British Royals appeared at their splendid best at the state banquet hosted at Buckingham Palace on 22 November 2023, honouring South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and First Lady Kim Keon Hee. Among all senior members and dignitaries, it was Kate Middleton who stole the show with her tiara.
The Princess of Wales donned the Strathmore Rose tiara and paid tribute to the heritage of the Royal Family. This ethereal diamond headpiece, belonging to the jewels of the Queen Mother, is now the fourth jewelled headband the princess has debuted during her royal life.
The Strathmore Rose Tiara has a long Royal history
Wearing the diamond floral headgear is like carrying a piece of British history. This is further accentuated by the fact that it hasn’t been worn in public since the 1930s.
The stunning piece of jewellery was a wedding gift for the Queen Mother when she married Prince Albert (later King George VI) in 1923. Before her wedding, she was Lady Elizabeth Bowes Lyon, daughter of the Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne. This gives the tiara its name. Since then, it has remained behind closed doors and Kate Middleton, reportedly, is the second person to wear it.
Speaking to PEOPLE, Lauren Kiehna, founder of the blog The Court Jeweller, described the specifics of the Royal tiara. Its two frames allow the tiara to be worn both on the head and across the forehead as a bandeau. While the Queen Mother used to flaunt it in both styles, the Princess of Wales took the traditional route for the banquet.
A special nod to King Charles III and Kate Middleton’s style
According to Kiehna, “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. The piece is an antique that wasn’t fashionable for many decades, but many jewels once considered fussy or unstylish have now been embraced again.”
King Charles III shared a special bond with his grandmother, who passed away in 2002. The Princess is also known to imbibe the essence of the Queen Mother in carrying out her Royal duties, and wearing her precious jewels on important occasions comes naturally to her. This Strathmore Rose tiara moment comes only weeks after King Charles called her “my beloved daughter-in-law” at a state dinner in Kenya.
At the state banquet in Buckingham Palace, Kate Middleton wore a white Jenny Packham dress with gold embellishments and earrings from Queen Elizabeth’s collections. Her formal attire was complete with her honours — the Royal Family Order and her Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order sash and star. She joined the King, Queen Camilla, Prince William and other members of the Royal Family.
Other tiaras worn by Kate Middleton
Kate Middleton has previously adorned three tiaras as part of her Royal appearances. The first one was the Cartier Halo tiara on her wedding day in April 2011. She then debuted the Lotus Flower tiara in 2013 and wore it again in 2015 and 2022.
Like her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana, the Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot tiara seems to be the current Princess of Wales’ go-to favourite, marking her third tiara choice. The gorgeous headpiece features elegant lover’s knots and hanging pearls and has been worn almost 11 times, states PEOPLE.
(Main and feature Image credit: The Royal Family/ Instagram)
This article was first published in PrestigeOnline Malaysia.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
-How many tiaras does Kate Middleton have?
While Kate Middleton has an array of Royal jewellery pieces at her disposal, the Princess of Wales has worn four different tiaras on various occasions.
-Did the Queen give Kate a tiara?
According to Harper’s Bazaar, Kate Middleton has three tiaras on loan from Queen Elizabeth — the Cartier Halo, the Cambridge Lover’s Knot, and the Lotus Flower.
-Did Kate wear the same tiara as Diana?
Both Kate Middleton and Princess Diana have worn the Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot tiara and the Cartier Halo tiara, among others.
-Who owns the Lotus Flower tiara?
The Lotus Flower tiara belongs to the British monarch and is loaned to Kate Middleton.
