on July 13, 2020, 8:08 pm, in reply to "Re: How did Queen Victoria’s emerald parure come to be owned by Duke of Fife?"
Somehow I doubt if Queen Victoria would have left the emerald parure to the Duke of Connaught, even though we know that he was a favoured son. He (or his wife) received other, known jewels, such as the Turkish necklace and the Aga Khan tiara. These were major jewels.
Queen Victoria's son, and principal heir, Edward VII is another candidate. So too, is Queen Alexandra. We know that Queen Victoria left her the small diamond crown as a personal jewel. So, it is possible that the emerald parure was left to Queen Alexandra personally, and then went to her daughter, Louise the first Duchess of Fife, as Janet has already suggested.
Do we have any evidence for when this parure was first seen worn by any other royal lady? (After the photograph of it being worn by Princess Alice's daughter, Princess Louis of Battenberg??)
I would have to look at various cuttings from newspapers I have but, at this point of time, I think that the first reference I have to this parure after Queen Victoria is of the Duchess of Fife in the early 1950s.
I would like to add another couple of possibilities to Janet's suggestions.
1 Could the parure have been left to Queen Victoria's daughter, Louise, Duchess of Argyll? And then to another member of the family?
2. Could the parure have been left (by an older relative) to Princess Victoria of Wales, and then by her to the line of the Dukes of Fife?
I admit that I don't have any convincing evidence. Unless we can find some photographic evidence or detailed written description in the press, I doubt if the issue can be resolved unless someone gives the press detailed information.
The suggestions which Janet has raised are enormously interesting. We know that the parure was eventually in the collection of the Dukes of Fife, but how did they inherit?/
Thank you Janet for raising a really interesting question, and clearly outlining the interesting possibilities of how this parure might have been transmitted in the family. Hopefully, in time to come, we might have some answers.
In the meantime, I find all of Janet's suggestions provide me with thoughts to ponder.
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