Lady Diana's tiara. Tiara Meghan Markle: the story of the royal diamond tiara

It is this diadem that most resembles Cambridge Lover's Knot: 19 arches, pearl drops also hang like pendants, the same number of pearls are located in the "arches".A distinctive feature of this tiara is the perfect symmetry - symmetrically placed on either side of the middle line of the tiara,pearl droplets are similar in shape and size.Pearls from the centerto both ends of the tiaragradually decreases in size.

Girls of a noble family, according to tradition, adorn their heads with family tiaras on their wedding day. But it just so happened that the second generation of British princes choose commoner girls, so that, over the past 40 years, only Diana Spencer has married in a family decoration. And for the rest of the brides, the tiaras were provided by the family of the grooms. Most often, in such cases, they were made to order and presented as a wedding gift. But on special occasions, the Queen would lend or even donate tiaras from her personal treasury. This was the case with Kate Middleton, who was given the famous "Halo" for use. And many believed that for her beloved grandson, Prince Harry, Elizabeth II would again make an exception.

Many royal experts bid on tiaras from the royal hoards. It was reasonable to assume that Harry and Megan would consider it irrational to spend on buying the jewelry that Megan would need, at most, once a year (after all, even the Duchess of Cambridge appeared in a tiara only 5 times in 7 years of marriage!), And they would rent a tiara from their beloved the prince's grandmother. But what?

On May 19, 2018, we received an answer to this question. And it came as a surprise to most royal experts, not to mention fans. We talked about the tiara that was eventually chosen separately: Meghan Markle's wedding tiara. And below we recall which tiaras were the favorites of bookmakers and experts, and which would simply be good on the newly-made Duchess of Sussex.

Now former candidates for the role of Meghan's wedding tiara:

After studying the history of the magnificent tiaras from the Windsors collection, we estimated the chances of each of them being on Meghan's head on May 19, 2018. For the purity of the experiment, we completely excluded tiaras with gems, since in the British royal family, girls traditionally marry in diamonds. But there are the most diamond tiaras in the royal collection of Elizabeth II.

Spencer family tiara

Probability of being Meghan's wedding tiara: Zero

On the eve of the wedding of Megan and Harry, many publications actively speculated on the idea that it was in this tiara that Miss Markle would go down the aisle. If so, it would be a major sensation royal wedding, because this decoration ... has nothing to do with the Windsors. Made in the form of multiple diamond plexuses in the form of tulips and stars, the tiara was and remains a heirloom of the Spencer family and has been passed down from generation to generation from one Earl Spencer to another since 1927. And its central element was made from a brooch that appeared in the family even earlier - in 1919 it was bought by Diana's grandmother, Cynthia, then the bride of Viscount Eltrop (the future 7th Earl Spencer) as a wedding gift.

The fact that the Spencer tiara did not appear at the wedding of Kate and William speaks for itself. There was no reason to think that Prince Harry would want to reopen old wounds - the relationship between the Windsors and the Spencers still teetered on the brink of peace and war after the death of Diana. The brother of the deceased, Charles Spencer, of course, was invited to the wedding, but rather out of courtesy. As well as it was at the wedding of Prince William - then the Spencer family was planted on the other side of the royal family, behind the Middletons. Now Charles Spencer himself has three marriageable daughters: Lady Kitty, Lady Eliza and Lady Amelia, so that the family decoration will appear more than once in gossip columns in the coming years.

In a word, the version with the Spencer tiara looks unlikely. But there are interesting examples in the royal family, and it is quite possible that one of them will go down in history on May 19th. We look at what options there are for Megan.

"Strathmore Roses"

Probability of being Meghan's wedding tiara: High

This piece of jewelry can rightfully be given the informal title of "the forgotten tiara of the Windsor family." It was last shown to the general public in 2002 at an exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum, the same year that its owner, the Queen Mother, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, passed away.

A gold diamond tiara in the form of five intertwined roses was presented to the mother of Elizabeth II as a wedding gift from her father, the Earl of Strathmore in 1923. As we remember, initially Lady Elizabeth was not going to become queen: her fiancé Albert was just a reserve heir. And yet, the girl's parents decided that the future Duchess of York needed a tiara that would not be inferior to royal samples in beauty and grace. The choice of the Earl of Strathmore fell on a product from Catchpole and Williams - and, despite the fact that it was bought in the 20s, the tiara was made back in the 19th century. The decoration consisted entirely of diamonds, however, if desired, the hearts of the flowers could be replaced with sapphires.

As a young girl, the Roses of Strathmore were Elizabeth's favorite tiara. As a rule, she wore it in the manner of a diadem - according to the latest fashion of the 20s (along the forehead). And only a few times - like an ordinary tiara. After some time, the Strathmore Roses simply disappeared. In later years, the Queen Mother wore other, more massive tiaras, which constantly gave rise to rumors that the jewelry was either lost or taken apart for brooches or pendants.

In 2002, these rumors were dispelled, and yet the Strathmore Roses were never seen on any royal head. In 2011, many observers expected to see this girlishly elegant tiara at the wedding of Kate Middleton, but in vain. We did not see her on May 19 either. Such a possibility existed, but one could immediately understand that, despite all the splendor, the design of the Strathmore Roses remained too old-fashioned, which would have been a real disaster for Meghan's secular image.

"Knots of Love"

Another piece of jewelry that was once strongly associated with Princess Diana, and now can often be seen woven into the Duchess of Cambridge's hair. This decoration was made by Garrard jewelers by order of Queen Mary back in 1913. Made from white gold and lavishly encrusted with diamonds, the tiara is adorned with large pear-shaped pearls that dangle from heart-shaped knots (hence the name). The design of the jewelry was not original: Her Majesty intended to repeat the tiara of her grandmother Augusta, the Duchess of Cambridge, so in its original form it was decorated with another row of pearls on top. The top stones were later removed.

"Knots" have secured the glory of a tiara designed specifically for young princesses. After the death of Mary of Teck, it passed to her granddaughter Elizabeth, who wore it quite often in the early years of her reign, but soon abandoned it in favor of other options.

This decoration found a new life only thirty years later, when a chapter called "Princess Diana" was opened in the Windsor family. "Knots" became one of the most recognizable details of her image, although, as they say, the princess herself was terribly annoyed by the sound of swinging beads. It is generally accepted that the tiara was Elizabeth's wedding gift to Diana, but today historians agree that it was only given to Lady Dee for life use. However, now it does not matter, because after the divorce from Charles, Diana politely gave her mother-in-law a gift back.

Today, "Knots" are part of the collection of Elizabeth and are occasionally lent to the Duchess of Cambridge, in which she appeared at receptions three times (in total, we saw Kate in tiaras five times, not counting the wedding), which gave reason to think that this jewelry is her favorite. The possibility that this particular tiara would shine on Meghan Markle's head at her wedding could not be ruled out, because formally it does not belong to the Duchess. But, we think, Megan herself did not want to give the public another reason to compare herself with Kate.

"Lotus flower"

Graceful, tender and solemn at the same time, we admit, the “Lotus Flower” (or as it is also called the “Papyrus Leaf”) is one of our favorites, which could well fit into Meghan’s modest by the standards of the royal family celebration. The main element of this tiara is like sparkling diamonds levitating in the air, a kind of heritage from the Art Nouveau era. Which, however, is not surprising: initially, the decoration belonged to the Queen Mother, then the Duchess of York, who even wore it in the manner of a bandeau. Later, Elizabeth gave the tiara for life to her youngest daughter Margaret, thanks to whom this decoration became famous.

Elizabeth's sister, as we remember, adored fashion and had a natural sense of style. Her Highness wore the "Lotus Flower" often and, so to speak, glamorous: with high hairstyles, designer dresses And the best jewelry from the royal collection. This tiara remained with her all her life, and in 1992 she lent it to her daughter-in-law Serena Sianhope for her wedding.

After Margaret's death in 2002, the "Flower" disappeared from all radar - only to shine again on the head of the Duchess of Cambridge in 2013 and 2015. The latter hasn't worn the tiara in three years, so Meghan could very well ask for it for herself and, following Margaret's example, make it part of her own royal style. But it did not, as we already understood.

"Halo"

Probability of becoming Meghan's wedding tiara: Medium

One of the most unpretentious (but no less valuable!) royal tiaras, the “Halo”, made by Cartier in 1936, could well adorn the head of the bride of Prince Harry, if in 2011 she was lent to Kate Middleton for her marriage with Prince William. Of course, Meghan Markle least of all now needs a comparison with her famous daughter-in-law, but if she nevertheless decides to challenge secular and fashionable reporters, then she will definitely no longer have to worry about her image. In a platinum tiara, a little, a lot, and as many as 888 diamonds of various cuts shine, which, thanks to a cunning arrangement, perfectly reflect light and form a halo of light around the head (hence the name of the jewelry - “Halo”).

As you might guess, this decoration also originally belonged to the Queen Mother: Prince Albert gave it to his beloved three months before he became king. "Halo" became a witness to many important events in the Windsor family: first, she was a gift for the 18th birthday of Princess Lilibet (who, however, never wore it), then she crowned Princess Margaret's head on the day of her sister's coronation. Margaret, by the way, unlike Elizabeth, did not part with this tiara for a long time - until she received the Lotus Flower for herself. Then "Halo" had to briefly go to the royal treasury - until about the beginning of the 70s, until Princess Anna liked her.

Tiara from the Girls of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Probability of becoming Meghan's wedding tiara: Low

Perhaps, if there is a truly iconic tiara in the collection of Elizabeth, then it is, of course, the Tiara from the Girls of Great Britain and Northern Ireland or "Grandma's Tiara", as the Queen herself likes to call her. This is one of Her Majesty's most beloved attire - it is in it that she posed for her famous portraits, it is it that is depicted on royal stamps and it is she who wears it at most state-level events.

This decoration appeared in the British royal family in 1893 and was presented as a wedding gift to the grandmother of Elizabeth Mary of Teck. Guess from whom? That's right: from those very girls of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, more precisely, from their committee, headed by Lady Eva Grenville. The committee was able to collect about £5,000, with which they came to Garrard's house. They say that Mary liked the girls' gift so much that she immediately wrote to Lady Eva that she "would appreciate it more than anyone else." And she didn't lie.

The tiara really became one of Maria's favorites. First of all, due to the fact that it could be transformed as your heart desires: into a classic tiara, and into a small crown, and into a necklace. An additional function was a removable lower tier, which could be worn as a separate diadem. Later, Maria completely got rid of the lower part, and also removed the upper pearls from the tiara (they went to the Cambridge Love Knots), replacing them with diamonds.

Little Princess Lilibet especially loved this tiara of her grandmother, and in 1947 Maria gave it to her granddaughter for her wedding - however, she kept the same lower tier for herself. Her Majesty only discovered the missing piece after her grandmother's death in 1953, suggesting: "She must have thought that a 21-year-old child did not need such a large tiara. Plus, I've never worn them. high hairstyles like hers." In 1969, Her Majesty returned the lower tier to its rightful place.

Since then, Elizabeth has tried to walk a gift at almost every event. Last but not least, this tiara is relatively light, and, as some insiders said, the queen can put it on with one hand. Could Megan have it? Albeit vague, but such a possibility existed, given that Prince Harry has long been confidently on the top of her favorite grandchildren, and Her Majesty's sentimentality only grows stronger with age.

Mary of Teck Frange Tiara

Possibility of becoming Megan's wedding tiara: why not?

Her Majesty could very well lend Meghan another iconic decoration of the House of Windsor - the Mary of Teck fringe tiara, in which - attention - Elizabeth herself married Prince Philip. One cannot even dream of a better succession.

A fringe tiara, or fringe tiara, is a special type of jewelry that can transform into a necklace and which, alas, not everyone likes (for example, one politician, when he first saw this jewelry on Elizabeth Bowes Lyon, publicly called her “ugly studded tiara"). And yet, this did not stop her from being chosen as wedding decoration neither Princess Elizabeth in 1947 nor her daughter Anne in 1973.

Bandeau Tiara Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon

Probability of being Meghan's wedding tiara: High

This sample, without exaggeration, was our absolute favorite, because it reflects everything that Ms. Markle appreciates so much in fashion: sophistication, originality and, most importantly, minimalism. We are willing to bet that you have not seen this tiara yet, and if you have seen it, it is only in the form of scattered bracelets with diamonds and pavé-cut gems. But all of them are part of a large set that can be combined into a great bando.

As you can imagine, the exquisite piece originally belonged to Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. Five bracelets (two diamonds, one emerald, one ruby ​​and one sapphire) appeared in the box of the then Duchess of York in 1923, and two years later her husband, Prince Albert, presented her with a special frame in which one, two or three decorations at the same time. Since then, Elizabeth has repeatedly worn a bandeau at official events, but when the fashion for art nouveau passed, the frame was forever hidden inside the royal treasury. But bracelets actively continued to adorn the wrists of the most famous women of the Windsor family - from Elizabeth II to Princess Diana. So, who knows - maybe it's time to collect the famous set again? If not for a wedding, then for some special occasion?

Teck Rose and Crescent Tiara

Probability of becoming Meghan's wedding tiara: Average

Another rare guest at royal receptions, the Teck Rose and Crescent Tiara could very well be the very decoration for Meghan the bride. As we remember, the bride of Prince Harry loves original pieces of jewelry - and this tiara was last seen on the head of (can you imagine) young Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. The jewelry itself, one of the oldest in the royal collection, belonged to the mother of Mary of Teck. Decorated with three wild roses and twelve crescents, this tiara is now in use by the Duchess of Cornwall, but we never saw Camilla wearing it. Well, maybe it's time for Prince Charles's wife to give this masterpiece jewelry art the one who will not hide him from the world?

Author - Galyshenka. This is a quote from this post.

Divas in crowns. Elizabeth II (part 3)

“First Lady of Europe” - Who would doubt that only she, Her Majesty Elizabeth II, can claim such an honorary title.
So, what the English queen likes to wear in an informal setting (handkerchiefs), we saw what she wears on officialdom (hats), we also know. Now the most important thing for the queen is the solemn part, and this, of course, is the crown, as a symbol of royal power. Moreover, the crown is not in the singular - there are several of them, but there are also tiaras and diadems.

The crown is a majestic symbol of the supreme secular (earthly) and spiritual (divine) power, a sign of power, dignity, chosenness, glory and victory.
The “father” of the crown was a wreath placed on the head of the winners of ancient sports, victorious generals, distinguished Roman legionnaires, or marking the main participants in religious and wedding ceremonies, and the “mother” was a richly decorated headband- diadem.
In the Middle Ages, not only kings, but also representatives of the landowning nobility had the right to the crown. So, the English viscount wore a crown with 12 pearls; count - with pearls and strawberry leaves; duke - with broad leaves, but without pearls. The duke of royal blood had gold crosses interspersed with lilies on the rim of the crown.

Crown of the British Empire
The Crown of the British Empire refers to the so-called Crown Jewels, royal regalia, jewelry, belonging not personally to the British monarch, but to the state.
The crown bears: 2868 diamonds, 273 pearls, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds and 5 rubies. Precious stones of historical significance are inserted into the crown.
In the upper cross of the crown is set a sapphire, known as the sapphire of St. Edward; the ruby ​​of the Black Prince is inserted into the front cross; below the ruby ​​on the pediment is a Cullinan-II diamond (Small Star of Africa), a Stuart sapphire is inserted into the rear part of the rim of the crown.
At the coronation ceremony, Elizabeth's head was crowned with the great crown of the British Empire.

Strictly speaking, there are two official crowns - the Crown of Elizabeth II and the Queen Mother (which can be seen when looking at the photo).

Vladimir tiara

The Vladimir tiara is easy to recognize by two types of pendants: original pearl (in the form of drops) and emerald.
Emerald pendants were already made at the behest of the first British owner – Maria of Teck believed that pearls did not suit all her outfits and instructed the jewelers from Garrard & Co to polish her 15 Cambridge emeralds in the form of a drop – this is how the second set of pendants appeared.

The tiara of Grand Duchess Vladimir (Vladimirskaya) belongs to the personal jewelry collection of Queen Elizabeth II. She inherited it from her grandmother Queen Mary after her death in 1953. It got its name from Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna, wife of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich, third son of Tsar Alexander II and brother of Tsar Alexander III.


Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna in the palace, in a ceremonial court dress trimmed with Russian sables. On the head of the princess is the Vladimir tiara.

Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna commissioned jewelers working at the Russian court to design and manufacture this exquisite tiara in 1890.
At the end of the 19th century Russian jewelers preferred to include combinations of diamonds and pearls in their jewelry such as necklaces, earrings, tiaras and tiaras. It was in vogue at the time. Grand Duchess Vladimir Tiara was conceived and executed in the tradition of the late 19th century and is a combination of
diamonds and pearls.
After the Bolshevik revolution of 1917 in Russia and the upheavals associated with it, Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna the Elder fled with her family to the Caucasus, where she remained until 1920, in the hope of an improvement in the situation, and, nevertheless, fled to Venice on an Italian ship on February 13 1920
During her flight, the Grand Duchess left her famous jewelry collection, including the Vladimir Tiara, hidden in a safe in the Vladimir Palace in St. Petersburg. Subsequently, members of the British Secret Intelligence Service, who were friends of Vladimir's family, helped them retrieve the jewels from the safe and then smuggle them out of Russia via the diplomatic pouch (it's a very entertaining, disguise-adventure story when an English spy infiltrated the palace disguised as a simple hard workers and took out the jewelry almost in a bucket, why a film was not made about this - it is not clear.)
Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna the Elder died shortly after she settled in the south of France, in August 1920. Her tiara (Vladimir Tiara) was purchased by Queen Mary in 1921 from Princess Elena Vladimirovna, wife of Nicholas of Greece

Tiara "Russian kokoshnik"

Elizabeth II in the diadem of Queen Alexandra "Kokoshnik", which was presented to her in 1888 by Empress Maria Feodorovna. The wedding crown of Empress Alexandra is majestic and elegant, at wedding ceremonies it was traditionally worn along with a precious kokoshnik. Several ancient diamonds of decoration date back to the era of Catherine the Great. Empress Alexandra herself took part in the work on the creation of jewelry.

The young Empress Alexandra Feodorovna wearing a tiare russe and her favorite pearl necklaces, made by the court jeweler Bolin, which the Empress Dowager presented to her daughter-in-law. Also pinned to the dress is a pearl and diamond brooch-bow and a star of the Order of St. Catherine.

Makovsky Vladimir Egorovich Portrait of Empress Maria Feodorovna 1912
State Russian Museum. (still the same diadem - kokoshnik)

Tiara of George III

This fringe-like diamond tiara was once a necklace and was made to order around 1830 from stones held in the collection of George III. It looks like the diadem "Russian kokoshnik", but it was in it, and not in the "Russian kokoshnik" that Elizabeth was married, perhaps fearing a repetition of the sad fate of Alexandra Feodorovna.

Diamond diadem of George IV.

This is an exceptionally beautiful tiara, ornamented with the national emblems of England, Scotland and Ireland, and is probably the most familiar item in Her Majesty the Queen's jewelry collection.
It is known to us by stamps and coins. The diadem was made in 1820 for King George IV by Rundell, Bridge & Co. The tiara is made up of 1,333 diamonds, including a four-carat pale yellow diamond in the center of the front cross. It has been regularly worn by both queens and wives of kings since the queen
Adelaide. The order for its manufacture was transferred to the court jewelry company Rundell in 1820 and was made in May of this year. Perhaps the design of this diadem belongs to the chief artist-jeweler of this company, Philippe Liebart, who at the same time was developing the main state crown for George IV.

The tiara is made up of 1,333 diamonds, including a four-carat pale yellow diamond in the center of the front cross.
The diadem cost 8,216 pounds, of which 800 pounds is the money for renting stones. The diamond was to be returned to the firm after the coronation. At the coronation of Charlotte, this was the case, and even at the coronation of 1837, Victoria also rented stones. Then, perhaps, under Victoria, the stones of the jewelry company were exchanged for old diamonds from the collection of George IV.
Now this diadem is used by Queen Elizabeth II during trips and sometimes for the opening of parliament.

Tiara from the Girls of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

The intricate name "Tiara from the Girls of Great Britain and Northern Ireland" was named after the society of the same name, which presented it as a wedding gift to Queen Mary in 1893. This tiara can also be worn as a necklace.
In the original version, the spikes of the tiara were decorated with a row of pearls, but Maria decided to remove them (the original version can be seen in old photographs). In 1947, the Queen gave the tiara to her granddaughter Elizabeth, also for her wedding.

It is believed that Elizabeth II loves this tiara more than anyone else, and the people called her "Granny's Tiara" (Granny's tiara).

Brazilian aquamarine tiara.

In 1953, in honor of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, the President of Brazil presented the young queen with a necklace of earrings, a set of aquamarines and diamonds set in platinum. In 1958, as an addition to the coronation gift, the President of Brazil presented Her Majesty with a brooch and bracelet to complete the set.