Nov 16, 2025
3 min read
Charles of Habsburg-Lorraine, grandson of the last emperor of Austria, revealed the secret: the Habsburg jewels were never stolen, sold or cut.They appeared - apart from Empress Sissi's crown - in a small suitcase that was kept in a bank in Quebec.An incredible story with someone responsible: Empress Zita.
As France (and perhaps not just France) continues to recover from the masters, it celebrates a miracle at the Louvre, in Austria, or almost.After more than several centuries, the precious mosques of the Habsurges (with the exception of the crown of EMPRESSION) and the famous cold diamond were found.Treasures lost for many years.
No script, not even the best film, could have offered a more surprising plot and ending.A story that ended over a century of intrigue and tales of Habsburg jewels being stolen, cut, auctioned or exchanged for money.Til today.Charles of Habsburg-Lorraine, merchant, former statesman and, above all, the last Austrian.“The Florentine diamond, along with other family jewels, is safe in Canada,” the emperor’s grandson revealed to Spiegel over a cappuccino in a Viennese café.A few words, however, that destroyed years of certainty: The Habsburg jewels were never lost.
No, and it was not a sensational discovery, the only revelation of a secret for more than a hundred years at the request of the grandmother Empress Zita, the widow of Emperor Charles I, the family took the ornaments in a sudden flight to Canada in 1940. She carried them in a small brown leather suitcase and hid them in a French province place in the French province: at least until the centenary of the death of Emperor Charles(in 1922) It must be preserved.Only two male members of the family should be aware of this place.These two males are the cousins of Karl Habsburg-Lorraine, who, following the orders of his grandmother, revealed a family secret to him last year.Is it possible that the Habsburg heir, asks Spiegel, doesn't know anything?" My father once mentioned it in advance. I didn't do anything important at the time and didn't think about it anymore," said Karl Habsburg.
The secrets grow, but it seems almost natural, knowing the skill of Grandma Zita, who for years made the world believe that the jewels, which she knew nothing about since 1921, were stolen or sold to the highest bidder.In fact, it was her husband, Emperor Charles I, who in 1918, sensing the end of his Austro-Hungarian empire, ordered his own for the great room to get the jewels out of the country.They ended up in Switzerland, where they stayed until 1921, and then disappeared without a trace, giving rise to the most mysterious and fascinating theories of their fate.
A small suitcase showing 15 stunning pieces, Marie Antoinette, daughter of the Empress of the Empress, gave a brooch with diamonds, emeralds and rubies, pearls and diamonds.Unfinished is an emerald bracelet used by Maria Theresa for sleigh celebrations and Sisi's jewelry.A crown was initially compensated by the discovery of the huge Florentine diamond of 137 carats.
Vienna Royal Jeweler Spiegel A.e.Köchert, who has the only photograph of the yellow stone in 1918, says, "It is rare to see such a fine stone."Köchert, who went to Canada to investigate the situation of jewelry in the belt, said: "His history, a great expert.
It was therefore a joy to find the famous Florence, known by some as the 'stone of destiny', about which everything has been said for a century, intact, intact.Some publications even suggested that the former emperor had pawned the family jewel to finance his rise to power in Hungary and that a fraudster had taken possession of the stone and disappeared with it.And who had contributed to his losing sight of him?It seems that even Empress Zita - who had hidden the hidden treasure - also spoke out about the theft of the stone.Smart!Not to mention the 99.52-carat cushion-shaped yellow diamond that once caused a stir in America because it was thought to be a Florentine piece.
All the conjectures, theories and conspiracies of the century disappeared with a twist worthy of the best crime novels.
Articles published in Vanity Fair Italy.Access the source from here.
