It was a gem of a household secret for greater than 100 years.
Descendants of Austria's royal household have revealed {that a} lacking treasure, a big diamond courting again to the Home of Medici whose mysterious whereabouts impressed a number of films and books, has truly been stored protected in secret since 1918.
The Habsburg kin stored mum in regards to the historic Florentine Diamond for many years, however broke their vow of silence to expose that the jewel was at all times hidden inside their vault in Canada, The New York Times reported on Thursday.
Karl von Habsburg-Lothringen, 64, the grandson of fleeing Emperor Charles I, mentioned that as his household's dynasty got here to an finish on the conclusion of World Battle I, his grandfather fled the nation with the royal jewels secretly in tow.
Among the many treasures was the 137-carat Florentine Diamond, a pear-shaped jewel that was initially owned by the Medici household, the rulers of Florence.
It had lengthy been speculated that the diamond had been stolen, recut and misplaced perpetually, with a number of movies and novels born from the thriller because the jewel vanished in 1918.
Habsburg-Lothringen, nonetheless, revealed that the household hid the diamond from the general public eye, per Charles' spouse, Empress Zita, who carried the diamond to Canada in a cardboard suitcase and solely informed its location to her sons, Robert and Rodolphe.
The 2 brothers had been instructed to not disclose the diamond's location for 100 years, directions that they handed on to their very own sons earlier than they handed away, the Habsburgs informed the Occasions.
“The much less folks learn about it, the larger the safety,” Habsburg-Lothringen mentioned. “Over time, I'm positive all of us has been requested at one time or one other [about the diamond].”
“For me, I used to be not even conscious of the existence of the diamond till not too long ago so it was simple to reply these questions truthfully,” he added.
It was Robert and Rodolphe's sons who knowledgeable Habsburg-Lothringen in regards to the diamond's location, with the household selecting to interrupt their silence now that 100 years have handed.
The clan mentioned they need the Florentine Diamond and different jewels from the Habsburg's to be placed on show in Canada, which took them in following their exodus from Europe in World Battle II to flee the increasing Nazi regime.
Christoph Köchert of A.E. Köchert jewelers, which as soon as served as Austria's imperial courtroom jewelers, examined the diamond and vouched for its authenticity, in keeping with the Occasions.
