One of the late Queen Elizabeth II’s most iconic tiaras was The Queen’s “Widowed” Romanov Tiara, better known as the Vladimir Tiara. It was one of her favourites, which she wore on multiple occasions.
We will be referring to it mostly as the Vladimir Tiara in this post because that is the name most people know. However, for SEO purposes, we will be jumping back and forth between them.
How Did Queen Elizabeth II Acquire The Vladimir Tiara?
Queen Elizabeth II inherited the Vladimir Tiara from her grandmother, Queen Mary of Teck. The tiara is named ‘the Vladimir’ because it was originally created, according to the Royal Collection Trust, for Grand Duchess Vladimir of Russia. It was sold to Queen Mary by Grand Duchess Vladimir’s daughter in 1921.
When Queen Mary died in 1953, her granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth II, inherited the piece, which became of her go-to pieces.
The Tiara Settings
The shape of the tiara cannot be changed. However, it can be worn with pearls or emeralds between the circles. Or, it can be worn without them, so it is indirectly known as The Queen’s “Widowed” Romanov Tiara. We’d never heard it be called this until we started looking into it.
Design
The Vladimir Tiara designed with a series of overlapping circles where the emeralds or pearls can be placed.
The Rumour
There was a rumour around the time of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding where Markle allegedly wanted a tiara with emeralds. Many people don’t know that the British Collection has a couple of emerald tiaras. One happens to be the Vladimir Tiara, while another is the one Princess Eugenie wore on her wedding day.
Whether this has any credence to it, we don’t know. Though, it is widely believed she wanted Princess Eugenie’s tiara.
