After quite some time since Kate Middleton joined as the Duchess of Cambridge and Meghan Markle as the Duchess of Sussex, none of them has ever worn the Spencer Tiara-an iconic headpiece famously worn by their late mother-in-law, Princess Diana, during her wedding with Prince Charles. It is, therefore, unlikely that this particular tiara will be worn by Prince William and Prince Harry’s wives due to the sentimental significance and strong family ties it holds.
Both Kate and Meghan wore a tiara for the first time on their wedding day. Kate wore the Cartier Halo Tiara on her wedding in 2011, while Meghan chose Queen Mary Diamond Bandeau Tiara for her wedding in 2018. While Meghan has only been photographed once in a tiara, Kate regularly wore royal tiaras to formal occasions, her go-to being the Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara. But neither has ever worn the Spencer Tiara: most famously worn by Princess Diana on her wedding day back in 1981, and to other royal functions.
The Spencer Tiara has been in the family for nearly 100 years, and even Diana’s sisters Jane and Sarah wore it on their wedding days. Most recently, in 2018, it was spotted on Celia McCorquodale, Diana’s niece, on her big day. As Lauren Kiehna of The Court Jeweller reports, the reason this tiara wasn’t an option for Kate or Meghan is because it isn’t, technically speaking, a “royal tiara.” Instead, the two duchesses have borrowed headpieces from Queen Elizabeth’s collection.
As Kiehna elaborated, “While she was Princess of Wales, Diana often took the tiara out on loan from her father and her brother [Charles Spencer, the 9th Earl Spencer], who retains ownership of it to this day. It will pass, with the rest of the family estate, to Earl Spencer’s son, Viscount Althorp.”
Although it’s improbable that Kate or Meghan will ever don the Spencer Tiara, both duchesses have remained faithful to Princess Diana through her jewelry pieces: In 2010, Prince William gifted Kate Diana’s iconic sapphire and diamond engagement ring when he proposed, as a means of keeping his mother close. William said in their engagement interview, “It’s my mother’s engagement ring. So, I thought that was quite nice because obviously she’s not going to be around to share any of the fun and excitement of it all-this was my way of keeping her sort of close to it all.”
Similarly, Prince Harry designed Meghan’s engagement ring with three diamonds, including two stones from his mother’s collection.