Grand Duchess Vladimir, born Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, joined the Romanov Dynasty in 1874 when she married Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich, uncle to the last Emperor, Nicholas II. A prominent hostess in Saint Petersburg, she was known as the "grandest of all the grand duchesses."
Her jewellery collection was the stuff of legend. In 1902, Consuelo Vanderbilt — the dollar princess who had married the 9th Duke of Marlborough and was no stranger to important jewels herself — recalled visiting her in Russia: "She had a majestic personality, but could be both gracious and charming.
After dinner she showed me her jewels set out in glass cases in her dressing room. There were endless parures of diamonds, emeralds, rubies and pearls."
The Duchess was not only one of the Cartiers' best clients in the early 20th century — she also became a friend of Louis Cartier. It was through her, and her famous Christmas bazaar in St Petersburg, that Cartier became the jeweller of choice for the Romanovs, then the wealthiest dynasty in the world.
When Louis asked to borrow her famous 1874 diamond and pearl tiara by court jeweller Bolin (top picture), she agreed with pleasure and lent it to him in 1911 for six months.
Over that time he studied it closely, in awe of its beauty and craftsmanship, and it would go on to inspire him to create magnificent new jewels — such as the Leeds Tiara in 1913 (bottom picture) for Nancy Leeds, the future Princess Anastasia of Greece and Denmark.
It was such fun speaking to Prince Dimitri about this and many other stories from the intertwining lives of our ancestors in our recent webinar. As the great-great-grandson of Grand Duchess Vladimir, he took us behind the scenes of the opulent Romanov world and to the real people in those palaces living through that devastating revolution.
The recording is now available from the Webinars tab. And for those asking about Prince Dimitri's book Once Upon a Diamond — packed full of family stories and previously unpublished images — it would make a wonderful gift.
