Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway is set to make her gala debut as heir to the throne, but what tiara might she wear?

Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway's first weeks as heir to the throne have been marked by grief. The death of her grandfather, King Harald, on 28 August saw her father, King Haakon, accede to the throne and was followed just weeks later by the death of her great-aunt, Princess Astrid. But as the official mourning period ends, the royal house is looking forward to a grand banquet this month, one that will mark the gala debut of the new Crown Princess – possibly in a dazzling tiara.

On 22 October, the heir will join King Harald and Queen Mette-Marit and her grandmother, Queen Sonja, for a dinner in honour of the Storting – Norway's parliament. Expect high royal glamour and impressive pomp and ceremony, but the crowning glory of the evening would surely be Princess Ingrid Alexandra donning one of her family's heirloom tiaras. But which might the woman destined to be the nation's first Queen Regent in 600 years wear?

The most obvious choice for the Crown Princess's debut would be the Boucheron pearl circle tiara, which was gifted to her by her family to mark her 18th birthday. The piece is a highly sentimental one for the House of Glücksburg, originally owned by Ingrid Alexandra’s great-great-grandmother, Princess Ingeborg, who was gifted it by her husband, Prince Carl, over 120 years ago. Last June, she wore the tiara for a state visit in honour of the French President.

The Princess first wore the Boucheron pearl circle (which had not been worn by Mette-Marit or Ingrid’s aunt, Princess Märtha Louise, perhaps reserved for Ingrid herself) at a gala dinner held to celebrate her 18th, where she was joined by a host of fellow future queens. The guest list included Princess Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands, Belgium's Princess Elisabeth, and Princess Estelle of Sweden. Princess Ingrid Alexandra posed in the tiara for a series of official portraits, including one surrounded by her parents, grandparents, and brothers.

But it was perhaps the late Princess Astrid who offered the most touching remarks after seeing the future queen in the historic tiara. ‘It means a great deal to me that the tiara has now been given to Princess Ingrid Alexandra,’ Astrid said at the time, offering a little backstory as to the Boucheron pearl circle’s heritage. ‘It is a beautiful tiara made of interlocking diamond circles set in platinum. The button-style diamond and pearl elements are later additions,’ she explained in an article released by the Royal Court of Norway.

Princess Astrid then elaborated on her own personal connection to the tiara, which her grandfather purchased from the jeweller Boucheron at the Paris Exposition in 1900 for a heartwarming reason: ‘Grandfather bought this for my grandmother because it was lighter to wear on important occasions.’ Princess Ingrid Alexandra also wore the piece for the 18th birthday of Crown Prince Christian in 2023 – another monumental coming-of-age for European royalty. Could the next occasion be Princess Ingrid Alexandra’s gala debut as heir?

If not, there are a host of dazzling options sitting in Norway’s royal jewellery vaults. Take, for example, the tiara that Queen Mette-Marit wore on her wedding day back in 2001. Ingrid Alexandra’s mother looked the picture of regal elegance in the diamond daisy bandeau when she tied the knot with King Haakon over two decades ago; a subtle piece crafted in 1910 with an Edwardian stone, the tiara was a wedding gift from Mette-Marit’s in-laws, King Harald and Queen Sonja.

As Crown Princess, Mette-Marit made the bandeau a personal favourite, choosing the piece for such illustrious occasions as the wedding of then-Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark in 2004. It would be a heartwarming moment indeed were Mette-Marit’s daughter to don her treasured wedding tiara as she enters this new era of her royal life.

Or could Princess Ingrid Alexandra borrow a tiara from the collection of her grandmother, Queen Sonja? The vaults are certainly expansive. Queen Maud’s pearl diadem could be one option – the piece certainly has quite a history. A towering Edwardian diadem featuring a delicate diamond scroll motif and pear-shaped pearl toppers, it became one of the most important sparklers for Norwegian royals after its original owner, Princess Maud of Wales, became queen of the newly independent country in 1906.

It is believed to have been created by the jewellers Carrington and Co in 1896 in time to be worn by Princess Maud at her wedding to Prince Carl of Denmark. Maud was the fifth child of Albert, Prince of Wales, and Alexandra (Ingrid Alexandra’s great-great-great-grandmother and namesake), who would soon ascend the British throne upon the death of Albert’s mother, Queen Victoria in 1901.

The new Norwegian queen was famed for her style, and would showcase the precious pearl tiara at countless state celebrations and gala dinners – the same could well have been said for Ingrid Alexandra if she wore the tiara, were it not for one of the most shocking royal jewellery heists in recent memory.

Maud’s grandson, King Harald V of Norway, and his wife Sonja ascended the throne in 1991. As firm fans of Maud’s tiara (which had recently returned after a stint in Windsor Castle during the war) they sent it to London for refurbishing by renowned British jewellers Garrard in 1995, only for it to be stolen during a planned heist involving three armed robbers. Nearly 70 police officers were immediately assigned to the premises but to no avail; the tiara was among the stolen items and has never been found. Of course, the House of Garrard, creators of the most significant British regal treasures, crafted a perfect replica to present to the family.

Queen Sonja went on to lend the smaller set replica to her daughter, Princess Märtha Louise, for her wedding to Ari Behn in 2002, and to Mette-Marit for the wedding of Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden in 2010.

Or could Princess Ingrid Alexandra borrow the Amethyst Parure Tiara from Queen Sonja? The provenance of the piece has never been shared by the family, says The Court Jeweller, but Trond Noren Isaksen has argued that it was yet another replacement from the fateful night in Garrards, when a pink tourmaline tiara dating back to Countess Estelle Bernadotte was also snatched from the streets of the Big Smoke.

Historically, the Amethyst Parure was seen on Queen Sonja, but it seems she gifted the piece to her new daughter-in-law, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, who has worn the headpiece at a state dinner at Buckingham Palace in 2005, the 70th birthday of Queen Margrethe of Denmark in 2010, and the royal wedding of Princess Madeleine of Sweden and Christopher O'Neill in 2013. Yet another option with a colourful history and poignant family resonances.

Other tiaras from Queen Sonja’s vaults could include the diamond bandeau base of Queen Alexandra of Great Britain’s Maltese circlet, which was passed down to Queen Maud and became a favourite of Princess Märtha Louise, or maybe even one of the newest additions to the Queen’s collection: the oh-so-modern gold tiara, which The Court Jewller has described as ‘one of the ultimate “love it or hate it” suites of royal jewellery’ for its sci-fi look. A controversial choice for Princess Ingrid Alexandra, but perhaps a modern-day tiara is best suited to a modern-day princess.

Considering how moved Princess Astrid was to see Ingrid Alexandra in her grandmother’s tiara, it might be a moving option for the Crown Princess to don a piece from her late great-aunt's collection. Queen Alexandra’s Turquoise circlet might be a fitting choice considering Ingrid Alexandra’s link to her royal ancestor. There is certainly precedent for Princess Astrid passing down her jewels to Ingrid Alexandra, who received a badge of the Order of Victoria and Albert from the Princess to mark her confirmation in 2019.

A whole host of potential tiaras for Princess Ingrid Alexandra’s upcoming gala, each as dazzling as the next. No doubt that royal watchers everywhere will be keeping an eye out to see which piece the future queen chooses – the decision may well be a sign of things to come in the royal jewellery department.