View Post

Scared Straight by Empress Elisabeth of Austria

In Getting Personal, Royal History

To many people, Elisabeth of Austria was a free spirit – a woman longing for independence who chafed at the restrictions of court life in Vienna in the 19th century. Wild and beautiful, they think of her roaming Europe in search of fulfillment on a physical and spiritual plane she just couldn’t reach with her courtiers, subjects, family, children, or …

View Post

Tiara Tuesday: Princess Stéphanie of Belgium’s Tiara

In Tiara Tuesday4 Comments

Princess Stéphanie of Belgium’s tiara was made by Chaumet. She got it when she married the heir to the Austrian throne in 1881. We have very little information about this tiara, but we have a crap-ton of information about Stéphanie herself, so buckle up – it’s gonna be a bumpy ride. Poor Stéphanie grew up basically ignored by her shitty …