by Scott Mehl
© Unofficial Royalty 2013

photo credit: Wikipedia

Many of us have never had the opportunity to see some real, honest-to-God royal artifacts. For most, it would require a flight to Europe, and hoping to get tickets to see the limited exhibit at, perhaps, Buckingham Palace or the Royal Palace of Stockholm. But there’s a whole treasure trove of royal stuff right here in the United States!

In 1926, Queen Marie of Romania (along with her son Nicolas and daughter Ileana) came to Washington State to preside at the dedication of The Maryhill Museum, which was being opened by her dear friend Samuel Hill. She brought along 15 crates full of items to donate to the museum, including a large collection of Orthodox icons. Two of her daughters, Queen Elisabeth of Greece and Queen Marie of Yugoslavia, also donated some items. In fact, the museum’s first donation came from Queen Marie of Yugoslavia.

It was after the deaths of Hill and Queen Marie that the museum received the majority of what is now the Queen Marie collection. Another patron, Alma de Bretteville Spreckels, had been acquiring items from Queen Marie that were intended for another museum. Instead, she donated all of these pieces to Maryhill in 1938 after the Queen’s death. Included are Queen Marie’s gold throne, her coronation gown, and a replica of her crown, as well as furniture, silver, and jewelry. All of these now form a permanent exhibit dedicated to Queen Marie.

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Maryhill Museum of Art
YouTube video featuring photos of the Queen Marie collection
HistoryLink: Queen Marie of Romania dedicates Maryhill Museum of Art on November 3, 1926