Princess Thyra’s Sapphire Tiara and Other Royal Jewellery at Auction

Worn by Princesses and Queens

The story of the sapphire tiara up for auction can be traced back to the 19th century to Princess Thyra (1880-1945), who received it as a gift from her parents, King Frederik VIII and Queen Lovisa of Denmark. This most likely happened on her 18th birthday in 1898, when she presumably had her debut into society. This sumptuous piece of jewellery was subsequently passed down through the Danish Royal Family. Princess Thyra bequeathed the tiara to her niece, Hereditary Princess Caroline-Mathilde of Denmark, who was married to Hereditary Prince Knud of Denmark. They passed it on to their daughter, Princess Elisabeth of Denmark, and until today it has belonged to descendants of King Frederik VIII and Queen Lovisa of Denmark. It was likely made by the jewellery company E. Wolff & Co. in London and retailed by A. Michelsen in Copenhagen.

An Unconventional Princess

Princess Thyra of Denmark was the sixth child of eight and was born on 14 March 1880 in the Brockdorff’s Palace at Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen. Princess Thyra remained unmarried her whole life, and for many years she lived with her parents. Her mother Crown Princess Lovisa had a reputation for being an exacting mother, and Princess Thyra was given a strict upbringing. In the Danish Royal Theatre’s royal box, the children had to use their conversational skills on each other. Here the audience could watch the children’s many and long conversations from afar. They would probably have been surprised to hear the content of these discussions. To make sure that the children did not sit idle, they were taught to count to a hundred and backwards again.

Princess Thyra of Denmark had a central position in the Danish and European Royal Houses. As the daughter of King Frederik VIII of Denmark, she was the grandchild of “The In-laws of Europa”, King Christian IX and Queen Louise of Denmark. She also became the younger sister of the later King Christian X of Denmark and King Haakon VII of Norway. In this large family, her uncle and paternal aunt were King George V and Queen Alexandra of Great Britain. Her cousin was therefore also the later King George V of Great Britain.

Princess Thyra has received a somewhat unkindly epitaph in the official history books. This was based on the fact that she did not play a particularly visible role in public life. But it was the princess herself, who had chosen this withdrawn role. If you talk to the many descendants of King Frederik VIII and Queen Lovisa of Denmark, the description is completely different. As one of them has described it to Martin Hans Borg:

We can also present many other sought-after pieces of jewellery, including a clear highlight with a rare diamond ring set with an emerald-cut diamond weighing approx. 5.58 ct. and flanked by two trilliant-cut diamonds weighing a total of approx. 2.00 ct, mounted in platinum.