The British jewel vault is filled to the brim. If Queen Camilla is a little forthcoming, Princess Catherine will be able to surprise us in the coming years with both iconic and forgotten tiaras. In this blog we look at the four options that have already been checked off.
Cartier Halo Tiara
Catherine Elizabeth Middleton wears a tiara for the first time at her wedding to Prince William. The honor goes to the Cartier Halo Tiara. In combination with her wedding dress from Alexander McQueen, it really is a picture!
The Cartier Halo tiara is also called the Scroll Tiara. The tiara consists of diamonds with wave motifs and was designed by Cartier. The Queen Mum received the jewel as a gift from her husband, just before they became king and queen. When their daughter Elizabeth (the recently deceased Queen Elizabeth II) turned 18, she received her mother’s tiara. Elizabeth rarely wore the gift, but regularly lent it to her sister Princess Margaret and later to her daughter Princess Anne. The tiara lay in the safe for a long time, until Kate wore it on her wedding day.
Lotus Flower Tiara
The Lotus Flower Tiara was a favorite tiara of Princess Margaret. It is also called the Papyrus Tiara. The jewel was originally owned by the Queen Mum, the mother of the late Queen Elizabeth II. Princess Margaret received the tiara from her mother and lent it to her daughter-in-law Serena during her wedding to her son David Armstrong-Jones. When Margaret died, many of her jewels were auctioned. However, the Lotus Flower Tiara returned to the royal vault. Nowadays Catherine can use it.
On October 20, 2015, Catherine attended a state banquet for the first time. Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife were welcomed at Buckingham Palace. Catherine wore the Lotus Flower Tiara with a red prom dress by Jenny Packham.
Lover’s Knot Tiara
The Lover’s Knot Tiara is a diamond diadem with 19 pear-shaped pearls. The tiara was designed by the British jeweler Garrard on behalf of Queen Mary. Mary wanted a copy of the tiara of her grandmother, Augusta von Hessen – Kassel. To create the jewel, diamonds and pearls were disassembled from other existing jewels. In 1953, Queen Mary left the tiara to Queen Elizabeth II, her granddaughter, after her death. Elizabeth did wear the tiara, but mainly when she was young.
Princess Diana was loaned the tiara at her wedding to Prince Charles. Diana wore it a number of times, but preferred to wear the Spencer’s family diadem. She found the Lover’s Knot Tiara quite heavy, it gave her a headache. After Diana’s divorce, the diadem remained unused in the vault for a long time, until Catherine embraced it in 2015 for the annual reception for the Diplomatic Corps at Buckingham Palace. Because the tiara was inspired by the Cambridge Lover’s Knot Tiara, it was very appropriate for the then Duchess of Cambridge.
Catherine has now worn the diadem several times. Including during various annual diplomatic receptions at Buckingham Palace, but also during the state visit of King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain in 2017.
Strathmore Rose Tiara
What a surprise, when Catherine suddenly wore a different diadem during the state banquet on the occasion of South Korea’s state visit to Great Britain in November 2023: the Strathmore Rose Tiara.
This tiara was one of the Queen Mum’s favorites. She received the jewel as a wedding gift from her parents, who were the Earl and Countess of Strathmore. The roses on the tiara can also be used as a brooch. After the death of the Queen Mum, the diadem remained idle in the vault. Only during an exhibition in the Victoria and Albert museum and in the book The Queens Diamonds were we able to catch a glimpse of it. Great that Catherine has rediscovered the tiara. In our opinion, worth repeating!
Info also thanks to www.allthingsroyal.nl/koninklijkejuwelen
