marshals to buy jewels for their wives to wear.  Bernadotte used the funds to buy the ruby and diamond wreath tiara and parure for his wife, Desiree Clary, which she wore for the coronation.  When Bernadotte and Desiree later became King Carl XIV Johan and Queen Desideria of Sweden, the jewel set traveled with them to their new country.

Desiree Clary, Queen Desideria of Sweden
The Ruby Parure's original owner

In 1869, Princess Louise of Sweden married Crown Prince Frederick of Denmark (Frederick VIII).  The tiara and accompanying jewels were given to Louise by her grandmother, Queen Josephine of Sweden (Desiree's daughter-in-law).  

                                        Queen Josephine of Sweden                            Queen Louise of Sweden
                                    who was given the tiara by her                     who was given the tiara by her
                                   mother-in-law, Queen Desideria                   grandmother, Queen Josephine

Queen Louise gave the tiara to her daughter-in-law Alexandrine of Denmark (the bride of her son, Crown Prince Christian).  After Queen Louise's death in 1926, Alexandrine inherited the remaining pieces of the parure.  Alexandrine then gave the set to Princess Ingrid of Sweden when she married Crown Prince Frederick of Denmark in 1935.

Queen Alexandrine of Denmark

wearing the tiara

Queen Ingrid in the tiara

The tiara has undergone two "makeovers" thus far.  The original was very wreath-like as seen in the photo of Queen Alexandrine above.  In 1947, Queen Ingrid add two of the original parure's broaches to turn the wreath-like tiara into a more proper diadem.

Queen Ingrid in the reworked tiara

(photos from The Royal Order of Sartorial Splendor)

Queen Ingrid passed away in 2000 leaving the parure to her grandson, Crown Prince Frederik, who gave it to his wife, Crown Princess Mary, in 2004.  Like Ingrid, Mary had the tiara slightly reworked into a more compact shape and placed on a new frame in 2010.

Crown Princess Mary in the Ruby Parure