A Royal Wedding Tiara for Princess Alexandra

Princess Alexandra of Luxembourg, the only daughter of the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess, will marry her French fiancé Nicolas Bagory this April. With the religious wedding date set for April 29, it is high time to start speculating about the most sparkling aspect of the bride’s attire: Her wedding tiara. Even though Luxembourg may be one of the smallest European monarchies out there, the royal family of the world’s only remaining Grand Duchy has some seriously deep jewellery vaults – and so lucky Alexandra has more than two dozen tiaras to choose from. Here are her five most likely choices.

Alexandra’s Favourite: The Diamond Floral Tiara

Princess Alexandra has worn quite an array of tiaras over the years. The tiara she chose most often and for the grandest occasions was the Diamond Floral Tiara. The diamond piece, whose history is a bit of a mystery, is also often described as the smaller one of the Grand Ducal Family’s two floral tiaras. It is, however, the only one actually featuring a flower motif. The tiara has previously served as a wedding tiara for the princess’ cousin Archduchess Marie-Christine of Austria as well as cousin-in-law Archduchess Adélaïde.

The Romantic Choice: The Diamond Vine Leaves Tiara

The Diamond Vines Leaves Tiara may be the most romantic one in the entire collection. Its diamonds are set in a vine leaf motif in yellow gold and silver interspersed with several more diamonds set as single berries. Made during the 19th century, the tiara has been a firm wedding favourite for many years: It was worn by all of Grand Duke Henri’s aunts, the sisters of Grand Duke Jean, for their weddings during the 1950’s. More recently both Princess Claire, Alexandra’s sister-in-law, as well as her cousin Princess Maria-Anunciata of Liechtenstein wore it during their wedding celebrations.

The Heirloom Choice: The Congo Diamond Necklace Tiara

Of course, all the tiaras mentioned in this list are heirloom pieces, but this would be the most heirloom-y piece to choose. The Congo Diamond Necklace Tiara was the main wedding tiara of Alexandra’s grandmother Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte (who was gifted the tiara by the Belgian colony Congo), as well as the wedding tiara of her mother, Grand Duchess Maria-Teresa, and her aunts, Princesses Marie-Astrid and Margaretha. As the tiara is a converted necklace, it is one of the less grand pieces on this list (even though it might have the most carats). It has also fallen out of favour as a tiara in recent years, so it seems one of more unlikely choices even though a lovely nod to the princess’ direct female ancestors.

The Unlikely Choice: The Belgian Scroll Tiara

While this tiara started out its life as a wedding tiara, it hasn’t been worn as such since. Made by Henry Coosemans in 1953, the Belgian Scroll Tiara was gifted to Princess Alexandra’s grandmother née Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium by the Belgian bank Société Générale upon her marriage to the future Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg. Joséphine-Charlotte chose the tiara as her other wedding tiara for official photos in addition to the Congo Diamond Necklace Tiara. These days it’s exclusively used by the Grand Duchess but who else to wear it for their wedding day again as a princess-by-blood like Alexandra.

The Something Blue Choice: The Grand Duchess Adélaïde Tiara

While the “something blue”-tradition may not be as strong in many European countries as it is in the United States, a bit of extra luck never hurt nobody – and so why not go for some sapphires on your wedding day (or one sapphire in the Luxembourgish case)… The Grand Duchess Adélaïde Tiara is one the oldest tiaras in the grand ducal collection. Made out of diamonds and a large central sapphire, it entered the family’s collection in the mid- to late-1860’s. It’s first wearer: Grand Duchess Adelheid-Marie, at the time still Duchess of Nassau. After the small German state was annexed by Prussia, she brought it to Luxembourg when her husband ascended to the throne in 1890. Ever since, it has been a favourite of the grand ducal ladies. Princess Alexandra wouldn’t be the first grand ducal bride to sport this tiara on her wedding day, as it has been worn by both her cousins Princess Marie-Gabrielle of Nassau and Archduchess Gabriella of Austria in recent years.

Five (pretty much) all-diamond tiaras to choose from for your wedding day: One thing is for sure, any Luxembourg princess planning to walk down the aisle is spoiled for choice! In fact, there would be more even more diamond sparklers available to Princess Alexandra, including the Empire Tiara. But that’s what I would deem as a more than unlikely fit even though we’ve actually seen it before twice as a wedding tiara. (Greetings to Grand Duchess Charlotte and Princess Hilda!)

So now it’s up to you: Which one of these tiaras would you like to see Princess Alexandra top of her look on her wedding day? Or do you prefer another piece in the vast grand ducal vaults, maybe with a bit of colour? (You can survey the family’s enormous tiara collection here at Luxarazzi and here at The Court Jeweller!) Let us know in the comments below!

Huge thanks again to Svenja for chatting about Luxembourgish tiaras with us today! If you haven’t visited her Castleholic blog yet, it’s a must-read, especially for those of us who wish we had more castles in visiting distance from home. Her recent article on the jewels displayed at the Louvre in Paris is particularly excellent! You can also follow her social media, on both Twitter and Instagram.