Kate Middleton wore the delicate Cartier Halo tiara for her April wedding – flawlessly paired with that iconic Alexander McQueen gown.
However, the dazzling tiara was not in fact Kate’s first choice for the big day, which was 12 years ago this weekend. And she almost didn’t wear a formal headpiece at all.
It is understood that The Princess of Wales had hoped to wear a flower crown, as her mother Carole Middleton had done on her own wedding day, according to The Mirror.
But Kate, observing tradition, eventually agreed to the 739-diamond and 149 baguette-diamond tiara.
Kate Middleton wore the stunning Cartier Halo tiara on her wedding day in April 2011 – but it has been reported that her first choice had been a simple crown of flowers
Prince William smiles at his bride during the Westminster Abbey ceremony
Prince William and Kate Middleton share a public kiss on the balcony of Buckingham Palace
Lent to to the bride by the late Queen Elizabeth, this turned out to be her ‘something borrowed’ on the day itself, April 29.
Although Kate chose not to wear a flower crown, she still paid tribute to her family with her Robinson Pelham earrings – a gift from her parents – which featured a diamond acorn, intended to represent the Middleton family’s coat of arms.
The four young bridesmaids, including William’s cousin Lady Louise Windsor and Queen Camilla’s granddaughter Eliza Lopes, wore white flower crowns Lily Of The Valley and ivy.
These were believed to mirror the headpiece worn by Carole at her wedding in 1980.
Made by Cartier in 1936, the Halo tiara had been bought by King George VI, King Charles’s grandfather.
Still then the Duke of York, George VI (Bertie to use his family name) had bought it for his wife on their anniversary.
The then Duchess of York would become Queen and then Queen Mother, of course, before her death in 2002.
She, in turn, made a gift of the platinum tiara to her daughter Princess Elizabeth, by on her 18th birthday in 1944.
While the young Elizabeth was never seen with the tiara in public, her younger sister, Princess Margaret, was frequently pictured wearing it.
The Halo tiara was a gift from the Duke of York (later George VI) to his wife, Elizabeth
Princess Margaret often wore the tiara, including at this event circa 1970
Princess Anne, too, wore her mother’s tiara, including on this visit to New Zealand in 1970
Margaret made her first appearance in the Halo tiara during the inauguration celebrations for Queen Juliana of the Netherlands in September 1948.
She also wore it on for her sister’s coronation in June 1953.
The next member of the royal family to borrow the tiara was the Queen’s daughter, Princess Anne, who wore it for the State Opening of Parliament in October 1967.
The Halo tiara eventually went into the royal vault where it was kept for years before Kate wore it for her wedding in 2011.
Since then, the tiara has been exhibited around the world, including at a Royal Wedding Exhibition at Buckingham Palace in 2012.
Royal tradition dictates that tiaras are only to be worn by brides on their wedding day or by married women.
It has been expected that brides-to-be will choose a headpiece from their family collection on their wedding day, and afterwards will from the collections of their husband’s family.
Priceless: The tiara is paved with 739 brilliant-cut diamonds and 149 baguette-cut diamonds
The late Queen Elizabeth lent the Halo tiara to Kate for her wedding to William
In December 2018, Kate (left) dazzled in the Cambridge lover’s knot tiara, which was frequently worn by Diana (right)
The Princess of Wales has been spotted in three different tiaras publicly: the stunning Cartier Halo, the Lotus Flower, and the Lover’s Knot, which was a favourite of Kate’s late mother-in-law, Princess Diana.
It is said that the now Princess of Wales had struck up a friendship with Angela Kelly, who oversaw the late Queen’s jewellery collection.
‘Generally, Kate is allowed to borrow whatever she fancies,’ a palace source told Grazia.
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