Princess Diana’s Breathtaking Wedding Tiara: The 5 People Who Wore It
Princess Diana‘s wedding look has remained an industry standard for years. Her billowing gown, long train, cascading floral bouquet, and sparkling tiara continue to inspire brides 44 years later. But while none of Diana’s wedding attire was ever worn again, her tiara continued to be used by others. Who are the four other people who have worn the stunning Spencer family heirloom on their wedding days?
Princess Diana married Prince Charles wearing the Spencer Family tiara
Princess Diana created a memorable moment when she emerged from the Glass Coach, one of the British monarch’s principal state carriages. She stepped onto the stairs at St. Paul’s Cathedral looking like the princess she would soon become on July 29, 1981, the day she married Prince Charles.
Diana wore a one-of-a-kind gown designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel. She had five fittings to ensure the custom ivory silk taffeta and lace gown fit perfectly. She also practiced walking with its 25-foot train.
The gown featured a multi-layered bottom and was hand-embroidered with more than 10,000 mother-of-pearl sequins and pearls. A coordinating tulle veil featured 153 yards of the fabric.
Holding the veil in place was the Spencer Family tiara. Diana was the third woman in her family to wear it, and its visibility created a trend for less-expensive, rhinestone copies shortly after the televised ceremony.
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.
All about the Spencer Family tiara
Per Sotheby’s website, the tiara was “designed in the garland style as a central heart flanked by continuous running scrolls, interspersed with star- and trumpet-shaped flowers. Set throughout with circular- and rose-cut, cushion- and pear-shaped diamonds, mounted in gold.”
The tiara was created by royal jeweler Garrard in the 1930s for Diana’s grandmother, Cynthia Spencer. It contains diamonds from generations of Spencer family women. Diana’s father John, the 8th Earl Spencer, inherited the tiara sometime in the 1970s.
The tiara held Diana’s voluminous veil in place. She reportedly had a headache from wearing the heavy, diamond-encrusted piece her brother Charles, said in an interview as reported by The Telegraph.
Why didn’t Kate Middleton or Meghan Markle wear Diana’s family tiara?
Neither Kate Middleton nor Meghan Markle wore Princess Diana’s family tiara for their weddings to Prince William and Prince Harry respectively. That’s because the tiara is a Spencer family heirloom and not part of the British royal collection.
If Diana’s aristocratic family did not have a tiara, Diana would likely have chosen to wear one from the royal family‘s collection. This is the reason why Kate and Meghan chose stunning headpieces from Queen Elizabeth’s vault.
Kate wore the Cartier Halo Tiara to marry Prince William in 2010. Meghan opted for Queen Mary’s Diamond Bandeau Tiara in 2018.
Princess Diana’s brother, the 9th Earl Spencer, is currently the keeper of the family heirloom, part of the Spencer estate.
