Queen Victoria’s Emerald tiara: A Marvel to Behold

Queen Victoria's emerald tiara. Image from Youtube

 Queen Victoria’s tiara is a product of Prince Albert’s interest in designing sparklers. It now belongs to the Duke of Fife.

“Albert has such taste and arranges everything for me about my jewels,” Queen Victoria wrote in her diary in reference to Prince Albert’s penchant for designing jewelry. One of the timeless sparklers that he had created for the queen was the Gothic-inspired emerald and diamond tiara. He personally designed it and commissioned London jeweler Joseph Kitching in 1845 to create the tiara for a cost of £1,150.

Almost a full circlet in shape, the tiara sits on cushion-shaped diamond and step-cut emeralds. On top of them are graduated row of 19 inverted pear-shaped emeralds with a 15-carat emerald the heaviest among these  gem stones. The head piece is part of a suite of emerald-and-diamond jewelry which was given by Prince Albert to the queen. Aside from the tiara, he also gave her a necklace with 9 clusters of emeralds surrounded by cushion-shaped diamonds, a pair of pendant earrings, and a brooch featuring a 20-carat emerald.

Queen Victoria wearing the emerald tiara, which was a gift from Prince Albert, painted by Winterhalter in 1846. 

Queen Victoria was delighted to receive these gifts. She called the tiara a “lovely Diadem of diamonds and emeralds designed by my beloved Albert”, praising her husband for her “wonderful taste”. 

The tiara was passed on to Princess Louise, Princess Royal and Duchess of Fife, the oldest of the three daughters of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra. The parure has since remained with her heirs and has been worn many times by the female members of the Fife family. For example, in 1960,the then-Duchess of Fife wore the tiara when she attended the State Opening of Parliament. However, after the death of the 3rd Duke of Fife in 2015, his estate reached an agreement with the government to hold the emerald pieces, including the tiara, on a long-term loan to Historic Royal Palaces. The tiara’s most recent public outing was in 2018 when it was showcased at the "Victoria Revealed" exhibition at Kensington Palace, together with the Fife Tiara and the Fife Fringe Tiara.