Here Are All The Tiaras Meghan Markle Could Choose From For Her Wedding
From Princess Margaret and Princess Anne to Princess Diana and Duchess Kate, tiaras are a wedding-day staple for British royal brides of the 20th and 21st century.
The Queen famously wed Prince Philip in her grandmother Queen Mary’s fringed sparkler, a ‘something borrowed’ from her mom the Queen Mother, while the Duchess of Cambridge also borrowed her topper — the Cartier Halo — from the Queen when she walked down the aisle. And though they’ve been making their own rules as a royal couple, this dazzling tradition may be one that Meghan Markle is keen to follow when she weds Prince Harry on May 19.
Ella Kay, writer and editor of the Court Jeweller, says Markle may opt for something entirely new. "I have a feeling that if she wears a tiara, it may be a new piece created for her rather than a royal loan," she told Hello!. "That would follow the examples set by other brides of younger royal sons, such as Sophie Rhys-Jones [who]."
But if she does choose to go the 'something borrowed' route, Markle will have plenty of tiaras to choose from. "I'd like to see her pull something unusual out of the vaults, like the Queen Mother's Art Deco Bandeau from Cartier, which consists of a trio of gem-set bracelets on a frame," says Ella. "That piece would fit nicely with her modern, unfussy style."
Click through to see some of the royal bride-to-be’s best options.
Meghan Markle bridal tiara options
Cartier Halo Tiara
More than two-billion people watched Kate Middleton marry Prince William on April 29, 2011 in a custom Alexander McQueen gown and the Queen Mother’s Cartier Halo tiara, a love token from her husband King George VI. It features 739 brilliant-cut diamonds and 149 baguette-cut diamonds.
Queen Mary’s Fringe Tiara
On Queen Elizabeth II’s wedding day on Nov. 20, 1947, she was all set to slip on her grandmother Queen Mary’s heirloom from 1919, but as it was being secured to the future monarch’s head the frame snapped. Luckily, a quick trip to the workshop of royal jeweller Garrard and some emergency welding meant the bride could wear the dazzling piece after all. Her daughter Princess Anne also wore the fringe, a popular style that converts to a necklace, on her big day.
Strathmore Rose Tiara
In a longstanding tradition, the 14th Earl of Strathmore gave this floral confection to his daughter, Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, when she wed the Duke of York (later King George VI) in 1923. The wild roses represent love in all its forms, and two frames allowed the tiara to be worn atop the head or, in true ‘20s style, across the forehead.
Cambridge Lover’s Knot Tiara
A wedding gift from the Queen to Princess Diana in 1981, this Garrard beauty features 19 open-work diamond arches enclosing an oriental pearl drop, and is surrounded by single diamonds and upright oval pearl spikes. Kate has worn the piece on two occasions, both while attending diplomatic receptions.
The Spencer Tiara
Wearing this exquisite diadem on her big day would be the perfect way for Meghan to pay homage to the woman Harry says Meghan would have been “best friends” with – his mother, Princess Diana. A firm favourite of Diana’s, and the piece that kept her cathedral-length veil in place on her wedding day to Prince Charles, it features an ornate pattern of diamond stylized tulips, star-shaped flowers and scrolling foliage with a heart at its centre. William and Harry inherited the piece and it hasn’t been worn since their mothers’ death.
Papyrus/Lotus Flower Tiara
Alternately known as the Lotus Flower or Papyrus tiara because of its fan motifs and Egyptian styling, this started out as a necklace; it was a wedding gift to Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon from her husband, Albert, Duke of York – the future George VI. Royal jeweller Garrard was then tasked with dismantling it and using the gems to make a tiara with diamond arches studded with pearls. The Queen Mother gifted it to Princess Charlotte in the 1950s and Kate wore the dazzling headpiece in 2013.
Kokoshnik Tiara
Made from 61 platinum bars and encrusted with 488 diamonds, this dramatic topper is based on a halo-shaped headdress known as a kokoshnik, worn by Russian women. The tiara was given to the Princess of Wales, later Queen Alexandra, on her silver wedding anniversary in 1888 by the aristocratic Ladies of Society, who raised the funds required to commission the headpiece. (Alexandra had expressed a desire for a tiara like the one owned by her sister Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia.) The Queen wore the piece to a state banquet in Germany in 1992.
Vladimir Tiara
Another of the Queen’s favourite pieces, this tiara once belonged to grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia, aunt of King George V’s cousin Tsar Nicholas II, who was killed in the Russian Revolution. Maria hid the piece in Vladimir Palace before fleeing in 1918. It was smuggled out of Russia and eventually sold to the king’s wife Queen Mary, Elizabeth II’s grandmother. It features 15 intertwined diamond circles inlaid with claw-set pearls, but was adapted so that emeralds could be substituted. The Queen has also been known to wear the piece, which she inherited in 1953, with no dangling stones.
Cartier Bracelet Bandeau
This tiara may not have graced a head in nearly a century, but its timeless Art Deco design would make it a great, understated fit for Meghan’s big day. In the 1920s, the Duke of York (future King George VI) bought his new wife the Duchess of York (the future Queen Mother) a set of bracelets from Cartier, each featuring different gems – two diamond, one ruby, one emerald and one sapphire. The frame holds any trio of the set for a dazzling deco effect. The Queen now owns the collection, having worn them as bracelets over the years – including the two diamond bracelets shown here on a trip to Tuvalu in 1982.
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