In 1861, Queen Victoria’s consort, Prince Albert, had the Hesse Strawberry Leaf Tiara commissioned for their daughter, Princess Alice.
It was to be presented at her wedding to Louis IV, the future Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine. Its beautiful design contained the appearance of foliage and strawberry leaves.
However, Prince Albert suddenly died of typhoid fever before the crown was completed. Prince Albert is thought to be the first victim of the cursed Strawberry Leaf Tiara. Everyone who has worn it has ended up experiencing tragic deaths.
After her wedding, Princess Alice moved to Germany with her new husband, bringing along the tiara, her father’s last gift to her. During her marriage, she suffered the loss of two children.
Her daughter, Marie, choked to death, and her son, Friedrich, fell out of a window to his death. Alice then contracted diphtheria and died at the age of 35, on the anniversary of her father’s death.
Later, her two other daughters were killed during the Russian Revolution, when the working-class revolted against the tsar and his family.
Ernst, her surviving son, inherited the tiara. In 1896, Ernst’s wife, the Grand Duchess Victoria Melita, wore the tiara to the Coronation of the Tsar Nicholas II. Afterward, their only child died of typhoid, and they eventually got divorced.
In 1905, Ernst gave the tiara to his second wife, Eleonore of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich. Their eldest son, Georg Donatus, married Princess Cecilie of Greece and Denmark.
In 1937, she wore the crown to the Coronation of King George VI. But during the flight to the U.K. for the wedding of her husband’s brother, Prince Louis, she went into labor prematurely.
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The plane was forced to make an early landing. It ended up crashing, and everyone on board was killed. Shockingly, the Strawberry Leaf Tiara was found without a scratch in its box.
Princess Cecilie’s young daughter, Joanna, had not been on the plane with her family, so she became the owner of the tiara. But in 1939, she died of meningitis a month before her third birthday.
As for Prince Louis, his wedding went on as planned. He died in 1968 without having any children, ending the hereditary male line of his family. He left the tiara to his wife, Princess Margaret of Hesse and Rhine.
Now, the deadly tiara is held at the Hessische Hausstiftung, also known as the Foundation of the House of Hesse. The foundation manages the art, jewels, and castles of the royal family.
The tiara was part of an exhibition in London in 2002. No other heirs have worn the crown to this day, for fear of activating the curse. Perhaps it’s for the best that this ornate heirloom is tucked safely in a vault, away from the heads of royals.
By Emily Chan
Emily Chan is a writer who covers lifestyle and news content. She graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in... More about Emily Chan
