“Kate has always signaled that she’d like to emulate the Queen Mother’s royal role, and wearing her jewels is an important symbol of that continuity,” Lauren Kiehna, founder of The Court Jeweller, has told PEOPLE. “It’s fitting that Kate—likely with some assistance from King Charles—would choose to wear the tiara exactly a hundred years after the Queen Mother originally received it. The piece is an antique that wasn’t fashionable for many decades, but many jewels once considered fussy or unstylish have now been embraced again.”
Prior to wearing the Queen Mother’s Strathmore Rose tiara, Her Royal Highness had rotated between other sparkling headpieces for banquets and receptions. Take a look at the four tiaras that the Princess of Wales has worn to date...
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The Princess made her tiara debut in 2011 at her royal wedding to Prince William wearing the Cartier Halo tiara. The tiara, which was made by Cartier in 1936, was lent to Catherine by Queen Elizabeth, who received it as a gift from her mother on her 18th birthday.
The second tiara that the Princess of Wales (pictured on December 6, 2022) ever wore was the Lotus Flower tiara in 2013. Catherine donned the sparkler for a diplomatic reception at Buckingham Palace.
Catherine (pictured on November 22, 2022) stepped out wearing the Lover’s Knot tiara for the first time in 2015. It has since become a go-to for the Princess of Wales. According to The Court Jeweller, Queen Elizabeth inherited the tiara, which was created in 1913, after Queen Mary’s death.
On November 21, 2023, the royal mom of three wore the Strathmore Rose tiara for the first time to a state banquet at Buckingham Palace. Per The Royal Watcher, the tiara had not been publicly worn in almost 90 years.