London: A pearl and diamond tiara belonging to a 19th century woman once known as Britain's wealthiest is due to go for auction next month, Christie's auction house said yesterday.
The Victorian tiara was among the most important jewels owned by Hannah Primrose, a socially and politically active heiress whose husband Archibald Philip would eventually become Britain's prime minister.
Born into the powerful Rothschild family, Hannah reputedly became the country's richest woman when her father died in 1874, leaving her the then-immense sum of £2 million in cash, properties including a turreted mansion in England's Buckinghamshire, and a huge stash of jewels.
New title
She married Archibald four years later, at which point she acquired the title of Countess Rosebery, and, Christie's believes, the tiara, along with a matching brooch and bracelet.
Christie's hopes to see the tiara fetch up to £1.5 million (Dh8.9 million) when it goes under the hammer as part of its important jewel sale in London on June 8.
