Tiara Thursday: The Hanover Floral Tiara

Princess Caroline - who celebrated her 60th birthday this week - is usually referred to here in her capacity as a member of the princely family of Monaco. She is also the Princess of Hanover courtesy of her marriage to Prince Ernst August, current head of the House of Hanover. And while Caroline's favorite pick for a tiara is the Cartier Pearl Drop Tiara from her Monaco family, she's also worn Hanover tiaras.

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Princess Caroline wears the Hanover Floral Tiara, 2004

In 2004, the couple attended the wedding celebrations of Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark. For the pre-wedding gala performance, Princess Caroline chose to wear this large diadem from the House of Hanover, which has a natural floral diamond design and dates perhaps from the 19th century. She paired it with diamond floral earrings and a sprawling brooch clipped to her neckline, both pieces from her own collection.

The tiara was previously worn by Ernst August's first wife, Chantal. (So some considered this tiara a juicy choice for Caroline, Caroline's relationship with Ernst August having begun before his marriage to her friend Chantal was over.) It also wasn't the only Hanover tiara Caroline selected for the Danish royal wedding trip; for the wedding itself, she wore the Brunswick Tiara, a diadem that had been unseen in decades.

These are the only occasions for which Princess Caroline wore Hanover tiaras, and they are probably the only times she ever will, since she is now estranged (though not divorced) from her husband. The tiara has now been used as a bridal tiara by the next generation, the daughters-in-law of Ernst August: Ekaterina Malysheva wore it in 2017 to wed Hereditary Prince Ernst August of Hanover and Alessandra de Osma wore it in 2018 to wed Prince Christian of Hanover.

Which would you pick: this one, or the Brunswick?