The Most Stunning Royal Tiaras Of All Time
According to ancient tradition, members of the British royal family are not allowed to wear tiaras until they are married. This is why we hadn’t seen Meghan Markle in one until the big day when she married Prince Harry. In celebration of all things royal, we’re presenting some of the most gorgeous tiara moments in the British monarchy’s history.
A Beaming Princess Diana
It’s hard to upstage a piece of jewelry as stunning as the tiara seen here, but Princess Diana managed to do just that with her beautiful and beaming smile. This photo was taken in November of 1981.
Diana and Princess Anne were photographed while en route to the State Opening of Parliament. They’re riding in the glass coach that was used in Diana’s wedding to Prince Charles just months earlier.
Queen Elizabeth Had The Largest Collection Of Tiaras In The World
Queen Elizabeth II became Head of the Commonwealth in 1952 and amassed a huge number of jaw-dropping tiaras and was thought to have one of the most extensive collections in the world.
Pictured here are Elizabeth and Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, on their wedding day in 1947. The tiara she wore had formerly belonged to Queen Mary, her grandmother.
Autumn Kelly Wore The Kent Festoon Tiara
Autumn Patricia Kelly married Princess Anne’s son, Peter Phillips, on May 17, 2008. Anne lent it to Autumn for the special day. Although the tiara was given to Anne the same year she was married to Mark Phillips, it was not a wedding gift. It had been given to her by the World Wide Shipping Group as a gift in 1973 after she christened a ship for them.
Princess Anne wears the tiara frequently. It’s thought to be one of her favorites.
Queen Elizabeth’s Ruby Encrusted Tiara
At the 2019 State Banquet, Queen Elizabeth wore one of her most precious tiaras; a ruby-encrusted beauty gifted to her from Burma.
The tiara has 96 rubies, which are considered symbolic, “rubies in Burmese culture protect from illness and evil, in this case, to protect the wearer from the 96 diseases that can afflict humans.” The choice of tiara led some on social media to wonder if the Queen was taking a secret jab at the President, whose trip was met with protest by thousands of British citizens.
Royal Honeycomb
This honeycomb-style tiara was a favorite of the late Queen Mother’s and is a favorite of Queen Camilla’s. With no heirs of her own, it was bequeathed to the Queen Mother by wealthy socialite and brewery heiress Margaret Greville in 2002, along with all her other rare jewels.
Made by Boucheron, it’s one of the sparkliest tiaras in the royal collection. The Queen Mother upped the bling on this tiara and had it made even larger, asking Cartier to add a marquise-shaped diamond in the center.
Meghan Chose The Queen Mary Diamond Bandeau
In the weeks leading to Meghan Markle’s marriage to Prince Harry, many speculated which tiara she would wear. On May 19, 2018, we finally got to see her decision. Meghan opted for the lovely Queen Mary Diamond Bandeau, one of her new grandmother-in-law’s pieces.
The 10 diamonds featured in the center of the tiara date back to 1893. The gems were made into the current tiara in 1932. This tiara had been a favorite of Princess Margaret’s and she wore it frequently.
Princess Madeleine In The Swedish Aquamarine Kokoshnik
The ‘kokoshnik’ is a style of tiara that came into fashion during the nineteenth century, in the Russian imperial court of the Romanov family. This aquamarine beauty is currently owned by Princess Margaretha of Sweden. The huge aquamarine stones are accented by delicate diamonds in a flattering half-moon-shaped frame.
It’s believed that the original owner was Margaretha’s grandmother, Margaret of Connaught (wife of Sweden’s King Gustaf VI Adolf). Princess Margaretha has been known to loan the aquamarine tiara to her niece Princess Madeleine, who is pictured here wearing it.
Duchess Catherine’s Fairytale Wedding Tiara
When Kate Middleton married Prince William on April 29, 2011, the entire world watched. Their wedding was a real-life fairytale, and Kate’s bridal jewelry fit the bill.
For the big day, Kate wore the Cartier Halo Tiara, also referred to as the Scroll Diamond Tiara. It was made in 1936 and presented as a gift from King George VI to his wife Elizabeth (the Queen Mum, who we’ll see later).
The Original Fergie Married In Style
Sarah Ferguson married Prince Andrew at Westminster Abbey in 1986. She wore a headpiece called the York Diamond Tiara, which is said to have been purchased for her by the Queen.
Sarah continued to wear the tiara and kept it after her marriage to Andrew ended in divorce in 1996. She was last seen wearing it publicly at Elton John’s White Tie and Tiara Ball in 2001. Many people predicted that her daughter, Princess Eugenie, would wear the York Diamond Tiara for her 2018 wedding. Instead, she opted to borrow an emerald tiara from the Queen.
Sophie, Countess of Wessex
Sophie Rhys-Jones became the Countess of Wessex when she married Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, in 1999. The couple are now known as the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh. Sophie wore a silk organza gown that was embellished with 325,000 crystals and pearls.
At the wedding, Sophie also debuted a tiara that hadn’t been seen in public before. Some have speculated that the jewels were on loan from Queen Elizabeth’s personal collection. Others think the tiara might have been crafted from jewels that had belonged to Queen Victoria.
Margaret’s Fashion Style Inspired This Look
The Earl of Harrington’s daughter Serena Stanhope married Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon’s son Lord Linley in 1993. Serena’s custom-made dress was created as a tribute to her mother-in-law’s wedding gown. She also wore one of Margaret’s favorite tiaras, the Lotus Flower Tiara.
Kate Middleton has been spotted in this tiara, most famously during a 2015 state banquet at Buckingham Palace. For that event, she wore a red Jenny Packham gown.
Zara Tindall Wore Her Mother’s Tiara
Zara Tindall is the daughter of Princess Anne and is known worldwide for her skills as an equestrian. In 2011 she married rugby player Mike Tindall.
For the wedding day, Zara wore her hair in a chignon and topped the look off with the lovely Meander Tiara. The jewels were loaned to her from Anne’s personal collection for the special event.
The Scroll Diamond Tiara, As Worn By Princess Anne
King Charles’ sister, Princess Anne, is the only daughter of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. Here, Anne is pictured in March 1970, at a formal event while she was visiting New Zealand.
She is wearing the Scroll Diamond Tiara (Cartier Halo Tiara). Anne stopped wearing the tiara publicly in the 1970s, but it made a big reappearance when Kate Middleton famously wore it at her 2011 wedding to Prince William.
An Addition To The Windsors
When Dr. Claire Alexandra Booth married Alexander Windsor, the Earl of Ulster, she became part of the British royal family. The couple has two children together, Lord Xan Richard Anders Windsor and Lady Cosima Rose Alexandra Windsor.
Claire wore a stunning diamond tiara for her wedding day. Although we’re unsure of the tiara’s origins, many believe that it may have been a gift from Alexander’s parents, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.
This Tiara Has A Long History
Lady Rose Gilman (born Lady Rose Victoria Birgitte Louise Windsor), a daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, was married to George Gilman in 2007. She wore a long white couture gown for the event, as well as a stunning tiara with a very special history.
The Iveagh Tiara was originally a wedding gift to Queen Mary. It’s also been worn by two Duchesses of Gloucester, Alice and Birgitte.
The Kent Festoon Tiara Makes Another Appearance
The woman born Marie Christine Anna Agnes Hedwig Ida von Reibnitz married Prince Michael of Kent in 1978. She then became known as Princess Michael. She’s had an active career, working as an interior designer, an author, and a lecturer.
Here, Michael is pictured in London in 2003. She’s wearing the Kent Festoon Tiara, which was left to her husband by his mother, Princess Marina.
Birgitte, Duchess Of Gloucester
Birgitte Eva Henriksen became the Duchess of Gloucester when she married Prince Richard, the Duke of Gloucester in 1972. By royal standards, they had a relatively simple wedding — the Queen wasn’t present for it.
Birgitte didn’t even have bridesmaids for the event. In a further departure from tradition, she also didn’t wear a jeweled tiara but instead opted for one made of stephanotis flowers, which held her veil in place. She looked absolutely radiant!
This Tiara Paid Tribute To Her Parents
Laura Lopes is the daughter of Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, and Camilla’s former husband, Andrew Parker Bowles. King Charles is her stepfather.
For her 2006 marriage to Harry Lopes, Laura topped off her look with the Cubitt-Shand Tiara. It belongs to Camilla, who wore it on the day she married Laura’s father, Andrew! The tiara belonged to Camilla’s grandmother, Sonia Keppel, who left it to her daughter Rosalind (Camilla’s mother) upon her death.
Diamonds And Pearls
Lady Helen Taylor, née Windsor, is the only daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Kent. Taylor had a career in fashion as the muse of designer Giorgio Armani.
She married art dealer Timothy Taylor in 1992 and wore the distinctive Kent Diamond and Pearl Fringe Tiara for the event. We’ve seen that tiara quite a few times, and it’s always a stunner.
Queen Mary Recycled Her Jewelry
The Delhi Durbar Tiara was originally made for Queen Mary in 1911. It was made by Garrard for a celebration in Delhi that marked the coronation of King George V and Queen Mary as Emperor and Empress of India. Mary had this tiara made with remnants of another tiara set in platinum and gold. It used to have 10 cabochon emerald drops on top but these were later repurposed into a different tiara.
A Versatile Tiara
Lady Sarah Chatto, a painter, is the late Princess Margaret’s daughter. Sarah appears to have inherited her mother’s fabulous tastes in fashion.
For her 1994 wedding to Daniel Chatto, she wore the Snowdon Floral Tiara, which was made from three different brooches belonging to Magaret. The wedding was the only time the brooches were publicly worn as a tiara.
The City Of London Diamond Fringe Tiara
On April 24, 1963, Princess Alexandra of Kent was married to Angus James Ogilvy at Westminster Abbey. She is a first cousin of Queen Elizabeth.
For the occasion, Alexandra wore the City of London diamond fringe tiara, which features diamonds that are set in both gold and silver. The jewelry had belonged to her mother, Princess Marina, who had a similar style for her own wedding. We’ll see her bridal ensemble later.
The Kent Diamond and Pearl Fringe Tiara
Katharine Worsley married Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, one of Queen Elizabeth’s first cousins. They were wed in 1961, and she became Katharine, Duchess of Kent.
For the special event, Katharine wore the Kent Diamond and Pearl Fringe Tiara. As its name indicates, the tiara features both diamonds and pearls, set at varying heights. More recently, the tiara has been spotted on her daughter-in-law and daughter, the Countess of St. Andrews and Lady Helen Taylor.
A Tiara Befitting A Princess
Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, was Queen Elizabeth’s only sister. In 1960 she married a photographer, Antony Armstrong-Jones, and the couple had two children together before divorcing in 1978.
Margaret was always known for her sharp sense of style and this photo proves it. Here she is in London sometime around 1990, sporting a stunning tiara and a fur wrap. Many of her jewels and other belongings were auctioned off by her children in 2018.
Princess Marina Wore A Tiara Similar To The One Her Daughter Wore Years Later
Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark became the Duchess of Kent when she married Prince George on November 29, 1934. Here is a photo of the couple on that happy day.
Marina is wearing a tiara very similar to the City of London diamond fringe tiara that we covered earlier. It had been a gift from the city of London to commemorate her marriage. She loaned the tiara pictured here to her daughter, Princess Alexandra, for her wedding day.
Princess Alice Wore Pink At Her Wedding
In 1935, Alice Montagu-Douglas-Scott wed the third son of King George V and Queen Mary, Prince Henry. He was the Duke of Gloucester, so Alice became the Duchess of Gloucester after their marriage.
The tiara Alice wore for the wedding was a gift from Queen Mary. Her gown was a pale pink shade, which is quite unusual for a member of the Royal family. Alice lived a long life full of adventurous travel.
