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The Portland Tiara was a diamond-encrusted gold and silver tiara made by

Cartier Cartier may refer to: People * Cartier (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) * Cartier Martin (born 1984), American basketball player Places * Cartier Island, an island north-west of Australia that is part of Australia' ...

for Winifred, Duchess of Portland to wear at the coronation of Edward VII and Queen Alexandra in 1902. It was exhibited at the

Harley Gallery and Foundation The Harley Gallery and Foundation is an educational charity situated on the ducal estate of Welbeck Abbey in North Nottinghamshire. The Harley Foundation The Harley Foundation was set up in 1977 by Ivy, Duchess of Portland, "to encourage creat ...

's Portland Collection from 2016 until it was stolen and broken up in November 2018. The tiara was estimated to be worth £3.75 million.

History

In 1902,

William Cavendish-Bentinck, 6th Duke of Portland William John Arthur Charles James Cavendish-Bentinck, 6th Duke of Portland, (28 December 1857 – 26 April 1943), known as William Cavendish-Bentinck until 1879, was a British landowner, courtier, and Conservative politician. He notably ser ...

commissioned

to make the tiara for Winifred, his wife, to wear at the coronation of Edward VII and Queen Alexandra. Winifred was one of the duchesses who held a canopy over Alexandra during her anointing ceremony. Afterwards, some of the gems were removed from the tiara to make a brooch. The gems are absent in a 1925 portrait of Duchess Winifred wearing the tiara.

Theft

In 2016, the Harley Gallery and Foundation opened the Portland Collection Gallery within the estate of

Welbeck Abbey Welbeck Abbey in the Dukeries in North Nottinghamshire was the site of a monastery belonging to the Premonstratensian order in England and after the Dissolution of the Monasteries, a country house residence of the Dukes of Portland. It is one ...

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The traditi ...

. The tiara and brooch were displayed in an

armoured glass Bulletproof glass, ballistic glass, transparent armor, or bullet-resistant glass is a strong and optically transparent material that is particularly resistant to penetration by projectiles. Like any other material, it is not completely impenetr ...

case. On 20 November 2018, thieves entered the gallery at around 22:00, broke into the display case using power tools and took the tiara and brooch. Security personnel arrived 90 seconds after the alarms went off, but the perpetrators managed to escape. Four people were arrested on 3 December 2018 on suspicion of burglary. At their trial in 2022, the prosecution said the Portland Tiara and brooch were taken to a workshop in London's

Hatton Garden Hatton Garden is a street and commercial zone in the Holborn district of the London Borough of Camden, abutting the narrow precinct of Saffron Hill which then abuts the City of London. It takes its name from Sir Christopher Hatton, a favourit ...

jewellery quarter within hours of the burglary. On 8 July 2022, three men were found guilty of stealing the tiara and brooch, which it is believed were transferred from London to Turkey.

Appearance

The tiara was covered with brilliant cushion- and briolette-cut diamonds. The briolettes were supplied to Cartier by the Duke of Portland and probably date from the 17th century. The centrepiece was the Portland Diamond, which dates from the 19th century. It was flanked by two diamond drops and other pendant diamonds, all set in gold and silver.

References

{{reflist, 30em Individual thefts 1902 works Bentinck family Cartier

History

Theft

Appearance

See also

References