The Sparkling History Behind Princess Kate's Tiaras

Princess Kate wearing a blue gown and the Lover's Knot Tiara; Princess Kate waving on her wedding day in her gown and veil; Princess Kate wearing a red gown and the Lotus Flower Tiara — (Image credit: Getty Images)

When Kate Middleton married Prince William in 2011, the world wondered if she might wear the Spencer Tiara like Princess Diana did on her wedding day. Instead, the new Duchess of Cambridge made her tiara debut in a diamond piece borrowed from Queen Elizabeth, the Cartier Halo Tiara.

Since then, Kate has worn just four other tiaras in her nearly 15-year royal career, mostly favoring one of Diana's go-to headpieces, Queen Mary's Lover's Knot. Although the Princess of Wales frequently reaches for the diamond-and-pearl design—the royal has worn it a whopping 13 times—she's also pulled off some major tiara surprises over the years.

Whether it was bringing Queen Victoria's Oriental Circlet out of the vaults or wearing another historic tiara that hadn't been seen in nearly a century, Kate has shown her connection to previous royal women through her tiara choices.

"These are not just jewels. They're heirlooms of power, diplomacy and family history," said Julie Montagu, the Countess of Sandwich, in an Instagram Reel.

Princess Kate wearing a red gown toasting to Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2015. — Princess Kate wears the Lotus Flower Tiara in 2015.

"Catherine's choices are incredibly deliberate," the countess continues. "She wears tiaras that represent lineage."

Instead of having new designs commissioned or buying vintage pieces at auction, as some royal women have done, Montagu says the Princess of Wales "is placing herself very clearly in the line of royal women who came before her, not through speeches, but through jewelry."

Below, discover the fascinating history behind each of the tiaras Kate has worn (so far).

The Cartier Halo Tiara

Princess Kate's wedding tiara is one with an especially sentimental history. Per The Court Jeweller, it was commissioned by King George VI in 1936 for his wife Elizabeth (later known as the Queen Mother), when they were the Duke and Duchess of York. The Cartier piece features a total of 739 brilliant-cut diamonds and 149 baguette-shaped diamonds that form a delicate, scroll-like design.

The Queen Mother gave the tiara to her eldest daughter, Princess Elizabeth, on her 18th birthday, as its petite design was considered a great starter tiara. The late royal was never publicly seen wearing it, although she did let her sister, Princess Margaret, borrow the Cartier diadem, most notably for Queen Elizabeth's coronation. Later, Princess Anne borrowed it from her mother on several occasions, and it was the first tiara she ever wore publicly.

Before Kate Middleton walked down the aisle in the historic tiara, it had last been seen in the 1970s, making the Cartier Halo's reappearance an exciting surprise for royal watchers. Although many royal women go on to re-wear their wedding tiaras—like Diana, who often sported the Spencer Tiara at royal events—Kate has never worn the Cartier Halo again.

The Lotus Flower Tiara

Princess Kate wearing a red gown and tiara — Princess Kate wearing the Lotus Flower Tiara in 2022.

The next time Kate wore a tiara was in December 2013 when she attended the annual Diplomatic Corps reception at Buckingham Palace. For her second tiara moment, the then-Duchess of Cambridge chose the Lotus Flower Tiara, another piece that first belonged to the late Queen Mother.

"It began as a necklace," Montagu said in a Reel detailing the history of the tiara, explaining that the Queen Mother received the piece as a wedding gift from her husband in 1923. "She had the necklace converted into a tiara by Garrard to suit the art deco style of the 1920s," the countess added.

Princess Margaret often wore the tiara in later years, with the diadem featuring diamonds and pearls forming lotus flowers and delicate arches.

The Princess of Wales has worn the Lotus Flower design two more times since 2013, choosing it for a 2015 state banquet held to welcome the president of China, and the 2022 Diplomatic Corps reception.

Queen Mary's Lover's Knot Tiara

Princess Kate wearing the Lover's Knot Tiara and a white gown with silver shoulder detail — Princess Kate wearing Queen Mary's Lover's Knot Tiara in 2022.

Although this tiara is most frequently connected to Princess Diana, it originally belonged to Queen Elizabeth II's grandmother, Queen Mary, who commissioned the Lover's Knot Tiara from royal jeweler Garrard in 1913.

Montagu says that Queen Mary based the design "on a piece worn by her grandmother-in-law, Princess Augustus," and it features diamond arches with swinging pearl drops. The countess noted that although Mary liked to revive vintage styles, "she always made them grander" as the late Queen "wanted jewels that announced royal authority."

Unlike the other tiara styles Princess Kate has worn, this is the only one that wasn't worn by the Queen Mother, as Queen Elizabeth II inherited the Lover's Knot Tiara from her grandmother. While Elizabeth wore the Lover's Knot in the 1950s, it wasn't one of her go-tos, and Princess Diana ended up becoming the most frequent wearer of the piece in the '80s.

Princess Kate first wore the Lover's Knot Tiara at the 2015 Buckingham Palace diplomatic reception, and she's gone on to wear it 12 times since at events such as state banquets, diplomatic receptions and the Jordanian royal wedding. If the tiara fits, wear it.

The Strathmore Rose Tiara

It was quite a long time before royal watchers saw Princess Kate in a tiara other than Queen Mary's Lover's Knot or the Lotus Flower, but when the royal wore the historic Strathmore Rose Tiara in 2023, she knocked it out of the park.

The diamond design is yet another tiara that belonged to the Queen Mother, with the romantic diadem featuring diamonds in the shape of flowers. Like the Lotus Flower Tiara, the Strathmore Rose Tiara was given to the Queen Mother as a wedding gift in 1923, this time by her father, the Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne.

The late royal was the only person to ever wear the tiara and it hadn't been seen in public for nearly 100 years, making it an even more special moment when Kate wore the diamond design.

"Kate has always signaled that she'd like to emulate the Queen Mother's royal role and wearing her jewels is an important symbol of that continuity," Lauren Kiehna of The Court Jeweller told People at the time. "It's fitting that Kate—likely with some assistance from King Charles—would choose to wear the tiara exactly a hundred years after the Queen Mother originally received it."

Queen Victoria's Oriental Circlet

Princess Kate wearing a blue sequin dress and Queen Victoria's tiara walking into a banquet with Prince William — Princess Kate wearing Queen Victoria's Oriental Circlet Tiara in 2025.

In December 2025, the Princess of Wales pulled out her biggest tiara surprise yet when she wore Queen Victoria's Oriental Circlet Tiara to a banquet held in honor of the German state visit.

Kate's selection of this particular tiara was a masterclass in diplomatic dressing, as Queen Victoria's German-born husband, Prince Albert, designed the piece for his wife in 1853, per The Royal Watcher blog. With 2,600 diamonds accented by rubies, it's the largest and certainly the grandest tiara Princess of Wales has ever worn.

Interestingly, the tiara originally featured opal accents, but they were later replaced with rubies by Queen Alexandra since she found opals to be "unlucky." The tiara was designated as an heirloom of the crown, meaning it passed down to queens throughout history, although Queen Elizabeth II wore it only once, in 2005.

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Kristin Contino is Marie Claire's Senior Royal and Celebrity editor. She's been covering royalty since 2018—including major moments such as the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III's coronation—and places a particular focus on the British Royal Family's style and what it means.

Prior to working at Marie Claire, she wrote about celebrity and royal fashion at Page Six Style and covered royalty from around the world as chief reporter at Royal Central. Kristin has provided expert commentary for outlets including the BBC, Sky News, US Weekly, the Today Show and many others.

Kristin is also the published author of two novels, “The Legacy of Us” and “A House Full of Windsor.” She's passionate about travel, history, horses, and learning everything she can about her favorite city in the world, London.