The Princess of Wales dazzled as she made her debut in Queen Victoria's Oriental Circlet tiara at the German state banquet on Wednesday night, but the sparkling headpiece, which was designed by Prince Albert in 1853, has a strict rule surrounding who gets to wear it.
According to the Court Jeweller, Queen Victoria stipulated in her will that only future Queens and Queens Consorts would be permitted to wear the tiara, and the next wearer was her daughter-in-law, Queen Alexandra.
The Queen Consort, who was married to Queen Victoria's eldest son, Edward VII, altered the jewels, replacing the original opals with rubies, as she believed opals to be bad luck. The tiara's next wearer was Queen Mary of Teck, the wife of King George V, although there are no images of Alexandra or Mary wearing the headpiece.
The Oriental Circlet tiara was frequently wore by Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother during her husband King George VI's reign, including their visit to Ottawa in 1939. She continued to wear the headpiece throughout her widowhood after her husband's death in 1952.
After the Queen Mother died in 2002, her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II, inherited most of her mother's jewels. However, she only wore the Oriental Circlet tiara on one occasion to the Malta state banquet in 2005.
Princess Kate's tiara moments
Since marrying Prince William in April 2011, Kate has only worn five tiaras from the royal vaults. She made her debut in the Cartier Halo tiara on her wedding day. The diamond headpiece dates back to 1936 and was a wedding gift from King George VI to the Queen Mother.
It was another two years before Kate wore her second tiara – the Lotus Flower – at the Diplomatic reception in 2013. The floral-inspired headpiece was made from a necklace given as a wedding gift to the Queen Mother.
Kate's third tiara is one that has become her most worn. The Lover's Knot tiara was synonymous with her late mother-in-law, Diana, Princess of Wales, who was gifted the tiara as a wedding present from Queen Elizabeth II in 1981. The diamond and pearl tiara was commissioned by Queen Mary from Garrard in 1913, having been inspired by the original Cambridge Lover's Knot tiara, worn by Princess Augusta.
The Princess of Wales wore her fourth tiara from the royal jewellery vaults at the South Korea state banquet in 2023 – the Strathmore Rose tiara. The floral headpiece originally belonged to the Queen Mother, who was given it as a wedding gift from her father, the Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne in 1923.
While it was among the jewels left to her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II, it hadn't been seen on another member of the royal family since the 1920s.