The Real Reason Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle Didn't Wear Princess Diana's Spencer Tiara at Their Weddings (2024)

Back in 1981, Princess Diana's wedding dress inspired an entire generation of bridal gowns, but it was nearly impossible to steal the spotlight from her Spencer Tiara, the shimmering headpiece that acted as the perfect finishing touch to her history-making outfit. However, some royal fans have been wondering why Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle, who married Diana's sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, opted not to wear the same tiara. According to Lauren Kiehna ofThe Court Jeweller, it's because the Spencer Tiara is not an official part of the royal collection.

"It was never a royal tiara, which is why royal brides like the Princess of Wales and the duch*ess of Sussex didn’t wear it for their weddings,” KiehnatoldMarie Claire.

That doesn't mean that the tiara doesn't have its own storied history, however. While Kate wore Queen Elizabeth II's Cartier Halo Tiara and Meghan chose Queen Mary's Bandeau Tiara, other members of Diana's family have had the chance to wear the Spencer Tiara as recently as 2018, when Diana's niece Celia McCorquodale incorporated it into her wedding outfit. Lady Kitty Spencer and Lady Amelia Spencer, also Diana's nieces, chose not to wear the tiara on their wedding days.

“The tiara has been in royal circles for decades because it was also worn by Diana’s grandmother when she was a lady-in-waiting tothe QueenMother,” Kiehna added. She went on to say that “Diana and her sisters all wore it for their weddings, and so far, that family bridal tradition has also been carried on by one member of the next generation of Spencer women. Diana’s niece, Celia McCorquodale, wore the tiara on her wedding day in 2018.”

Auction house Sotheby’sdescribes the Spencer Tiara as “designed in the garland style as a central heart flanked by continuous running scrolls, interspersed with star- and trumpet-shaped flowers." It was gifted to Lady Cynthia Hamilton in 1919 for her marriage to Albert, Viscount Althorp, by Lady Sarah Spencer. Sotheby's adds that "it was subsequently worn by all three of his daughters at their wedding: Lady Jane in 1978; Lady Sarah in 1980; and finally Lady Diana the following year, in 1981."

Since it's not a part of the crown jewels, the Spencer Family still has the Spencer Tiara and Kiehna notes that every time Diana wore it, it was on loan from her family.

While she was Princess of Wales, Diana often borrowed the tiara from her father and her brother [Charles Spencer, the 9th Earl Spencer], who still owns it now," Kiehna explained. "Eventually, it will be passed along with the rest of the family estate to Earl Spencer’s son, Viscount Althorp.”