Princess Christina Tiara Theft May 18, 2012, in Stockholm, Sweden

Summary: The Princess Christina tiara theft May 18, 2012, was the last of five jewels burglarized from her apartment opposite Sweden's Royal Palace in Stockholm.

Five months before the theft of her diamond and pearl tiara, Princess Christina, Mrs. Magnuson, wears the tiara Dec. 10, 2011, at the annual Nobel Prize Banquet, Stockholm, Sweden; photo by Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP/Getty Images: Ella Kay @courtjeweller, via Twitter Feb. 4, 2018

The whereabouts of the Princess Christina tiara still are not accounted for after interviews and investigations about the absconding of the diamond and pearl royal diadem May 18, 2012, in Stockholm, Sweden.

The Princess Christina tiara became the last of five jewels burglarized from the royal's apartment at Slottsbacken 2 across from the Royal Palace at Slottsbacken 1. Whoever carried off the Princess Christina diamond and pearl tiara committed the same crime against one imperial gift and three royal jewels clustered behind closed doors. All five crimes demanded access to a key to a safe in the more private domains within Princess Christina's elegantly and expensively decorated and furnished apartment.

Online news sources from the time of the fifth crime's exposure estimated the total value of all five extractions at 855,000 SEK (Swedish krona ["crowns"], $120,675).

The first four filchings featured the less flamboyant forms of an imperial gift and royal jewels in one bracelet, one pair of cufflinks and two rings.

Haile Selassie I (July 23, 1892-Aug. 27, 1975), Emperor of Ethiopia, gifted Princess Christina with the bracelet, for which no sources furnished the value, in 1956. Princess Christina's key-locked safe held paired gold cufflinks, that had an estimated value of 30000 SEK, from King Gustaf VI Adolf (Nov. 11, 1882-Sep. 15, 1973). It included a diamond ring that online sources indicated as valued at 450000 SEK, from Princess Sibylla of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Jan. 18, 1908-Nov. 28, 1972).

Sources judged an aquamarine ring from Princess Christina's great-grandmother Helena (Feb. 17, 1861-Sep. 1, 1922), Princess of Waldeck-Pyrmont and Duchess of Albany, valued at 25000 SEK.

The Princess Christina tiara, from Ribbhagen court jewelers in Stockholm, Sweden, knew the second-greatest estimated individual value, after the Princess Sibylla diamond ring, at 350000 SEK.

An online article in The Court Jeweller Feb. 3, 2018, lists the tiara's 20th-century line of succession from one queen, through a commoner, to Princess Christina. Ebba Munck's (Oct. 24, 1858-Oct. 16, 1946) marriage maddened her husband Oscar's (Nov. 15, 1859-Oct. 4, 1953) father, King Oscar II (Jan. 21, 1829-Dec. 8, 1907). The lady-in-waiting at the Swedish court netted support from Queen Sophia of Sweden and Norway (July 9, 1836-Dec. 30, 1913), the king's wife and prince's mother.

The wedding occurred March 15, 1888, with Queen Sophia, not her husband, among attendees and obtained Sophia's tiara for one of the couple's subsequent five children.

Queen Sophia's tiara passed to her second-eldest son's third daughter, Elsa (Aug. 3, 1893-July 17, 1996), wife of commoner Hugo Cedergren (July 26, 1891-July 10, 1971).

Princess Christina, royal without Her Royal Highness title since marrying commoner Tord Magnusson, queued up most recently in wearing Queen Sophia's tiara as Elsa Cedergren's goddaughter. The Grand Duchess Hilda tiara theft April 29, 2017, resembles the Princess Christina tiara theft only as raids on one king's mother's and sister-in-law's royal jewels. King Gustaf V (June 16, 1858-Oct. 29, 1950), Prince Oscar's brother, and Queen Victoria (Aug. 7, 1862-April 4, 1930), Grand Duchess Hilda's sister-in-law, succeeded his parents.

Investigations into the Princess Christina tiara theft turned up one suspect even though no suspects turn up yet in the unrelated Grand Duchess Hilda tiara theft.

Princess Christina, Mrs. Magnuson's apartment, the scene of the theft of her diamond and pearl tiara May 18, 2012, is located at Slottsbacken 2 (left), across from the Royal Palace's southern façade (right) and next to eastern façade Storkyrkan, Stockholm Cathedral (center), Gamla Stan, Stadsholmen Island, Stockholm, Sweden; 2004: Jürgen Howaldt, CC BY SA 2.0 Germany, via Wikimedia Commons

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Five months before the theft of her diamond and pearl tiara, Princess Christina, Mrs. Magnuson, wears the tiara Dec. 10, 2011, at the annual Nobel Prize Banquet, Stockholm, Sweden; photo by Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP/Getty Images: Ella Kay @courtjeweller, via Twitter Feb. 4, 2018, @ https://twitter.com/courtjeweller/status/960120890791997440

Princess Christina, Mrs. Magnuson's apartment, the scene of the theft of her diamond and pearl tiara May 18, 2012, is located at Slottsbacken 2 (left), across from the Royal Palace's southern façade (right) and next to eastern façade Storkyrkan, Stockholm Cathedral (center), Gamla Stan, Stadsholmen Island, Stockholm, Sweden; 2004: Jürgen Howaldt, CC BY SA 2.0 Germany, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stockholm-Storkyrkan_01.jpg

For further information:

Marriner, Derdriu. 27 April 2018. "Grand Duchess Hilda Diamond Tiara Theft April 29, 2017, in Baden, Germany." Earth and Space News. Friday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2018/04/grand-duchess-hilda-diamond-tiara-theft.html

"Princess Christina's Diamond and Pearl Tiara." The Court Jeweller > 3 February 2018.
Available @ http://www.thecourtjeweller.com/2018/02/princess-christinas-diamond-and-pearl.html

"Swedish Royal Jewels Missing After Daring Theft." The Local > News > 14 June 2012.
Available @ https://www.thelocal.se/20120614/41442