Today, the Princess of Wales celebrates her 41st birthday. In her honor, today’s article is dedicated to each and every tiara appearance we’ve seen her make since joining the royal family in 2011. Which tiaras are you hoping to see her wear next?
April 29, 2011: The princess’s very first tiara appearance took place in the hours when she was still Catherine “Kate” Middleton, arriving at Westminster Abbey for her wedding to the Duke of Cambridge. She chose an heirloom linked to the Queen Mother for her bridal diadem: the Cartier Halo Tiara. So far, this is the only time we’ve seen Kate wear this particular tiara in public. In fact, no one else has worn it since the 2011 royal wedding, though it has been displayed in exhibitions.
December 3, 2013: The new Duchess of Cambridge made her second tiara appearance as she attended the annual diplomatic reception at Buckingham Palace. She wore another jewel from the Queen Mother’s collection for the event: the Lotus Flower Tiara, which was later also worn by Princess Margaret and Serena, Countess of Snowden. Kate paired the tiara with delicate diamond chandelier earrings, also on loan from the Queen.
October 20, 2015: Kate’s third tiara appearance took place at the state banquet held at Buckingham Palace in honor of President Xi Jinping of China. She reached for the Lotus Flower Tiara and the Queen’s Diamond Chandelier Earrings again, pairing them this time with bracelets belonging to Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth II.
December 8, 2015: The Duchess of Cambridge pulled out a big tiara surprise for her second diplomatic reception, wearing Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara for the first time. (Many thought that, because the tiara was so strongly associated with Diana, it might not be worn for several more years.) Kate also wore the Queen’s Diamond Chandelier Earrings again for this tiara appearance.
December 8, 2016: Kate reached for the Lover’s Knot Tiara again for the diplomatic reception, but this time she wore it with different accompanying jewels: the Queen’s Diamond Frame Earrings and the Edinburgh Wedding Bracelet.
July 12, 2017: For a state banquet at Buckingham Palace in honor of King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain, Catherine wore the Lover’s Knot Tiara with a jewel connected to the late Queen Mother, the Greville Ruby Necklace, and Diana’s Collingwood Pearl Drop Earrings.
December 5, 2017: For her seventh tiara appearance, at the diplomatic reception in 2017, the Duchess of Cambridge again reached for the Lover’s Knot Tiara and the Collingwood Pearl Drop Earrings. This time she also borrowed one of the Queen’s diamond rivière necklaces for the occasion. We weren’t able to see it in the limited photographs available from the event, but Kate also wore the Queen’s Royal Family Order for the first time at this reception.
October 23, 2018: For her third state banquet at Buckingham Palace as a member of the family, this time in honor of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, Catherine wore the Lover’s Knot Tiara and the Collingwood Pearl Drop Earrings with a new-to-her royal heirloom: Queen Alexandra’s Wedding Necklace. A diamond bracelet on her right wrist finished the jewelry look.
December 4, 2018: Kate reached for the Lover’s Knot Tiara yet again for the diplomatic reception in 2018. She also wore Princess Diana’s Collingwood Pearl Drop Earrings and Queen Mary’s Diamond Choker Bracelet.
June 3, 2019: For the American state banquet at Buckingham Palace in the spring of 2019, the Duchess of Cambridge paired the Lover’s Knot Tiara with her own Oak Leaf Brooch and the Queen Mother’s Sapphire and Diamond Fringe Earrings. She also wore the four-stranded pearl bracelet that makes up part of the Queen’s Japanese Pearl Suite. Additionally, the event was the first time that Kate wore the insignia of the Royal Victorian Order for a gala occasion.
December 11, 2019: For her final tiara appearance as Duchess of Cambridge, at the diplomatic reception in 2019, Kate wore the Lover’s Knot Tiara with two jewels also loaned by the Queen: the Nizam of Hyderabad Necklace and the earrings from the Queen’s Pear-Shaped Diamond Demi-Parure. A diamond cocktail ring was also visible on her right hand.
November 22, 2022: After a three-year hiatus, tiaras returned to Buckingham Palace for a state banquet in honor of President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa in November. Now Princess of Wales, Kate wore the Lover’s Knot Tiara with Princess Diana’s Horseshoe and Laurel Earrings. She also wore her new (vintage) Diamond Art Deco Brooch, plus the bracelet from the Japanese Pearl Suite.
December 6, 2022: For her thirteenth appearance, Kate wore the Lotus Flower Tiara for December’s diplomatic reception. It was her first time wearing the tiara in public since October 2015. This time around, she paired it with her Diamond Art Deco Brooch and Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Frame Earrings.
June 1, 2023: Kate sparkled in her first tiara appearance of the year at the royal wedding banquet for Crown Prince Hussein and Princess Rajwa of Jordan. She wore the Lover’s Knot Tiara, paired with her Diamond Art Deco Brooch and (worn for the first time) the Greville Chandelier Earrings.
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