History of Famous Jewels and Collections: Re: Jewelled Garter Stars in the British Royal Collections

Thanks Beth for your kind comments!

Concerning the Kaiser's Garter insignia, I assume that George VI purchased both sets (the sale of the Lesser George is mentionned in Ancient Gems and Jewels..., and the parliamentary question confirmed my idea).

I have a feeling that the sale could have been promoted by Queen Mary, who was known to correspond with her German relatives; but this is pure speculation.

In theory, the collar is the most important part of the Garter Insignia, and it has to be returned with the insignia that are issued to a Knight at his Investiture (Star, Badge, Garter). These insignia are always plain metal, and any jewelled insignia is considered a private gift, thus never returned.

The return of Royal insignia, though compulsory, was not always stricly observed. Many collars of Foreign Knights have remained in private custody (Louis Philippe, Napoléon III).

The presentation of jewelled insignia was rather common: Napoléon III had a set, Abdülaziz, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, was given one by Queen Victoria in 1876.

The insignia of the Sultan of Turkey (on display at Topkapi Palace, in Istanbul): none was returned.

It is possible that the Kaiser's second set was given to him (or to his father) by Queen Victoria, he was her grandson after all! Wilhelm II owned at least 4 Garter stars (not including his offcial star)...

In the case of the German (and Austrian) knights, few insignia were returned. As a matter of fact, the Coburg family still owns a collar, and other collars have surfaced on the market (in Germany) over the years.

A set of insignia from the Coburg Family (Wikimedia commons)

The ownership of these collars is a tricky matter, and honestly, I don't know if the Kaiser's collar and official insignia were ever returned.

The fact that the Garter costume of the Kaiser is in the Royal Collection might indicate that they were indeed returned.

Previous Message

Masterful!! Another tour de force Thomas!

I enjoyed reading this so much that I cheerfully broke my resolution not to sit at my computer this morning. Seriously, there is so much to absorb that I have read the article several times and will do so again later.

Thank you so much Thomas for sharing the fruits of your research with us.

Thomas asked what are our favourites.

Without a doubt my personal favourite is the star of George III, followed by Queen Victoria's small Garter star.

Thomas, have I understood correctly -- that the King purchased both sets of insignia which had belonged to the Kaiser? It is my understanding that, when the Kaiser was stripped of the Garter, he would have had to return the insignia with which he was invested, but that the Duke of Cambridge's star would have remained personal property as it had been purchased at auction (by an intermediary).