Edit: Isn't it great to have a little original documentation coming to light.
--Previous Message-- : Wow! That's interesting... and unexpected! : : What we know for sure (and provided, of : course, that the tiara in question is the : one I have mentionned in my previous : message): : - 1845-1893: the emerald tiara is owned by : Queen Victoria : - 1893: the tiara is given to Princess : Louise, Marchioness of Lorne (later Duchess : of Argyll) : - 1939: Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, : dies without children - which implies that : she probably bequeathed most of her : belongings to relatives : - 1960: the tiara is worn by the then : Duchess of Fife for the State Opening of : Parliament : - 2001: pictures of the tiara are published : in Geoffrey Munn's book Tiaras, A History : of Splendour . : : Now, the hypothesis: as Princess Louise, : Duchess of Argyll, died childless, she might : have bequathed the emerald tiara (and the : matching necklace and brooch) not to : Princess Louise, Duchess of Fife (who had : died in 1931), but to the latter's daughter, : Maud Duff, Countess of Southesk (mother of : the current Duke of Fife). Or she could even : have presented the parure to the Duchess of : Fife before her death. Maybe Princess : Louise, Duchess of Argyll, had a special : affection to her niece and namesake Princess : Louise, Duchess of Fife, as they had the : same first name and had both married a : Scottish aristocrat, which could have : convinced Louise "Sr." to give the : emerald parure to Louise "Jr." (or : to her children). But so far, it is just : speculation... : : : --Previous Message-- : This is interesting!!!! : : The inventory (dated 1896) says it was given : to "Princess Louise, Marchioness of : Lorne, June 19, 1893." : : So, it did go to "Louise Sr.". : : The question now becomes, when did it go to : "Louise Jr." ? Presumably, Louise : Sr. could have been willed to her namesake, : Louise Jr. Louise Sr died in 1939. Was : the tiara ever seen worn by Louise Jr. prior : to that date? : : Another interesting question is: why was it : given to Louise at that date? And, why : in addition to the one given her as a : wedding present? : : :
on July 10, 2014, 6:27 pm, in reply to "