Kate Middleton is no stranger to a sparkling tiara moment, having regularly stunned in her favourite diamond headpieces from the royal collection – when the occasion requires it.
Kate’s tiara of choice is the beautiful Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara, which was made famous by her late mother-in-law the Princess of Wales and is crafted with beautiful diamonds and drop pearls.
But it seems that she must be particularly careful when wearing the heirloom piece since one fine jewellery expert has revealed the reason why many tiaras often end up in poor condition.
Bobby Leigh Pemberton, partner at antique fine jewellery dealers Humphrey Butler Jewellery, said that one of the worst things that can come into contact with a tiara is hairspray – which is of course used in healthy amounts when setting a formal hairstyle.
“Wedding hairdressers seem to work on commission for Elnett and I have yet to be presented with a tiara for sale from a private source that hasn’t been coated in the stuff,” he says.
“Once to the extent that I became convinced it was paste, rather than diamond, and had – rather embarrassingly – to backtrack once it had been set about with a toothbrush and some warm washing up liquid. I always advise – spray before the tiara goes on.”
No doubt Kate’s hairdresser is very well-versed in how to protect the royal family’s precious jewels from the hairspray can – and those diamonds look pretty perfect to us.
He adds that most tiaras are held on the head with a piece of elastic, which also needs to be taken care of. “It’s always worth having the perishable parts replaced,” he says, referencing the headpieces that can be hidden away in a vault for generations. “Elastic that has sat in a damp safe for a generation since the piece’s last outing is probably not to be trusted, and it is very easy to replace the coloured silk that often covers a headband to match one’s hair colour.”
The Princess’ wedding headpiece, the Cartier Halo Tiara, was last worn in the 1970s by Princess Anne before it was chosen by Kate for her 2011 royal wedding day – so no doubt it was given a new lease of life to ensure it stayed place.
Bobby also said that demand for tiaras is actually on the rise nowadays, particularly in Asian markets. “We are seeing a huge boom in foreign demand, particularly from Asia, where the vast majority of tiaras and head ornaments sold in Europe have been finding their way,” he says.
Other than the Lover’s Knot Tiara and the Cartier Halo Tiara, Kate has only ever worn one more royal headpiece – the Lotus Flower Tiara, which was once owned by the Queen Mother.
Kate most recently chose to wear it for the Diplomatic reception in December 2022, teamed with a stunning red Jenny Packham gown and a particularly voluminous hairstyle (sprayed in place before the application of the tiara, no doubt).
Scroll down to see some more of our favourite royal tiara moments below…
Royal Ladies Wearing Sparkling Royal Tiaras
