The 'haunted' jewel royals never use to avoid chilling consequences
The tiara was passed on from royal to royal for decades despite being linked to several tragedies over the years.
Royal Tiara: Expert discusses history of ‘The Haunted Tiara’
The Royal Family's dazzling collection of jewels is steeped in history and allure, yet one particular tiara is shrouded in dark superstition.
Termed as "bad luck," the Strawberry Leaf Tiara has been associated with misfortune for every wearer since its introduction into the regal annals in the 1800s.
Historian Dr Kate Williams said: "The Hesse Strawberry Leaf Tiara is a beautiful tiara but it's known to be one seen as haunted because it brings bad luck to pretty much anyone who owns it or wears it."
Describing its ill-omened past, Dr Williams continued: "It starts out as a wonderful thing, a wedding gift from Prince Albert to his daughter Princess Alice on her wedding to Prince Louis of Hesse.
"But Albert dies just before the wedding, and Alice 17 years later dies of diphtheria, the first of Queen Victoria's children to die. Three of her children die in tragic circumstances."
Focusing on the lineage of misfortune, Princess Alice succumbed to diphtheria at the young age of 35, contracting the disease after steadfastly caring for her infected children.
The youngest child followed in her demise shortly thereafter, while Friedrich, her elder son, had previously perished from haemophilia.
Adding to this lineage of tragedy were two of Alice's daughters, Grand Duchess Elisabeth Feodorovna and Empress Alexandra of Russia, both of whom met their end during the Russian Revolution.
In the Channel 5 documentary 'Secrets of the Royal Jewellery,' Dr Williams shared the tragic history of a notable piece of jewellery, saying: "After the death of Alice, her eldest son Prince Ernst takes the tiara.
"Unfortunately, Ernst and his wife have quite bad luck as well as their daughter dies of typhoid and they have a stillborn son."
The account became even grimmer as Dr Williams continued: "Ernst marries again and his son George then inherits the tiara and that's very unlikely because he marries Cecilie, a sister of Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh."
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The sorrowful tale unfolded further when Dr Williams revealed: "In 1937, when Prince Philip is still a young boy, a terrible thing happens.
"There was a plane crash and everyone on board dies. Cecilie was pregnant and she must have given birth during the flight or the crash because the baby is also found.
"Awful, terrible but the tiara survives through the crash, through the wreck, through the fire. So you see why it's known as the haunted Strawberry Leaf Tiara."
In addition to his eldest sister, the late Prince Philip also lost his brother-in-law Georg Donatus, and nephews Prince Ludwig and Prince Alexander in the accident.
The couple were survived by their daughter Johanna, who had stayed behind. Sadly, after being adopted by her Uncle Prince Louis of Hesse post-tragedy, Johanna passed away from meningitis just shy of her third birthday in 1939.
The tiara was subsequently inherited by Louis's wife, Princess Margaret, and it is now thought to be held by the Hessian House Foundation.
