Tiaras are typically reserved for important royal events, including state banquets, the annual diplomatic reception and Royal Weddings. In past occasions attended by the Queen Mother, or the then Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret, however, the royals would wear the jewels for film premieres and galas.
Since marrying Prince William in 2011, Princess Kate has worn four tiaras from the Royal Family’s jewellery collection – the Cartier Halo, the Lotus Flower, the Lover’s Knot and the Strathmore Rose tiaras, all worth a collective total of £6.5m. The Cartier Halo tiara is worth £1m, the Lotus Flower £4m, the Lover’s Knot £1m and the Strathmore Rose £500,000 – all estimations in value.
The first and only time Kate ever wore the Cartier Halo Tiara, was on a day she’ll remember forever, on April 29, 2011, on her wedding day to Prince William.
Kate’s tiara debut was a piece on loan from Queen Elizabeth II herself, which the newly minted Duchess of Cambridge wore to her wedding at Westminster Abbey.
The Cartier Halo tiara is a diamond tiara, purchased in 1936 by the Duke of York (later King George VI) for his wife, the future Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. It’s a platinum tiara with a scroll design, featuring 739 brilliant-cut diamonds and 149 baguette diamonds.
The Lotus Flower tiara was worn frequently by the Queen’s late sister Princess Margaret and the Queen Mother, who first commissioned it from the royal jeweller, Garrard.
The Tiara was crafted from the gems of a wedding necklace the Queen Mother had been gifted in 1923 by her husband, King George VI.
Adele Narcisi, Gemmologist & Design Consultation at Queensmith, said the Lotus Flower Tiara is “embellished” with lots of sparkling elements.
She explained: “The Lotus Flower Tiara is a slightly more subtle design that is incredibly evocative of the 1920s era in which it was made.” She added: “A main lotus flower shape sits at the centre of the piece, embellished of course with diamonds. Ornate pearls complete the piece, dotted along the top of the diamond lotus flowers.”
Positively dripping in pearls, the Lover’s Knot Tiara has been in the Royal Family’s possession for decades.
Lisa Levinson, Head of Marketing and Communications for the Natural Diamond Council, said: “Princess Diana received several Royal Family jewels from the Queen on permanent loan when she married Prince Charles. One of the most breathtaking and well-known is the natural diamond and pearl Cambridge Lover’s Knot Tiara.
“The romantic and majestic pearl and natural diamond tiara was made in 1914 by Garrard for Queen Mary. It features 19 pear-shaped pearl drops set within a natural diamond ribbon motif.”
After appearing frequently during Princess Diana’s lifetime, the tiara made a royal debut with Kate after she married Prince William in 2011.
Finally, the Strathmore Rose tiara, is a diamond-encrusted tiara, designed to resemble a garland of wild roses, and a significant piece from the Queen Mother’s collection. It was a wedding gift from the Earl of Strathmore to his daughter, the future Queen Mother, in 1923.
The Princess of Wales famously wore the Strathmore Rose Tiara at a state banquet in November 2023 on the first night of the South Korean President’s State Visit to the UK.
