It’s not often that the Duchess of Cambridge wears a tiara, but Kate outdid herself at Buckingham Palace’s annual Diplomatic Reception by choosing a very special piece from the royal family’s collection.
Arriving at the exclusive event on the arm of husband Prince William, Kate looked as elegant as ever in an icy blue gown with her brunette locks swept back in a chic up-do.
However, the crowning jewel of the look was her stunning diamond and pearl Lover’s Knot tiara, which she wore as a tribute to her late mother-in-law.
Princess Diana wearing the tiara in 1985.
Queen Elizabeth II presented the dazzling piece to Diana as a wedding gift in 1981, and Diana wore it for the first time in November of that year at the state opening of parliament. It would go on to feature in many of her outfits from the 1980s through to the early ’90s, and Diana even wore it during her 1983 tour of New Zealand with Charles.
The tiara was originally commissioned by Queen Mary in 1914, using her own personal design based on a tiara owned by her grandmother, Princess Augusta of Hesse.
The glittering headpiece features a series of swinging pearls hanging from 19 diamond arches, each capped by a diamond-studded lover’s knot bow.
William and Kate arriving at the reception. Photo: Getty
Since its creation in 1914, the Lover’s Knot tiara has been passed down among the generations of the royal family. Queen Mary left it to Queen Elizabeth II in her will, and Kate is the first to wear it since Diana’s tragic death in 1997.
This is only the third time Kate has been seen in a tiara. She wore the Cartier tiara in 2011 for her wedding to William and the glittering Lotus Flower tiara twice, once at the Diplomatic Reception in 2013 and once earlier this year at a state banquet welcoming the Chinese president.
