For a woman in the royal family to wear a tiara, they have to be a bride or already married. It is a symbol of the loss of innocence and that’s why most royal brides wear it on their wedding day. Royal experts insist that it’s not an accessory that shows off someone’s wealth, but instead the importance of the occasion that it’s being worn at. Whatever the purpose, there are many historic tiaras that we have had the chance to see.
Bright Side made a compilation of 15 of the most famous and stunning tiaras that belong to members of the British royal family.
The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara
- A wedding present that was given to the Duchess of York, later Queen Mary, in 1893. In the past decades, Queen Elizabeth II wore the tiara on many different occasions.
The Halo Tiara
- Queen Elizabeth II lent this 739-brilliant cut diamond and 149 baguette diamond tiara to Kate Middleton for her wedding day. It was commissioned in 1936 by King George VI for his wedding to his wife the Queen Mother.
The Cambridge Lover’s Knot Tiara
- In 1913, Queen Mary commissioned a jeweler to make her a copy of her aunt’s, the Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, tiara. She knew she wouldn’t inherit the tiara, so she decided to make her own.
The Cubitt-Shand Tiara
- This tiara belonged to Camilla Bowle’s grandmother, who lent it to her granddaughter for her wedding in 1973. After Camila’s mother died, she inherited the tiara and lent it to her own daughter, Laura, for her wedding in 2006.
The Spencer Family Tiara
- This tiara has its roots in 1937, when Cynthia Spencer, Queen Elizabeth’s Lady of the Bedchamber, needed something dazzling to wear to the Queen’s wedding.
The Greville Emerald Kokoshnik Tiara
- Dame Margaret Greville was the one who this tiara was created for, and it has been seen in public very few times. That was until Princess Eugenie’s wedding, where she famously donned the marvelous piece.
The George VI Sapphire Tiara
- King George VI gave this tiara as a wedding gift to his daughter Elizabeth in 1947. It was created so it matched the jewels that Elizabeth already owned and that are said to date back to 1850.
The Delhi Durbar Tiara
- When King George V and Queen Mary were to be crowned Emperor and Empress of India, the Queen needed something dazzling to wear. So, Garrard created this tiara after dismantling the Boucheron Loop Tiara.
The Queen Mary Fringe Tiara
- Queen Mary was gifted a tiara by her mother Victoria in 1893, but she decided to dismantle it in 1919 in order to make this tiara. She asked the famous jewelers E. Wolff and Co. for Garrard to complete the task.
The Meander Tiara
- Princess Andrew, born Princess Alice of Battenberg, married Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark in 1903. It is said that she was gifted this tiara which features a very characteristic Greek design pattern.
The Gloucester Honeysuckle Tiara
- This beautiful tiara was commissioned by Mary a little while after she became Queen. Originally, the tiara had a taller central element that Queen Mary later had shortened.
The Brazilian Aquamarine Parure Tiara
- This piece was commission by Elizabeth II and it started from a set of earrings and a necklace. Both pieces were a coronation gift to her in 1953 from Brazil.
The Burmese Ruby Tiara
- Like many other tiaras before, this one was created with the dismantled jewels of an older tiara. Elizabeth II had an old wedding gift of hers repurposed into this ruby and diamond tiara we are looking at right now.
The Kent Diamond and Pearl Fringe Tiara
- Queen Mary of the United Kingdom was the original owner of this tiara, which was later inherited by her daughter-in-law, Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent. Marina’s daughter, Princess Alexandra, has worn it very often.
The George IV State Diadem Crown
- Unlike any of the other tiaras, this one was created for a King. More specifically, George IV ordered the crown in 1820, so he could wear it to his coronation.
Would you ever wear a tiara if given the opportunity? Do you think that tiaras are still in fashion or should they be ditched?
Bright Side/People/15 Astonishing Royal Tiaras We Wish We Could Hold, Even if Only for a Second
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