Tiaras and Trinkets on Tuesday (Private Jewellery of Princess Odeliah)

Her Imperial Highness the Crown Princess Imperial or Princess Odeliah as she is known colloquially has access, by virtue of her marriage to the Crown Prince Imperial, to the Crown Jewels of Scot-Britania and the vast private collection of jewellery owned by the Prince in his own right. The question we aim to answer in today's post is; which, if any of the jewels we have seen the Princess wear over the years might be her own property, to do with as she please? It stands to reason to wonder as the Princess did not own any significant jewellery before her marriage to the Crown Prince Imperial. Our investigation however revealed that Her Imperial Highness does own some pieces in her own right through being gifted them or even inheritance from her mother in law. 

When a man proposes marriage to a lady an engagement ring, or in the case of a Princess an engagement set of jewellery is presented to the prospective fiance'. These jewels are considered a token of trust that becomes the no-strings-attached property of the fiance upon her acceptance of the proposal. When Odeliah Sorgenfrei accepted the Crown Prince Imperial's proposal he gave her, along with the traditional ring, a brand new tiara, designed especially for the occasion. It is pictured in the photo above. The tiara also came with a matching diamond bracelet which we will show in a photo below.

This close-up photo shows the Odeliah Betrothal Tiara which belongs the Crown Princess in her own right as given to her in trust by her then fiance and now husband. 

A necklace was needed to compliment the Betrothal Tiara. The Crown Prince being an antique jewellery enthusiast waited for the right opportunity and bought this art deco inspired period necklace. Its design hints at that of the tiara but obviously does not copy it exactly as the two were made completely separately from each other. This allows for them to be worn in combination with each other and with other jewellery. The necklace is so spectacular that wearing it by itself is statement enough as well. 

In this photo we see the above mentioned betrothal bracelet said to be the Princess' favourite piece of jewellery.

Empress Crystobel owned a set of rubies known as the Dowry Rubies. After her death the set, consisting of 1 tiara, 1 bracelet, 1 brooch, 2 sets of earrings and three necklaces, was broken up. Part of the set with the tiara ended up being bought by the Crown Prince Imperial's cousin, Grand Duke George of Hanoveria. One necklace remained as the property of the Crown Prince Imperial himself. The final necklace and earrings, pictured above, was left to Princess Odeliah by Empress Crystobel in her will. This shows the Empress' affection for her new daughter in law and also puts the Empress' final stamp of approval on her son's choice of wife. We have yet to see the Princess wear these rubies in public.

In 2014 at the wedding of Princess Marie-Elizabeth to the Arch Duke of Fulco D' Este, Princess Odeliah was seen wearing a necklace and earrings not associated with any of the historic or Crown Jewel collections. It was soon confirmed to have been a birthday gift to her from her husband.

The set made from gold, pearls and diamonds is brand new and owned by the Princess in her own right.

Many might question the amount of jewellery owned by the Crown Princess Imperial. They might expect her to own far more given her rank and wealth of her husband. Others may argue that given her access to historic jewels, she should not own any of her own as it is a frivolous waste of money. The fact remains, that private ownership, is private. Often these jewels are sentimental and personal gifts as can be seen in this particular collection. One thing is sure, Princess Odeliah herself does not seem to care much for glamour and sees it more as a duty to her role to wear amazing jewellery and we can be sure that she received these jewels in the spirit that they came to her.