Images: This is glamourous
The royal wedding is tomorrow. And while every female over age 3 is waiting to see Kate's dress, I am waiting to see her tiara. Any girl can have the dress. Only a princess gets the tiara!
Kate Middleton, the extraordinarily lucky commoner of a girl has had her fun playing dress-up these past months as the soon-to-be-princess and one day Queen of England. Can you imagine the fun she must have had perusing the royal collection of tiara's and jewels to see which one would match her Cinderella glass slippers to perfection?! Let's window shop the possibilities...
The Spencer Tiara
The Spencer Tiara was famously worn by Princess Diana as her something borrowed when she wed Prince Charles in 1981. A family heirloom from the 18th century, it is a composite of several elements that have been added to over the years. It was a wedding present to the Viscountess Cynthia Althorpe in 1919 and Victoria Lockwood wore it when she wed the 9th Earl of Spencer in 1989.
The Cambridge Lovers Knot Tiara
The Cambridge Lovers Knot Tiara was made for Queen Mary in 1911 from diamonds and pearls she held in her personal collection. It is a copy of a tiara owned by her grandmother, the Princess Augusta of Hesse. Queen Mary left the tiara to her granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. Queen Elizabeth II wore the tiara on occasion herself in the 1950's and presented it to Princess Diana as a wedding present in 1981. Although Princess Diana did not wear it on her wedding day, she debuted it that November at the opening of Parliament. Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall wore the tiara when she wed Prince Charles in 2005.
The Poltimore Tiara
The Poltimore Tiara was made by Garrard in the 1870's for Lady Florence Poltimore, the wife of the 2nd Baron Poltimore. Princess Margaret acquired and wore it when she wed Mr. Antony Armstrong-Jones, the Lord Snowdon. Children of the late princess, Visciount Linley and Lady Sarah Chatto sold the tiara at auction at Christie's to offset inheritance taxes in 2006.
The Nizam of Hyderabad Tiara
The Nizam of Hyderabad Tiara was made by Cartier for the Nizam of Hyderabad who gifted the tiara to Queen Elizabeth II as a wedding present in 1947. The tiara was dismantled in 1973 and the diamonds were used to create the Queen's Burmese Ruby Tiara with the three large roses still worn as brooches by the Queen.
The Grand Duchess Vladimir Tiara
The Grand Duchess Vladimir Tiara was inherited by the Queen from her grandmother, Queen Mary in 1953. It is named for the Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia, wife of the Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandovich, the 3rd son of Czar Alexander II, and brother of Czar Alexander III of Russia. Following the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917, the Grand Duchess escapted to Venice leaving her jewels behind and hidden in the Vladimir Palace in St. Petersburg. Britain's secret intelligence service recovered the jewels and the Duchess died soon thereafter in August 1920. The tiara was purchased by Queen Mary in 1921 from Princess Nicolas of Greece, the daughter of Duchess Maria Vladimir. Queen Mary modified the tiara to add emeralds.
The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara
The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara was a wedding present for Princess May of Teck (the future Queen Mary) from the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland. It was purchased from Garrard. Queen Mary gave the tiara to Queen Elizabeth II as a wedding present. The Queen has appeared wearing the tiara on many commonwealth currencies and in a portrait.
The George III Tiara
There is some speculation that Kate might wear the Queen Mother's George III Tiara (also known at the Russian Fringe Tiara) that was commissioned in 1830. Queen Elizabeth II wore it as her something borrowed when she wed Prince Philip in 1947. The Queen Mother loaned it to her granddaughter, Princess Anne when she wed Captain Mark Phillips in 1973.
I hope that rumour isn't true. The spikes are yikes.
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