The Romanian Greek Key Tiara is one of the rare surviving pieces of Imperial Russian jewellery to still be worn at Royal Events today.
The original owner of the tiara was Princess Victoria Melita of Edinburgh, a granddaughter of both Tsar Alexander II & Queen Victoria. Known as ‘Ducky’, she caused a scandal when she divorced her first husband Ernst of Hesse (her paternal first cousin and brother of Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna) to marry her second husband, Grand Duke Kyril Vladimirovich of Russia (her maternal first cousin).
Kyril was the son of Grand Duchess Vladimir, one of the greatest jewellery collectors in history. So in 1905, when they were allowed to return to Russia after their initial banishment, Victoria would need a suitable suite of jewels to keep up with Romanov in laws.
This tiara started out as the traditional Russian Kokosknik , featuring large Greek key motifs and batons set with old mine cut diamonds. The Greek key pattern was a symbol of infinity, the eternal flow of life, and unity. As was tradition, this tiara was sewn on to a fabric headdress and worn up right.
Russia finally exploded into revolution in 1917 and over 300 years of Romanov rule came to a bloody end. While many royals perished at the hands of the Bolsheviks, Kyril & Ducky managed to escape by fleeing to Finland, carrying with them as much jewellery as they could conceal.
With no other means to support themselves, they began to sell their jewels.
Like the Vladimir Sapphires, it was to be Ducky’s sister, Queen Marie of Romania who would buy this jewel. However, she did not purchase this piece for herself.
Fittingly, the Greek Key tiara was to go to Princess Helen of Greece when she married Marie’s son Carol in 1921.
Helen and Carol had a very unhappy marriage and after the birth of their son Michael they divorced.
The politics of Romania were extremely complicated with Michael being declared King twice before being deposed by a Communist regime in 1947.
Through it all though, Helen managed to retain her tiara and she was able to lend it to her new daughter in law, Anne of Bourbon Parma for her wedding in 1948
Queen Anne did wear the tiara once or twice but it remained the property of Queen Helen who chose to wear it to royal occasions wherever possible
Although not restored after the fall of Communism in 1989, the Romanian monarchy does hold a unique position. Despite not being official, Crown Princess Margareta is the de facto representative of Romania at Royal events.
