Royal Meander Tiara with Diamonds of Grand Duchess Viktoria Melitta
This tiara was formerly owned by Princess Victoria Melitta of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha , married first to the Grand Duke of Hesse and second to Grand Duke Kirill, her great love. He gave her this meander-shaped tiara made of diamonds and platinum.
After the collapse of the Imperial Russian Empire, Victoria Feodorovna’s jewels were her only possessions, so she sold her jewelry little by little to survive with her family, including this tiara.
Her sister, Queen Marie of Romania, supported her with jewelry purchases and bought the piece from her to give to her future daughter-in-law, Princess Helen of Greece, pictured above on the left, who had already worn it as a bride at her wedding in 1921.
After the death of his grandfather Ferdinand (1927), their five-year-old son, King Michael I (Romanian: Mihai I), formally ascended the Romanian throne for the first time, as Crown Prince Carol had been forced to renounce the right of succession in favor of his son in 1926 due to his lifestyle. Prince Nicolaus, Carol’s younger brother and Michael’s uncle, led the government during this time.
Many important jewels have been sold over the years, but this tiara remained in the family’s possession and was passed down through the Romanian royal family to the next Queen Anne of Romania. Queen Anne also wore the jewel at her wedding to Queen Mother Helen’s son.
Princess Anne of Bourbon-Parma was born in Paris on September 18, 1923. She is the only daughter of her parents, Prince Renato of Bourbon-Parma and Margaret of Denmark. As a member of the royal house of Bourbon-Parma, she attended the wedding of Elizabeth, heir to the English throne, and Prince Philip of Greece in London in November 1947. There she met the young King Michael I of Romania.
Their daughters, Princesses Marie and Margarita, use the family’s showpiece for representational purposes and as a bridal tiara.
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