Regal Circlets & Maltese tiara - part 1Archived Message
Posted by Nellie on February 21, 2012, 9:04 am
I have reread Trond's blog and repeat that I cannot see why Queen Alexandra had a piece made specially to be lighter than the Diamond Diadem made for George IV. On becoming Queen in 1901, Alexandra had the Diamond Diadem and the Regal Circlet from Queen Victoria. It makes no sense to me that she had a virtual duplicate made of it. That part of the story does not seem to be properly supported.
Yet it seems we cannot escape a connection between Queen Alexandra and the Malteser tiara first seen worn by Queen Maud in 1929.
I don't think I have ever totally resolved whether Queen Victoria had two Royal Circlets, in effect. Was the 1853 Regal Circlet a completely new creation or a remodelling of Queen Adelaide's? I don't think the ledger is clear on that. If a remodelling, was a completely new one made in 1858 after the Hanoverian Claim? Could there have been a spare empty frame or partial Regal Circlet for Queen Alexandra to later use for Maud?
Some extracts from books, then the 1853 ledger page: From the 150 years Garrard book In 1853, Garrard remade Queen Adelaide's diamond circlet in order to provide a setting for the Koh-i-noor and Cumberland diamonds. However, within five years the diadem was broken up to comply with the judgement in settlement of the Hanoverian claim. The diamonds had been removed from Queen Charlotte's wedding gift, the 'large brilliant stomacher' of the claim, by Rundell in 1831 to furnish Queen Adelaide's Coronation Crown. The crown was subsequently stripped of its stones to make the 'Grand Diadem'. [which became Queen Victoria's Regal Circlet in 1853] An extract from Munn page 98 -- In 1857, in settlement of the Hanoverian claim to certain Crown diamonds, the Regal Circlet reconstructed by Garrard in 1853 had to be partially dismantled. It was remade the following year [1858] using diamonds provided by Garrard as well as others from redundant royal jewellery, and was delivered in 1859.
My transcription - do is an abbreviation for ditto