Did Princess Marina have an amethyst tiara?Archived Message
Posted by Beth on November 29, 2016, 2:06 am
Does anyone know if Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent, owned amethysts?
I have one media report from November 1938 of her wearing a pearl and amethyst tiara, at a time when she would have been (under older Court etiquette) in half mourning following the death of her father, Prince Nicholas of Greece, in February 1938.
The occasion was the Anglo Hellenic Ball held at Claridge's on 17 November 1938.
Sunday Times 20 November 1938.
I haven't found any other references to Princess Marina wearing amethysts.
I wonder if she borrowed the tiara from a member of her family? Or even if she might have been lent the tiara by Queen Mary? I am not thinking about Queen Mary's amethyst parure with which we are familiar, but rather with the tiara in the portrait below. I realise that there is some some debate about whether this jewel shows amethysts or sapphires and if Queen Mary had a tiara which looked this this jewel. Aigrette posted about this recently http://members2.boardhost.com/royal-jewels/thread/1471001183.html
Krekovic was a major artist so I suspect that this portrait was commissioned and possibly Queen Mary would have provided sittings for the artist - but of course I don't have any proof. The other factor which might suggest that Princess Marina was not lent a tiara by Queen Mary is the reference in the newspaper report to the Duchess wearing a tiara shaped head- dress.
on November 29, 2016, 2:06 am
