Princess Claire’s Wedding Tiara

The specific provenance of this all-diamond tiara doesn’t seem to have been made public knowledge. While we don’t know whether the tiara was newly-made or an antique piece, we do know that it was a wedding gift to the British-born Claire from her new parents-in-law, King Albert and Queen Paola. Others have noted a resemblance to the small “vifte” tiara from the Norwegian royal collection, which dates to the 1890s.

Claire wore the tiara at her wedding in 2003. While the tiara is a small piece, it coordinated perfectly with Claire’s wedding ensemble — the tiara’s design echoes the dainty lacework of Claire’s wedding dress and her veil. (Trivia: Claire’s gorgeous wedding look was apparently the inspiration for the royal wedding gown in the film The Princess Diaries 2.)

After her own wedding, one of Claire’s most high-profile appearances in the tiara happened at the 2004 wedding of Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark.

At the Danish royal wedding—and at many other white-tie events—Claire wore the tiara with her diamond and pearl wedding earrings.

During the early years of her marriage, this was the sole tiara in Claire’s collection. The fact that it’s an all-diamond piece was an asset, because it coordinates well with lots of different ensembles. Its small size, however, does mean that it requires very specific styling, or it can get lost in Claire’s hair. Above, Claire wears the tiara during a 2005 state visit from Portugal.

And here, she wears it during the 2006 Dutch state visit to Belgium. Now that Claire’s brother-in-law, King Philippe, is on the throne, she’s been spotted at far fewer diplomatic gala events, and she has also gained a second tiara to wear at international family celebrations like royal weddings. But surely we’ll see this lacy, delicate tiara again—at the very least, I’d expect Laurent and Claire’s daughter, Princess Louise, to consider it for her own wedding celebrations one day in the future.