The Spencer Tiara for Meghan Markle?

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Last week, several people on Twitter asked me to weigh in on a big royal jewel rumor: will Meghan Markle wear the Spencer Tiara on her wedding day?

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The rumor seems to have started with royal writer Ingrid Seward, who told Us Weekly that Meghan might wear “the Spencer tiara, which is also Harry’s heritage and is the one Diana wore on her wedding day.” Diana did wear the tiara, which she borrowed from her father, on her wedding day in 1981. Diana’s sisters, Jane and Sarah, also wore the tiara as a bridal diadem; so did her brother Charles’s first wife, Victoria Lockwood. Today, the tiara belongs to Charles, who is now the 9th Earl Spencer. (You can read all about the history of the tiara here!)

So, could Meghan wear the Spencer Tiara at her royal wedding in May? I’ve seen some people stating that it’s impossible for her to wear it, because only women who are born into the Spencer family can wear the tiara. That’s not true at all. Earl Spencer can lend the tiara to anyone he wishes, including Meghan. (Beware of anyone who claims that there are super rigid rules about who absolutely can and cannot wear a tiara.)

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Even so, I think it’s extremely unlikely that Meghan will wear the Spencer Tiara on her wedding day. Meghan’s marrying into the Windsor family, and if she wears an heirloom tiara, I expect it will be one borrowed from the Queen’s collection, to underscore her new role as a member of the British royal family. I think there are three equally likely scenarios: a) Meghan wears a tiara borrowed from the Queen, b) Meghan wears a new tiara bought just for her, or c) Meghan chooses not to wear a tiara at all.

The Spencer Tiara would look lovely on Meghan, but I really, really doubt that we’ll see her wear it at her royal wedding.