Back in 2011, there were rumours that Kate Middleton had never planned to wear a tiara on her wedding day. The royal-to-be supposedly had her heart set on wearing a delicate flower crown, a whimsical, boho-style that wouldn’t look out of place at a quintessentially English wedding. Alas, this was no ordinary wedding, this was a royal one and the bride in question was the future Queen of England so plans were quickly abandoned and royal protocol took over.
Whether that’s true or not, we know one thing is for sure - the dazzling tiara she chose to wear on 29 April 2011 has become one of the most iconic royal wedding tiaras in history. Known as the Cartier Halo tiara, it’s made up of 739-brilliant cut diamond and 149 baguette diamonds, and was lent to Kate by the Queen.
Tradition dictates that tiaras should only be worn by brides on their wedding day or by married women. This is because of a tiara’s roots in classical antiquity - it was seen as the emblem of the loss of innocence to the crowning of love.
The tiara, part of the Queen’s collection, has held a firm place in royal history and Kate was not the first royal to wear it. It was often considered a good ‘beginner’ tiara of sorts, perfect for a younger family member, with a smaller-than-average size that wouldn’t induce headaches.
The couple announced their engagement after 10 years of dating on the 16 November 2010. Tatler looks back to where it all began
The Cartier Halo tiara’s beginnings go back to 1936 when George VI commissioned Cartier to create something spectacular with the diamonds and platinum he had purchased for his wife three weeks before he became King George VI and she became Queen Elizabeth (the future Queen Mother).
Elizabeth was only pictured wearing it shortly after she received it and before she became Queen Consort - after that she chose to wear larger, grander pieces instead as her jewellery collection grew.
The tiara then landed into the hands of her eldest daughter, Princess Elizabeth (now The Queen), who was gifted the diamond headpiece as an 18th-birthday present in 1944. The Queen has never worn the Cartier Halo tiara publicly. Experts say this is probably due to the fact she received the tiara at a time when Britain was at war when it wouldn't have been appropriate to wear such a piece. After her marriage to Prince Philip in 1947, much like her mother, the Queen had access to other tiaras - and this one never quite made the cut.
The Queen, however, was happy to lend her tiara out. Princess Margaret, Her Majesty’s sister, was the first to borrow the Cartier Halo tiara and it quickly became one of her go-tos when she was young. The tiara was also lent to Princess Anne who last wore the piece in public in the 1970s.
It wasn’t until April 2011 that the Cartier Halo tiara made a reappearance, its crowning glory revealed once again as Kate Middleton stepped out at Westminster Abbey, moments before taking her vows that would see her join the most famous monarchy in the world.
The tiara was considered an apt choice for the bride thanks to its early beginnings, one that echoes the same trajectory that Kate herself is making - given to a non-royal who became a Duchess and later Queen. A transition that The Queen Mother made successfully - and one we know Kate will succeed at.
We don’t know when we’ll next see the Cartier Halo tiara, but we’re certain it will be another major moment in royal history.
