The Habsburg empire gave us our fair share of well-known royal women, from Empress Maria Theresa to her daughters, Marie Antoinette and Maria Carolina. But there’s plenty more you haven’t heard about, like the formidable Archduchess Isabella and her gentle daughter, Maria Anna.

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Alexandra of Mecklenburg-Schwerin’s Tiara: Part 1

This is part one of the story of Alexandra of Mecklenburg-Schwerin’s tiara. It was supposed to be a simple story about a tiara – a pretty hat made of diamonds. I didn’t expect it to take me to the darkest places of the 20th century. From war and betrayal to the Third Reich, Soviet prisons, and nuclear war, this story has it all – including a happy ending.

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Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria’s Tiara

Meet Maria Anna, the Austrian archduchess who got to wear Marie Antoinette’s jewelry…and had one hell of a collection of her own. Her name came up frequently during the 2018 Sotheby’s auction of the Bourbon-Parma family jewels. It set me on a quest to figure out who she was, and why I’d never heard of her. Turns out, her family’s story is fascinating.

Vector graphic of a golden tiara with pearls

The Girl in the Tiara: Four Royal Tales of Tragedy & Triumph - Your free PDF, a gift for signing up for my mailing list

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