Around this time in 1935 — exactly 90 years ago — Princess María de las Mercedes of Borbón and Orléans married the Prince of Asturias at the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels and of the Martyrs in Rome. Among the dozens of magnificent wedding gifts she received were many treasured family heirlooms, passed down to her by her uncle and father-in-law, King Alfonso XIII.
King Alfonso XIII presented a remarkable collection of family heirlooms, many of which he had inherited from his mother, Queen María Cristina, and his aunt, Infanta Isabella. These cherished pieces were divided by the King into four lots: one offered to Princess María de las Mercedes, as the wife of the Prince of Asturias; two others to his daughters, Infanta Beatriz and Infanta María Cristina; and the final lot to his daughter-in-law, Emanuela de Dampierre, wife of Infante Jaime, Duke of Segovia. As Doña María de las Mercedes would recall later in life in her memoirs:
“Since Juan was already Prince of Asturias, the King wanted the wedding to be more than just a family affair. Many monarchists had announced that, one way or another, they would go to Rome both to attend the wedding and to see the King. It wasn’t easy, as the Republic imposed many obstacles. But in the end, thousands came.
We and the entire family settled in Rome fifteen days beforehand, at the Hotel Eden, very close to the Excelsior. The King was staying at the Grand Hotel, right next to the beautiful Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels, where the ceremony was to take place.
I remember that before the wedding, the King had given me a set of jewels that belonged to Juan’s share, since there was one for each of his children. In mine, besides the ruby and diamond clips, there were several necklaces: a short diamond rivière and another of large pearls, matching a pair of earrings that I wear in the portrait painted by Ricardo Macarrón; and the diamond and pearl tiara with which I was painted by Manuel Benedito, later worn by my daughter Pilar and my granddaughter Simoneta on their wedding days.
To be able to receive all the Spaniards — I believe there were about five thousand who had come to Rome — two receptions were held at the Grand Hotel on the eve and the day before the wedding”.
As mentioned, the splendid collection of jewels included pieces that the King had inherited from his beloved late aunt, Infanta Isabella, who passed away childless in 1931. Among these treasures were a diamond riviére necklace, a diamond and pearl bracelet, as well as an oval-shaped brooch set with the same stones.
From Queen María de las Mercedes, both the first wife of King Alfonso XII and, curiously, the great-aunt of the bride, her namesake Princess María de las Mercedes, the King passed on a magnificent diamond brooch in the shape of an anchor and a corsage ornament set with five large pear-shaped pearls. These jewels had also been worn by Alfonso XII’s second wife, Queen María Cristina.
From his late mother’s jewellery collection, King Alfonso selected the magnificent diamond and pearl loop tiara, an impressive pearl necklace with matching earrings, a pearl button brooch with a pendant drop, a diamond brooch in the shape of a bat, and a set of loose sapphires sourced from pieces which Queen María Cristina had dismantled.
When the Royal Family went into exile in 1931, many of these heirloom pieces had been hastily taken from Spain, leaving some slightly damaged and none of them in their original boxes. To address these issues, Alfonso XIII turned to Maison Chaumet, whom he fondly referred to as “the family jeweller.” The maison undertook small repairs on the inherited jewels, crafted appropriate cases for each piece, and also created new items to complete the corbeille de mariage.
Among these contemporary creations, several standout pieces can be identified: a pair of diamond pendant earrings, a pair of diamond leaf brooches, a sapphire pendant, a pair of Art Deco diamond clips, and a pair of ruby clip brooches — one of the Countess’ most cherished and frequently worn treasures. Doña María would later recall in her memoirs a visit she made with King Alfonso XIII to Chaumet ahead of her marriage to Don Juan:
“I would like to recall a precious gesture that Alfonso XIII had toward me. The King loved to go for walks, and sometimes we would go to fetch him at the Hotel Meurice and go out. One day he called me and said: “Listen, I’m going to Chaumet, the family jeweler, because I need to buy something and I want you to come with me.”
I was delighted to go with him. We walked from the hotel to Place Vendôme, where the jewelry shop was located. We went in, sat down, and the King told the employee, “I want a bracelet for a lady,” and, turning to me, added, “What do you think we should look at?” I said, “I think the best thing is to show us a bit of everything: white and colored, rubies, emeralds, sapphires, anything — wide and narrow — so we can see.”
They began to bring out marvelous pieces, each more beautiful than the last. When we had everything laid out, the King said to me, “Well, if you had to choose a bracelet for yourself, or better yet, for someone you love very much, which would you choose?” It was very difficult, because they were all stunning, but I said, “The truth is, if it’s too big, it will be hard to wear.” I remembered some beautiful ruby and diamond clips that the King had also given me, and so I pointed to a diamond bracelet with a design in rubies shaped like an M, which also seemed the most beautiful in terms of proportion and design. Then the King said, “Then that one.”
He asked the employee to place it in a case and wrap it as a gift. He put it in his pocket, instructed that the bill be sent to the hotel, and we left. We walked around the square and then strolled back to the hotel. When we got to his apartment, he smiled and said, “Here, for you.”
I thought it was a joke, because it was far too much, but he insisted, “No, no, that’s why I brought you — so you could choose.” Poor thing! I was deeply moved and thanked him from the bottom of my heart”.
Princess María de las Mercedes’ corbeille de mariage was proudly displayed by Chaumet in their Paris workshops. Unfortunately, due to the Royal Family’s exile and the restrictions imposed by the Republican government in Spain, the wedding received little coverage in the Spanish press, and as a result, many of the other gifts presented to the couple remain unknown and were not photographed.
During the marriage festivities, the couple’s wedding gifts were displayed in one of the ground-floor rooms of the Grand Hotel. As was noted at the time, “the exhibition was extremely well attended, not only by our Spanish compatriots but also by a large number of people from all walks of Italian society.”
Two days before the wedding, the bride debuted some of her wedding gifts, most notably the stunning pearl and diamond loop tiara. However, on the big day, she chose to forgo jewellery entirely, preferring instead a delicate floral crown. Reflecting on the occasion in her memoirs, the Countess of Barcelona would later recall:
“My wedding dress had been made by Worth; it was very simple, and so was the veil, held in place with a crown. I was very excited about my bridal bouquet, because I had been told they were sending me orange blossoms from Seville. At the last moment, however, the Viscountess of Rocamora gave me a bouquet of white gladioli — which she had to rush out and buy in the street — the one I’m holding in all the photographs, and which I didn’t like at all. Later we learned that the pilots bringing the orange blossoms got lost or had some trouble and landed — in Luxembourg!
I arrived at the church on the arm of my uncle, the King, and Juan came in on my mother’s arm. It was beautiful and moving to hear the cheers in Spanish, especially those for the King! There were groups dressed in traditional costumes from many regions, which brought back the nostalgia of our beloved Spain.
The entire ceremony went perfectly. When we came out, Juan and I were deeply moved again by the applause and affection of so many people.
The difficult part came afterward, when we went to see the Pope, who was to receive us as Prince and Princess of Asturias — heirs to the King of Spain, who since the time of Ferdinand and Isabella has held the title of Catholic Majesty. We arrived at the Vatican, and in the courtyard the Noble Guard was waiting to escort us to the hall where Pope Pius XI would receive us.
At that time the protocol was very strict: one had to make three genuflections before the Pope — one upon entering, another halfway across the room, and a third before kissing his slipper. It wasn’t easy to do with the bouquet, the train of the dress, the veil, and all the emotion! Fortunately, God helps — and Juan lent me a hand”.
This article was written by assistant editor, David Rato, who runs the Spanish Royal Jewels account on Instagram!
Queen Maria Cristina’s Loop Tiara
Spanish Fleur-de-Lys Tiara
The tiara of the fleurs-de-lys, which Alfonso XIll gave to Aunt Ena for the wedding, I only wore once in England for the coronation of the Queen, which was in June 1953. When we were going to leave for Westminster Abbey, I had my small tiara on, and then Queen Victoria said to me: No, you have to wear the one with the fleurs-de-lys. And I obeyed. But as soon as it was all over, I gave it back to her. They had given it to her as a gift and the logical thing is that she would have it as long as she lived. Later, when she died, they gave it to me, but I passed it on to Sofia. Aunt Ena continued to wear it for important events and for some precious photographs”.
Mellerio Shell Tiara
Sapphire Tiara
Diamond Earrings
Queen Isabella II’s Emerald Suite
When Juanito was born, Alfonso XIII gave me a brooch with a huge emerald that had a pair of earrings and ring en suite”.
Pearl Brooch
Ruby Clip Brooch
Pearl Bow Brooch
Pearl Bracelet
Emerald Brooch
Strawberry Leaf Brooches
Diamond Brooches
