Will Princess Charlotte be Allowed to Wear Princess Diana’s Iconic Tiara on Her Wedding Day?
Royal watchers are already buzzing about Princess Charlotte’s future as a royal bride. Though the 9-year-old is still years away from her wedding, there’s already speculation she could one day wear her late grandmother Princess Diana’s iconic tiara. Will she be allowed to?
Princess Charlotte may be able to wear Princess Diana’s tiara
Princess Diana’s family currently has the Spencer family tiara in their possession. The diamond-encrusted stunner is a Spencer family heirloom.
Therefore, the tiara is an heirloom of the family of Princess Charlotte’s grandmother, not the royal family. Thus, it would be up to both families if they allowed Charlotte to wear the tiara on her wedding day.
Before Diana, her sister Lady Jane Spencer donned the diamond sparkler for her wedding in 1978. Lady Sarah Spencer wore it two years later.
The tiara was also worn by Earl Spencer’s wife, Victoria Lockwood, at their 1989 wedding. Princess Diana’s niece, Celia McCorquodale, was the last to wear it at her 2018 wedding.
Neither Kate Middleton, Charlotte’s mother, nor Meghan Markle wore the heirloom on their wedding days. The reason? It wasn’t a royal family jewelry piece, which both Kate and Meghan made part of their attire.
Prince William could have the final say if Charlotte wears his mother’s tiara
It appears that the only person who could make this type of allowance for his daughter to wear his mother’s wedding tiara would be Prince William or his father, King Charles. By the time Charlotte is old enough to marry, William could potentially be the United Kingdom’s monarch.
Typically, per tradition, royal family women only wear tiaras from the royal collection on the day of their wedding. However, William and Charles could break that rule.
But, as Charlotte’s wedding would likely draw peak interest from royal watchers, even ahead of her brothers Prince George and Prince Louis, William would likely wish for Charlotte to choose something from Queen Elizabeth’s collection as per royal custom.
There are at least 15 tiaras in the royal family collection. Some hail from Queen Elizabeth, while others have been passed down through generations of royal women, including Queen Victoria, Queen Adelaide, and Queen Mary.
Are royal tiaras only for wedding days?
Royal family tiaras are not only worn on wedding days. While tiaras are often associated with royal brides, they are also worn by women for formal state occasions, diplomatic receptions, and official banquets. Here’s when and where royal women wear tiaras.
Senior royal women wear tiaras to official state dinners, often hosted in honor of visiting foreign dignitaries. Tiaras can also be worn at important royal ceremonies like coronations.
Typically tiaras are reserved for more formal events and can only be worn by a married woman. That’s why you’ll never see a young woman wearing a tiara, even if she’s a princess, ahead of her wedding day.
Princess Charlotte did wear a glittering headband on the day of King Charles’ coronation. A silver floral headband designed by Jess Collett x Alexander McQueen featured intricate crystal and silver embroidery, giving it the appearance of being jewel-encrusted. However, it was not a tiara.
