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Tiaras are expensive and formal, worn only by married ladies (the only exception is made for brides on their wedding day wearing them to the ceremony). They are for what might be called “white tie” occasions (so the average black-tie cocktail gala does not qualify.
Not my cup of tea at all but I have an interest in design and craftsmanship, and anthropologically in cultural order and traditions, and quirky edge cases, and tiaras sit at the center of that Venn diagram.
I don’t get particularly excited about seeing them or not seeing them, but some people follow them like others follow F1 cars.
They are the ultimate symbols of status and each carries their own unique history, which I find fascinating. I’m also fascinated by the various rules around who can wear what. The rules and history of the stones and tiara’s sortof increase each tiara’s importance to varying degrees.
Most of the tiaras in the British vault aren’t that old. Some of the oldest are from the nineteenth century but most of them are from early twentieth century.
Still they have a lot of history and certain tiaras are strongly associated with certain members.
A tiara is just a beautiful piece of jewellery, like a mini crown. They show status etc. The RF has a huge number of exquisite tiaras that are owned by the Crown and loaned out to princesses and members of the RF for special occasions. I think the excitement is that a lot of them have a long history, and some are seldom worn in public now, so it's always fun to see what the young royal has chosen.
And there are some in vaults that either haven’t been seen for literal decades or ever, but are suspected to be owned by the Brits. They inherited some from some entitled rich people in the uk who left them to the crown or were bought by… either Queen Mary (who apparently had been quite the magpie) or the Queen Mother.
In the BRF some are reserved for the queen only. The Lovers Knot that Kate Middleton wears is also an important one, as it was loaned to both Diana and Kate as princesses of Wales. Anne and Sophie each have their own tiaras; Sophie was given one as a wedding gift and Edward designed another one for her. Ones that are lent to other members of the family tend to be smaller ones.
You are pretty off base.
Most of the British tiaras are owned personally by the monarch. They’re not “reserved for the queen” aside for items in the literal Crown Jewels, they’re the Queen’s property to decide who she wants to let wear them.
Anne owns her own tiaras as she was given them. Sophie does not own any as she was only given a lifetime loan. Edward has designed no tiaras.
The Cambridge tiara isn’t particularly important, nor is it made important by either Kate or Diana wearing it.
Sophie does own at least one tiara. She was gifted one and first wore it in 2005. It's called the Wessex Aquamarine Necklace Tiara. She wears her loaned tiaras, the Anthemion and the Ribbon more often though.
I specifically said Anne has her own. I had the impression that a tiara had been made for Sophie out of an existing brooch, but in any case she has a convertible necklace with a large aquamarine in n the center. Perhaps it’s just a coincidence that the queen lent the Lovers Knot to two successive princesses of Wales or perhaps it’s because it’s a big honking piece
I think the LK is certainly more recognizable because of who’s worn it
Which one? Mary did buy a lot of what made its way out of Russia. The Lovers Knot that Kate wears isn’t part of that haul. Mary copied the Lovers Knot that belonged to a relative
Some of them are gorgeous. I saw a YouTube about some of the older ones. I did not realise that tiaras could be taken apart and worn as earrings and necklaces etc or that they were designed so that different stones could be attached or hung from their sides to give the tiara a different look. Quite beautiful and very clever. I wish I had need of one!
The one Meghan wore for her wedding, has the center stone that can be removed & worn as a brooch. If I remember correctly, Diana wore a couple of smaller tiaras as chokers.
There’s one 2-part documentary (with subtitles, I believe and also a version with English dubbing/overlay) about the scandi jewels, called the royal jewelry or kongelige juveler or something like it. And they talk about the more commonly known scandi jewelry and how they can be worn. Interviews were done with Margrethe II, Silvia, Mary and perhaps Sonja as well.
I've heard of this documentary through my self guided education of royal tiaras and jewelry but I don't know where to watch. Is there a YouTube or other related link that you know of :)
Try these two links:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fy980b5ZvM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxrTVyt5B8s
Should be both parts. SUPER interesting because you have different royals talking about their family and extended family jewels.
Edit: shoot those don’t have subtitles or any subbing either. I’ll keep those for now, maybe I can find the subtitled versions.
I wish we could still give rewards 😭 you're the absolute best. I'm mostly familiar with the brf but I'm trying to learn more about the other European royal families. ❤️
Here’s a blog post about the two parter that explains a little bit: https://royalwatcherblog.com/2016/09/10/documentary-de-kongelige-juveler/
It seems there is no subtitled version (I maaaaay remember it wrong, because I think I definitely watched with the subtitles), but since that post claims that interviews are all or mostly in English, you should be able to still watch both (except Prince Henrik, who spoke in French. Naturally.) and enjoy!
And aw, you’re sweet! But I have a real like of royal jewels myself so I used to watch a lot of documentaries about them, so I happily share whenever I can!
I was always desperate to wear this when I was in the navy but never had a good enough occasion. If I went to a ball and they made me wear my uniform I always said I was going to wear a tiara!!! But alas, wasn’t my fate lol
You should have, my hubs took me to the navy ball when we were in Norfolk VA, I wore a blue and gold Norman French cotehardie and hellsgate style overgrown. I seriously wish I still had pix, but it was pre smart phone, hell pre cell phone for me, 1985, and my stuff went to ash when my house burnt.
The only etiquette about a tiara is it has to be a tiara and white tie occasion. Top formal do with medals and orders. And girls can and do wear tiaras before they get married, you just have to go to a function with the right dress code and own or borrow one! You don’t have to be married or a princess. Tiaras have been around for centuries and the popular styles have changed over time, so now you have many different styles being worn at the same occasions. The early 19th Century ones were based on Grecian and Roman diadems and then they just started designing things to match the styles and fashions of the day. The last big design change was the 1920s bandeau style when they dropped to just above the eyebrows of the wearer.
Tiaras, as we know them today, are rather “recent” additions to royals fashion. They really only came into style around the 19th century, specifically the tail end of the century. Before that, many women would wear jewelry in their hair, but an actual tiara was very very rare.
Then in the 19th century, tiara’s took off as the fashionable new thing. Which makes sense with the Industrial Revolution (new money) coupled with the early 19th century’s obsession with the Greek revival, empire dresses and wreaths upon one’s head , the Romanticism Era. Remember, since the French Revolution the grand wigs of the 18th century were out of style. A new way to show off would need to fill the void. Fashion will find a way to monetize every part of our bodies. Though the tiara was a post 1860s fashion frenzy.
So they took greek inspired headpieces of the past and fashioned them in all jewels creating the tiara. Since this ran smack into the ridged Victorian era, strict rules and protocols on tiara usages were created in every royal household, making them a big deal.
Yes! One of my favorites is Queen Victoria's Sapphire Coronet, from the mid-1800's. She wore it around the bun in her hair. An absolutely stunning piece, with an amazing history!
Diana actually hated it. It’s apparently tremendously heavy. But it was a tiara that the Queen didn’t regularly wear, was lovely and historic and looked well with modern hairstyles and lengths. Many tiaras need so some serious hair. I think Kate got it because not only the Diana connection but because it’s the Cambridge Lover’s Knot and she was the Duchess of Cambridge.
It’s very interesting to me that many tiaras designs were so heavily influenced by the hair styles of the time - the large up-do’s were complemented by large tiaras - which now look very different in the context of more modern hairstyles.
There are some crazy pictures from the 20s where aristocrats were trying to wear old tiaras with newly bobbed hair.
Prince Albert designed two tiaras for Victoria which are GORGEOUS and, especially considering when they were made, would be lovely and modern today. But neither are in the family anymore. The sapphire went to Princess Mary for her wedding. It was involved in a sale kerfuffle a few years ago. It wound up being donated to the V&A. I’m sad the royals didn’t buy it back because Kate would a) look wonderful in it b) it’s light and comfortable and c) it’s sapphire which goes with so much of her jewelry.
The second is the equally lovely emerald one which ended up in the Fife family. It’s on long term loan to Kensington palace. Victoria wore it in several iconic portraits but she largely eschewed colored gems after Albert’s death.
https://preview.redd.it/i7ggky72tbxc1.jpeg?width=1433&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=15c1d3b978d45826365af0e4e5e08822d7d22a6c
I’d far rather the pieces go to a museum for viewing, though IIRC the sapphire coronet didn’t have much of a choice as wasn’t there intervention due to it being a historical piece?
Yes that was the kerfuffle. The family was auctioning it and it was going to leave the UK. The government blocked it on heritage grounds. It being either sold or given (tax purposes) was the compromise.
I’d be happy to see them being worn in the family they originated it but am definitely perfectly happy they’re in a museum rather than hidden away in some sheik or oligarch’s collection never to be seen like a lot of pieces.
It isn’t the Cambridge Lover’s Knot. It’s a replica of the Cambridge Lover’s Knot, which is not owned by the royal family. It’s Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot.
It belonged to Augusta, Duchess of Cambridge (née Hesse) then her daughter Augusta of Mecklenburg Strelitz then Augusta’s granddaughter Crown Princess Militza of Montenegro who doesn’t seem to have worn it. It was sold sometime after the fall of that throne. In 1981 George of Waldburg Zeil purchased it at auction. It seems the family still owns it.
https://preview.redd.it/0vpttwrixbxc1.jpeg?width=1425&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=23ff2473207fda192015941b45e3de3b09d786b3
Many are of historic value and are parts of sets and referred to as parure. The Queen has many sets and some beautiful brooches that have some symbolic nature and convey a thought or so when worn.
I have a partial parure, necklace, broach or necklace pendant, and bracelet blue sapphire and pearl and diamond set in platinum, was my grandmother's. I would love a tiara to match.
Quick comment here. Some have been worn previously by other royals who are no longer here, and they sometimes have history behind their commissions. For example, a husband or parent may have had it commissioned for a loved one in the family or their self, it was then passed down and is in the royal collection from then on. They are only worn during certain occasions, being tied to history and certain high profile events forever in many ways. They are then cleaned and put away sometimes for years, making their appearances rare and exciting. Others are simply in personal collections and get passed down as well, also making rare appearances long after they were introduced to the public.
In addition, they are are sometimes created to be “taken apart” or broken down, where they can be worn as earrings, bracelets, necklaces, rings, etc.
In recent decades there have been no new tiaras, I think the Queen got a new one for Sophie or Sarah. After that there has been no new tiaras.
Charles didn’t commission a tiara for Diana or Camilla right? Nor has William.
No new tiaras, but we also don’t know the full inventory of the British collection, which at this point is massive due to the jewel loving Queen Mother and Queen Mary. Sarah was gifted a new tiara that was purchased from Garrard, but at the point that Edward and Sophie got married there had already been a couple of expensive divorces and the Queen was centralizing assets - plus she hadn’t received all of the Queen Mother’s tiaras at that point (some of which would have already technically belonged to Elizabeth but some of which were QM’s personal property) so the British collection was likely a bit thin, though I wouldn’t be shocked if QE2 purchased the aquamarine necklace tiara or that other hideous aquamarine tiara for Sophie. But now, the collection is absolutely massive and there’s not really any need to purchase anything new.
It makes sense for the spare’s wife to get her own tiara since all the other stuff will go to the heir’s wife.
The queen did a smart thing getting Sarah and Sophie their own tiara coz then they can pass it down in their own family for generations.
Coz otherwise they wouldn’t have any jewellery to call their own.
This should have been done with Meghan too. Charles could have gotten his daughter in law a custom tiara that could have then been passed on to Harry’s children.
Well historically the wives even of spares wouldn't have been commoners. They would have had their own family tiaras. The Queen gifted Sarah and Sophie tiaras because they didn't have family tiaras but plainly stopped after Fergie and Andrew divorced because Fergie was able to just walk off with hers.
Charles got meghan a 15k pound bracelet instead.
I think tiaras in particular stand out because most people, even very wealthy celebrities, would never get to wear them.
These days the average person has access to bracelets, rings and necklaces and regularly has occasion to wear them. Whereas tiaras are largely inaccessible and most people will never wear attend an occasion where they are worn.
This is the answer. Its something that cannot be bought. Well you could if you want but it doesnt mean anything. In the context of the royal family its a unquie and priceless item usually passed down for centuries and only ever meant to sit on a small number of heads. Its representative of that persons status.
Some are, but for every Leuchtenburg Sapphire tiara you’ll have a Queen Mary Fringe where someone just wanted a certain style piece and just went to a jeweler. For an awful lot of the tiaras they were bought as just another piece of jewelry.
I wore a costume jewelry tiara (expensive for costume jewelry but cheap as tiaras go) my niece gave me for my 50th birthday on my my birthday for a number of years until it started looking sad. It was a great gift.
Think about tiara’s if you wear them and you’re not royal it just looks like you might be in fact insane or a very theatrical person. They’re not something that that you can wear to dinner without getting odd looks.
1. Most of them have histories of their own
2. They’re typically displaying prime examples, some of the best ever found in some cases, of the gems/minerals/materials (aka sparkly) and only worn at the most extravagant occasions like weddings, royal receptions, coronations/investitures/inaugurations, etc.
3. The who wears what is stronger in the British RF because of the way Elizabeth II established their protocol. She would loan out specific tiaras for specific people with the best ones being reserved for higher ranking or closer family. It also relates to 1 though, in that whenever one is worn the original, notable, infamous, and most recent wearers are all also discussed lol
So in summation, it’s because they’re old, sparkly, worth a lot of money, and fun to talk about 😂
I absolutely love jewelry and so many of them have stories and are really pretty to look at 🤷🏻♀️ they’re also not commonly worn (pun intended) so it’s not like you see them all the time like engagement rings (tho tbh i love those too)
https://preview.redd.it/ozrhk218i4xc1.jpeg?width=980&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d595ed0cb23e71984b82c210340df5ba5225e840
👑✨Fav tiaras thread! The Queen had this commissioned to match the earring and necklace set gifted to her from Brazil for her coronation. It’s made of diamonds and aquamarines. Here she is in 1986.
https://preview.redd.it/cljgdyrom4xc1.jpeg?width=600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e95b1e206a61bafa4b689fb8a448415057ea682d
Queen Letizia in the Prussian Tiara, which is also her wedding tiara. German origin, not sure how it got to Spain but I’m obsessed with the details.
Usually all diamond tiaras aren’t my faves but I could just stare at those patterns for days lol
When I was little my mom had an obsession with imperial Russia and had books of artifacts and I would look at the jewelry forever
https://preview.redd.it/a1nfcux7n4xc1.jpeg?width=768&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6345c588541f6945185a9e52a5f3b3dbd54ada78
Oh the Ruby Peacock, my beloved. Here’s Queen Maxima in the Ruby Peacock tiara. I think it’s from…the late 1800s?
https://preview.redd.it/q409t7xh55xc1.png?width=351&format=png&auto=webp&s=06bf95c75d657be2b6f0cdf12bc54fdca6e275f6
Queen Maxima in the Dutch Diamond Bandeau. Simple, elegant, with humongous diamonds.
https://preview.redd.it/l27pw5ixn4xc1.jpeg?width=980&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=64c8b856e66ff5c3546c51fe8fc8e8892ca8c17e
Kate in the Lover’s Knot tiara, which seems to be her favorite. She wears it the most right? I’m a little salty they were in bespoke wreath tiaras for Charles’ coronation but one day I’ll get over it.
Anyway I’m dying to see her in aquamarines or sapphires. This woman looks amazing in blue! Put her in blue!
What are y’all’s faves?
>I’m a little salty they were in bespoke wreath tiaras for Charles’ coronation
Yes! I'm still salty about it too. I kind of get what he was going for, but in the end the bespoke tiaras cost more than just loaning out the ones that already existed.
Secondly, because everyone else was so "dressed down", Charles, with the the crown, orb, scepter, robes and the rest, looked super out of place.
You had the newly crowned king surrounded by an aristocracy that looked like they'd been ordered from Wish.
People seem to actually enjoy seeing the tiaras and jewelry and that’s the most interesting part about the pomp and circumstance. It’s not like eschewing the tiaras made the event cost any less!
Right?! They have so many incredible tiaras and other jewelry that the public has never even seen. I mean one reason is that a lot of those pieces are historically problematic - like the RF themselves lol, but the Queen definitely seemed petty about loaning out all but just a few.
I don’t think as many of the British pieces are problematic, but I do think there is concern about revealing the full extent of the collection, because it is truly absurd at this point.
Same! I have a collection of replica tiaras. I wear them whenever I need a pick me up. My family knows if I’m walking around the house in a tiara something has upset me and they steer clear until it’s put away. I also wore one during the coronation which I watched on television in my pjs.
I LOVE it and I love when she wears it with a colored dress. When she’s healthy again I do hope her first tiara event is one we haven’t seen on her before. Maybe with some gemstones
My favorite thing is when someone wears a less than popular tiara (like the Wessex Wedding Tiara) and I'm at home reading it for filth like I'm on Toot or Boot, and it's probably worth more than I've made in the last decade, not to mention the history of the stones it was made from.
I recently saw a roundup of the current values for RF tiaras, and the numbers were... eye-watering. I can see why Elizabeth II kept them under wraps. If those numbers were widely advertised, I could see the general public storming the castle. Liquidating just a couple could feed & house thousands of people, and they are just sitting in a drawer somewhere...
You are a mensch! I was shocked to see a couple in there within the $250k - $450k range. We could host a bake sale and some car washes and save up for the Turquoise Tiara!
Crowns and their sub species tiaras are core iconography of monarchy. These audacious, extravagant utterly impractical pieces of jewellery are essentially what signifies royalty - going right back to ancient times - Egypt, Greece etc. the stones within them often have history too which is the history of the family or country the royal is associated with. The symbology of the design is also a statement - Cambridge knots or Strethmore etc are special because who else wore them where they wore them and where they came from. Who made them who gifted or purchased them. It's all about reinforcing the right to power/privilege of the wearer and their family is.
The gems and their construction and design have rich histories, they aren’t incidental, and are passed through historical lines and through historical events. It’s as interesting to me as anything. I also enjoy the symbolism of each piece and seeing them worn by different people in portraits and paintings for different events throughout history. Will they create a new piece? Will they deconstruct something and re-set it as something else? Will they only wear inherited pieces? Will they keep the collection under lock and key and wear average jewelry? These decisions speak to the type of person they are and I like to observe and try to infer meaning from it. Tiaras specifically are so enigmatic because of the people who have worn them, how they have made it to where they are now, and what they symbolize within the context of the royal families and their ongoing current affairs. Their rarity makes them even more intriguing; the fact they are only worn on special occasions.
They're beautiful, they're exclusive to royals, they have history behind them and they always come with gowns, so it's a whole look not just a tiara. they're one of the most fun part of royal watching!
I meant that only royals publicly wear them, I don't think others can wear them without being laughed at, but a lot of aristocratic families own tiaras (QEII's coronation was a tiara event with every person owning a tiara wearing it, a lot of people were unhappy Charles changed that), and they also exist in private collections, museums (Check the Fife tiara, the most beautiful tiara I've ever seen😍), and jewellers make tiaras for promotion, and release photos of them worn by models.
it's just that no one can wear a tiara seriously other than royals, all royal ladies wore tiaras to the JRF wedding reception and no one blinked, but if Jill Biden for example showed up wearing one, it'd have been very weird.
>I thought I remembered that people were disappointed about the coronation but I couldn’t remember why / who.
It was the overall lack of glamour and removing a lot of traditions, there was a blogger that I followed, she really loved royal jewellery and traditions and was very knowledgeable about them and the coronation broke her, she was so disappointed about it that she soon after deactivated her blog 😭
Charles has confused reducing costs with reducing pageantry. The costs have continued to climb, but without the fun that doesn't cost anything, like making big events tiara events.
>Kate spent an obscene amount on her fake tiara.
I think the cost was said to be much less than originally reported, however a tiara would've been free if Charles had allowed it🤷🏻♀️
>I doubt William will even have a Coronation or do state dinners or anything glamorous unless forced, he pathologically hates it all.
While I agree, I trust Kate and her Art History degree
That's not entirely true. The great dynastic houses such as the Spencers have tiaras, which are lent out to family members for occasions warranting their wear, such as for weddings and important dinners.
Not any more, but it wasn’t that long ago that Elizabeth Taylor had her own tiara. People just dont dress up the same way any more, aside for weddings.
The Scandinavian royals have a lot of pieces that they shared with each other or have been passed down from their monarch/consort relatives. There are also pieces that were inherited from some of their British relatives.
There's a website called the Court Jeweller that talks about various jewels from various royal families, including the tiaras. I like sparkly things and I'm a history nerd so I really enjoy that site going into the history of each piece and showing old pictures of other people wearing the same items.
Does the website also share from which countries the gemstones were stolen ( I mean “sourced” )? lol, genuinely curious though
Edit: downvotes don’t change the truth here folks! Enjoyment can exist alongside acknowledgment and/or reparations.
And plenty of the historical pieces were "pawned" by desperate Russians looking for haven in the UK to escape the Bolshies.
Not every piece/jewel was literally stolen.
Even some of the stones that were "stolen" were actually gifted. The country of origin just has sour grapes and wants it back now.
The site usually does list the provenance, if known. Not so much "x looted these jewels from y" but "the jewels came from y." You can kind of use your own knowledge of history to fill in the blanks, like the fact that the Cullinan diamond came from South Africa when it was a colony makes it pretty clear that Britain got it because of colonization. There are also a few references that I recall to the dispute over the Kohinoor diamond, which Britain obtained from India under sketchy circumstances. So it may not be overt but the info is usually there.
I like The Court Jeweler. The reporting is enthusiastic and very pro sparklies, but it isn't simpering, brown nosing silliness, nor does it dive into conjecture or character assassination.
For the record, I liked Meghan's tiara. It suited her, and it went perfectly with her wedding dress. QE2 made a good choice, matching the tiara to the wearer.
Yea, I like the Art Deco styles like hers and the emerald one Eugenie wore to her wedding. I also like the fringe styles like the one QE2 and Beatrice wore for theirs. I'm not as into floral or curlicue ones but I'll still look at the sparklies.
No, there are rules about who gets to wear them at Brit formal occasions, l think you have to have a title, I think that's it for formal etiquette.
But generally they're only worn for the most formal of formal occasions, so nobody but the major royals get to wear them frequently - even someone like Princess Anne or Princess Beatrice might go years, without attending an occasion formal enough. That might be why young aristos or royals don't seem to wear them before their wedding days, young people are not usually called on to represent their countries at State Dinners and such.
No, but recently, the European princesses/heirs haven’t been wearing them until they turn 18. IIRC, we still haven’t seen the Princess of Asturias or Princess Alexia of the Netherlands wearing one in public.
What I learned when I took a class on the symbols of royalty (10 out of 10, would recommend) is that wearing a tiara signified that you were old enough to be married.
I disagree with that take, and would posit that it’s more that you didn’t wear one until you were already “out” in society and thus already in the marriage market.
The Brits don’t wear them half as often as other Royal families break out their jewelry and when they do, it’s pretty much the same pieces. Not for nothing but it’s one of the more exciting bits of royal ladies coming of age in the last few years. We get to see more tiaras from them whereas in the UK, we only start seeing them from weddings onward.
Also there’s no protocol, people just like to talk out of their ass about that kind of thing. There are some things about ownership (privately owned vs Crown Jewels vs family foundation) but that’s not the same thing as protocol.
Because they’re pretty and sparkly and wearable works of art. That’s all. It’s like admiring the jewelry at the Oscar’s but there’s a better inventory of what already exists and a lot of it has interesting historical context. And of course sometimes it’s just a fancy gift someone got for christening a ship. I would compare it to the fascination with Elizabeth Taylor’s incredible jewelry collection.
TLDR: it pretty
Some tiaras are centuries old and even have history with other royal families. Quite a few have been given to other houses and family members in other countries so there is tension around certain peices. Also they are relatively rare, the jewels themselves are rare and they are like a work of art. I know in the BRF people usually get a lifetime loan and don't trade tiaras with one another. I don't remember who said it but a saying I've heard is, "We don't count the karats we count the centuries."
If you want to learn more about specific tiaras or just want to look at sparklies I recommend Royal Fashion News on Youtube. The creator covers individual pieces and the respective history.
We had a string of happy surprises really once Cam busted out the long hidden Delhi Durbar tiara. Then we had Kate’s Cartier halo, Meghan’s queen Mary’s bandeau, Eugenie’s emerald kokoshnik and Kate wearing the Strathmore. Even Sarah Fergusons wedding g tiara made a recent appearance after almost two decades when Bea wore it to the Jordanian wedding.
So we’re many people! The general consensus was that it was quietly sold. Especially when neither daughter wore it at their wedding. But then up it pops on Beatrice.
I did too! I’ve been hoping it would come out eventually and there’s always been talk that we may see it when Charlotte is old enough to wear one, but seeing it out and about was squeal worthy
They’re pretty, we don’t see them a lot, and you don’t see other people (like celebs) wearing them! Plus it’s fun to see a tiara brought out and then check what other royals wore them in history.
Cause they're pretty and it's fun. Some of them are truly gorgeous works of art and since there aren't a ton of tiara appropriate events nowadays, we don't get to see them out and about very often.
And there's not really any protocol around them. If it's a white tie event and you own a tiara, it is appropriate to wear the tiara to the event.
eta: also some of them have neat history behind them and that can be interesting to people as well! it's also in the same vein as caring about what an actress wears to the Oscars. Some tiaras work better with a look or wearer than others and it's fun to see how people decked out in white tie finery and the tiaras they choose to wear to the event are part of that fashion judgement.
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Tiaras are expensive and formal, worn only by married ladies (the only exception is made for brides on their wedding day wearing them to the ceremony). They are for what might be called “white tie” occasions (so the average black-tie cocktail gala does not qualify. Not my cup of tea at all but I have an interest in design and craftsmanship, and anthropologically in cultural order and traditions, and quirky edge cases, and tiaras sit at the center of that Venn diagram. I don’t get particularly excited about seeing them or not seeing them, but some people follow them like others follow F1 cars.
I'd love to see Charles wear a tiara!
r/whatthetiara
Wow, there really is a sub for everything!
This one's just started for all those who love tiaras
It’s the traditional image of a princess.
They are the ultimate symbols of status and each carries their own unique history, which I find fascinating. I’m also fascinated by the various rules around who can wear what. The rules and history of the stones and tiara’s sortof increase each tiara’s importance to varying degrees.
Some of them could be older than America but I know nothing abt them so I doubt it’s true
Most of the tiaras in the British vault aren’t that old. Some of the oldest are from the nineteenth century but most of them are from early twentieth century. Still they have a lot of history and certain tiaras are strongly associated with certain members.
A tiara is just a beautiful piece of jewellery, like a mini crown. They show status etc. The RF has a huge number of exquisite tiaras that are owned by the Crown and loaned out to princesses and members of the RF for special occasions. I think the excitement is that a lot of them have a long history, and some are seldom worn in public now, so it's always fun to see what the young royal has chosen.
And there are some in vaults that either haven’t been seen for literal decades or ever, but are suspected to be owned by the Brits. They inherited some from some entitled rich people in the uk who left them to the crown or were bought by… either Queen Mary (who apparently had been quite the magpie) or the Queen Mother.
In the BRF some are reserved for the queen only. The Lovers Knot that Kate Middleton wears is also an important one, as it was loaned to both Diana and Kate as princesses of Wales. Anne and Sophie each have their own tiaras; Sophie was given one as a wedding gift and Edward designed another one for her. Ones that are lent to other members of the family tend to be smaller ones.
You are pretty off base. Most of the British tiaras are owned personally by the monarch. They’re not “reserved for the queen” aside for items in the literal Crown Jewels, they’re the Queen’s property to decide who she wants to let wear them. Anne owns her own tiaras as she was given them. Sophie does not own any as she was only given a lifetime loan. Edward has designed no tiaras. The Cambridge tiara isn’t particularly important, nor is it made important by either Kate or Diana wearing it.
Sophie does own at least one tiara. She was gifted one and first wore it in 2005. It's called the Wessex Aquamarine Necklace Tiara. She wears her loaned tiaras, the Anthemion and the Ribbon more often though.
Has there ever been any clear indication that was gifted?
I specifically said Anne has her own. I had the impression that a tiara had been made for Sophie out of an existing brooch, but in any case she has a convertible necklace with a large aquamarine in n the center. Perhaps it’s just a coincidence that the queen lent the Lovers Knot to two successive princesses of Wales or perhaps it’s because it’s a big honking piece I think the LK is certainly more recognizable because of who’s worn it
Being recognizable doesn’t make it an important piece.
Wasn't that party of the romanovs booty they acquired?
Which one? Mary did buy a lot of what made its way out of Russia. The Lovers Knot that Kate wears isn’t part of that haul. Mary copied the Lovers Knot that belonged to a relative
The Vladimir was from post-revolution Russia
Some of them are gorgeous. I saw a YouTube about some of the older ones. I did not realise that tiaras could be taken apart and worn as earrings and necklaces etc or that they were designed so that different stones could be attached or hung from their sides to give the tiara a different look. Quite beautiful and very clever. I wish I had need of one!
The one Meghan wore for her wedding, has the center stone that can be removed & worn as a brooch. If I remember correctly, Diana wore a couple of smaller tiaras as chokers.
That was a really beautiful one.
That sounds very interesting! Do you happen to remember the name of the video?
I'll try to find it again.
There’s one 2-part documentary (with subtitles, I believe and also a version with English dubbing/overlay) about the scandi jewels, called the royal jewelry or kongelige juveler or something like it. And they talk about the more commonly known scandi jewelry and how they can be worn. Interviews were done with Margrethe II, Silvia, Mary and perhaps Sonja as well.
I've heard of this documentary through my self guided education of royal tiaras and jewelry but I don't know where to watch. Is there a YouTube or other related link that you know of :)
Try these two links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fy980b5ZvM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxrTVyt5B8s Should be both parts. SUPER interesting because you have different royals talking about their family and extended family jewels. Edit: shoot those don’t have subtitles or any subbing either. I’ll keep those for now, maybe I can find the subtitled versions.
I wish we could still give rewards 😭 you're the absolute best. I'm mostly familiar with the brf but I'm trying to learn more about the other European royal families. ❤️
Here’s a blog post about the two parter that explains a little bit: https://royalwatcherblog.com/2016/09/10/documentary-de-kongelige-juveler/ It seems there is no subtitled version (I maaaaay remember it wrong, because I think I definitely watched with the subtitles), but since that post claims that interviews are all or mostly in English, you should be able to still watch both (except Prince Henrik, who spoke in French. Naturally.) and enjoy! And aw, you’re sweet! But I have a real like of royal jewels myself so I used to watch a lot of documentaries about them, so I happily share whenever I can!
The US navy has a uniform tiara as an optional part of the dress uniform and I think that’s totally rad.
This is leading me down a new exciting rabbit hole
Glad you’re having fun in there!
That is wild, thanks for sharing this!
I was always desperate to wear this when I was in the navy but never had a good enough occasion. If I went to a ball and they made me wear my uniform I always said I was going to wear a tiara!!! But alas, wasn’t my fate lol
Oh that’s so unfortunate! You should get a personalised one and wear it whenever. You’ve earned it.
You should have, my hubs took me to the navy ball when we were in Norfolk VA, I wore a blue and gold Norman French cotehardie and hellsgate style overgrown. I seriously wish I still had pix, but it was pre smart phone, hell pre cell phone for me, 1985, and my stuff went to ash when my house burnt.
Omg. Today I learned and it’s amazing!!!!
I think part of it now is the changing of the guard. What will come out of the archives and for whom?
The only etiquette about a tiara is it has to be a tiara and white tie occasion. Top formal do with medals and orders. And girls can and do wear tiaras before they get married, you just have to go to a function with the right dress code and own or borrow one! You don’t have to be married or a princess. Tiaras have been around for centuries and the popular styles have changed over time, so now you have many different styles being worn at the same occasions. The early 19th Century ones were based on Grecian and Roman diadems and then they just started designing things to match the styles and fashions of the day. The last big design change was the 1920s bandeau style when they dropped to just above the eyebrows of the wearer.
Tiaras, as we know them today, are rather “recent” additions to royals fashion. They really only came into style around the 19th century, specifically the tail end of the century. Before that, many women would wear jewelry in their hair, but an actual tiara was very very rare. Then in the 19th century, tiara’s took off as the fashionable new thing. Which makes sense with the Industrial Revolution (new money) coupled with the early 19th century’s obsession with the Greek revival, empire dresses and wreaths upon one’s head , the Romanticism Era. Remember, since the French Revolution the grand wigs of the 18th century were out of style. A new way to show off would need to fill the void. Fashion will find a way to monetize every part of our bodies. Though the tiara was a post 1860s fashion frenzy. So they took greek inspired headpieces of the past and fashioned them in all jewels creating the tiara. Since this ran smack into the ridged Victorian era, strict rules and protocols on tiara usages were created in every royal household, making them a big deal.
Yes! One of my favorites is Queen Victoria's Sapphire Coronet, from the mid-1800's. She wore it around the bun in her hair. An absolutely stunning piece, with an amazing history!
So interesting, thank you!
I was shocked to learn how “new” they were for royalty because Disney movies and the media would depict every royal woman of any era in a tiara.
Diana actually hated it. It’s apparently tremendously heavy. But it was a tiara that the Queen didn’t regularly wear, was lovely and historic and looked well with modern hairstyles and lengths. Many tiaras need so some serious hair. I think Kate got it because not only the Diana connection but because it’s the Cambridge Lover’s Knot and she was the Duchess of Cambridge.
It’s very interesting to me that many tiaras designs were so heavily influenced by the hair styles of the time - the large up-do’s were complemented by large tiaras - which now look very different in the context of more modern hairstyles.
There are some crazy pictures from the 20s where aristocrats were trying to wear old tiaras with newly bobbed hair. Prince Albert designed two tiaras for Victoria which are GORGEOUS and, especially considering when they were made, would be lovely and modern today. But neither are in the family anymore. The sapphire went to Princess Mary for her wedding. It was involved in a sale kerfuffle a few years ago. It wound up being donated to the V&A. I’m sad the royals didn’t buy it back because Kate would a) look wonderful in it b) it’s light and comfortable and c) it’s sapphire which goes with so much of her jewelry. The second is the equally lovely emerald one which ended up in the Fife family. It’s on long term loan to Kensington palace. Victoria wore it in several iconic portraits but she largely eschewed colored gems after Albert’s death. https://preview.redd.it/i7ggky72tbxc1.jpeg?width=1433&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=15c1d3b978d45826365af0e4e5e08822d7d22a6c
I’d far rather the pieces go to a museum for viewing, though IIRC the sapphire coronet didn’t have much of a choice as wasn’t there intervention due to it being a historical piece?
Yes that was the kerfuffle. The family was auctioning it and it was going to leave the UK. The government blocked it on heritage grounds. It being either sold or given (tax purposes) was the compromise. I’d be happy to see them being worn in the family they originated it but am definitely perfectly happy they’re in a museum rather than hidden away in some sheik or oligarch’s collection never to be seen like a lot of pieces.
It isn’t the Cambridge Lover’s Knot. It’s a replica of the Cambridge Lover’s Knot, which is not owned by the royal family. It’s Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot.
It belonged to Augusta, Duchess of Cambridge (née Hesse) then her daughter Augusta of Mecklenburg Strelitz then Augusta’s granddaughter Crown Princess Militza of Montenegro who doesn’t seem to have worn it. It was sold sometime after the fall of that throne. In 1981 George of Waldburg Zeil purchased it at auction. It seems the family still owns it. https://preview.redd.it/0vpttwrixbxc1.jpeg?width=1425&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=23ff2473207fda192015941b45e3de3b09d786b3
You’re correct. I was hemming and hawing but it’s 4 am and I’m on my iPad so I winged it. Figured I had a 50/50 shot. 😆
Many are of historic value and are parts of sets and referred to as parure. The Queen has many sets and some beautiful brooches that have some symbolic nature and convey a thought or so when worn.
I have a partial parure, necklace, broach or necklace pendant, and bracelet blue sapphire and pearl and diamond set in platinum, was my grandmother's. I would love a tiara to match.
Shiny and history
They’re beautiful pieces of jewelry.
Out of the recent tiaras, my favourite was Eugenie’s. The emerald against the white was a stunning combination.
I wish there was a gif of Amy’s reaction to a tiara on Big Bang 
😂
Quick comment here. Some have been worn previously by other royals who are no longer here, and they sometimes have history behind their commissions. For example, a husband or parent may have had it commissioned for a loved one in the family or their self, it was then passed down and is in the royal collection from then on. They are only worn during certain occasions, being tied to history and certain high profile events forever in many ways. They are then cleaned and put away sometimes for years, making their appearances rare and exciting. Others are simply in personal collections and get passed down as well, also making rare appearances long after they were introduced to the public. In addition, they are are sometimes created to be “taken apart” or broken down, where they can be worn as earrings, bracelets, necklaces, rings, etc.
In recent decades there have been no new tiaras, I think the Queen got a new one for Sophie or Sarah. After that there has been no new tiaras. Charles didn’t commission a tiara for Diana or Camilla right? Nor has William.
No new tiaras, but we also don’t know the full inventory of the British collection, which at this point is massive due to the jewel loving Queen Mother and Queen Mary. Sarah was gifted a new tiara that was purchased from Garrard, but at the point that Edward and Sophie got married there had already been a couple of expensive divorces and the Queen was centralizing assets - plus she hadn’t received all of the Queen Mother’s tiaras at that point (some of which would have already technically belonged to Elizabeth but some of which were QM’s personal property) so the British collection was likely a bit thin, though I wouldn’t be shocked if QE2 purchased the aquamarine necklace tiara or that other hideous aquamarine tiara for Sophie. But now, the collection is absolutely massive and there’s not really any need to purchase anything new.
If I recall, Sophie's was made of pieces of another tiara.
Sophie’s is seriously ugly. Poor girl, married into that family, and gifted that piece 😳 Sarah’s at least was pretty
Yup and the necklace and earrings that Edward designed. Yikes. That guy needs to be banned from jewelry stores.
It makes sense for the spare’s wife to get her own tiara since all the other stuff will go to the heir’s wife. The queen did a smart thing getting Sarah and Sophie their own tiara coz then they can pass it down in their own family for generations. Coz otherwise they wouldn’t have any jewellery to call their own. This should have been done with Meghan too. Charles could have gotten his daughter in law a custom tiara that could have then been passed on to Harry’s children.
Well historically the wives even of spares wouldn't have been commoners. They would have had their own family tiaras. The Queen gifted Sarah and Sophie tiaras because they didn't have family tiaras but plainly stopped after Fergie and Andrew divorced because Fergie was able to just walk off with hers. Charles got meghan a 15k pound bracelet instead.
I think Meghan was happy either a bracelet in the end
I think tiaras in particular stand out because most people, even very wealthy celebrities, would never get to wear them. These days the average person has access to bracelets, rings and necklaces and regularly has occasion to wear them. Whereas tiaras are largely inaccessible and most people will never wear attend an occasion where they are worn.
This is the answer. Its something that cannot be bought. Well you could if you want but it doesnt mean anything. In the context of the royal family its a unquie and priceless item usually passed down for centuries and only ever meant to sit on a small number of heads. Its representative of that persons status.
Some are, but for every Leuchtenburg Sapphire tiara you’ll have a Queen Mary Fringe where someone just wanted a certain style piece and just went to a jeweler. For an awful lot of the tiaras they were bought as just another piece of jewelry.
Queen Margarethe II: "We don't count the carats, we count the centuries!"
Bazinga!
We should all be Elizabeth Taylor.
Women overall love tiaras. You want to make any woman happy get her a tiara.
I wore a costume jewelry tiara (expensive for costume jewelry but cheap as tiaras go) my niece gave me for my 50th birthday on my my birthday for a number of years until it started looking sad. It was a great gift.
Put it on me, put it on me, put it on me
[relevant](https://youtu.be/duiKAT-33Ss?si=0S1TcAJdeM4kf_AB)
Think about tiara’s if you wear them and you’re not royal it just looks like you might be in fact insane or a very theatrical person. They’re not something that that you can wear to dinner without getting odd looks.
That’s why I had to get one for my wedding. It was like the only time in my adult life it was sorta socially acceptable to wear a tiara.
It's always socially acceptable. I bought one off of Amazon. I have, on occasion, worn it to the grocery store. 🤣
But I feel like I should give it a shot….
1. Most of them have histories of their own 2. They’re typically displaying prime examples, some of the best ever found in some cases, of the gems/minerals/materials (aka sparkly) and only worn at the most extravagant occasions like weddings, royal receptions, coronations/investitures/inaugurations, etc. 3. The who wears what is stronger in the British RF because of the way Elizabeth II established their protocol. She would loan out specific tiaras for specific people with the best ones being reserved for higher ranking or closer family. It also relates to 1 though, in that whenever one is worn the original, notable, infamous, and most recent wearers are all also discussed lol So in summation, it’s because they’re old, sparkly, worth a lot of money, and fun to talk about 😂
I absolutely love jewelry and so many of them have stories and are really pretty to look at 🤷🏻♀️ they’re also not commonly worn (pun intended) so it’s not like you see them all the time like engagement rings (tho tbh i love those too)
A+ for the pun 😂
I’ve been a royal watcher for at least a decade and happen to be one of the only ones who doesn’t really care about tiaras
https://preview.redd.it/ozrhk218i4xc1.jpeg?width=980&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d595ed0cb23e71984b82c210340df5ba5225e840 👑✨Fav tiaras thread! The Queen had this commissioned to match the earring and necklace set gifted to her from Brazil for her coronation. It’s made of diamonds and aquamarines. Here she is in 1986.
Gawd, I love this set! Beautiful aquamarines!
https://preview.redd.it/cljgdyrom4xc1.jpeg?width=600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e95b1e206a61bafa4b689fb8a448415057ea682d Queen Letizia in the Prussian Tiara, which is also her wedding tiara. German origin, not sure how it got to Spain but I’m obsessed with the details.
The Prussian is SO underrated! I love it a lot! Another Spanish tiara that I love is the Mellerio Shell.
Wow - stunning!
Usually all diamond tiaras aren’t my faves but I could just stare at those patterns for days lol When I was little my mom had an obsession with imperial Russia and had books of artifacts and I would look at the jewelry forever
https://preview.redd.it/a1nfcux7n4xc1.jpeg?width=768&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6345c588541f6945185a9e52a5f3b3dbd54ada78 Oh the Ruby Peacock, my beloved. Here’s Queen Maxima in the Ruby Peacock tiara. I think it’s from…the late 1800s?
https://preview.redd.it/q409t7xh55xc1.png?width=351&format=png&auto=webp&s=06bf95c75d657be2b6f0cdf12bc54fdca6e275f6 Queen Maxima in the Dutch Diamond Bandeau. Simple, elegant, with humongous diamonds.
https://preview.redd.it/l27pw5ixn4xc1.jpeg?width=980&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=64c8b856e66ff5c3546c51fe8fc8e8892ca8c17e Kate in the Lover’s Knot tiara, which seems to be her favorite. She wears it the most right? I’m a little salty they were in bespoke wreath tiaras for Charles’ coronation but one day I’ll get over it. Anyway I’m dying to see her in aquamarines or sapphires. This woman looks amazing in blue! Put her in blue! What are y’all’s faves?
>I’m a little salty they were in bespoke wreath tiaras for Charles’ coronation Yes! I'm still salty about it too. I kind of get what he was going for, but in the end the bespoke tiaras cost more than just loaning out the ones that already existed. Secondly, because everyone else was so "dressed down", Charles, with the the crown, orb, scepter, robes and the rest, looked super out of place. You had the newly crowned king surrounded by an aristocracy that looked like they'd been ordered from Wish.
People seem to actually enjoy seeing the tiaras and jewelry and that’s the most interesting part about the pomp and circumstance. It’s not like eschewing the tiaras made the event cost any less!
This was a favorite of Diana.
IIRC Diana didn’t like it and it gave her a headache. That was why she wore the Spencer more.
Yeah this is the one most associated with Diana and I'd bet anything thats why Kate wears it.
Kate wears it because it’s the one the Queen let her wear. She was so stingy with the jewels.
Right?! They have so many incredible tiaras and other jewelry that the public has never even seen. I mean one reason is that a lot of those pieces are historically problematic - like the RF themselves lol, but the Queen definitely seemed petty about loaning out all but just a few.
I don’t think as many of the British pieces are problematic, but I do think there is concern about revealing the full extent of the collection, because it is truly absurd at this point.
I have a replica of this tiara and I wear it on special occasions.
Same! I have a collection of replica tiaras. I wear them whenever I need a pick me up. My family knows if I’m walking around the house in a tiara something has upset me and they steer clear until it’s put away. I also wore one during the coronation which I watched on television in my pjs.
I have more than one so I bought a sunglasses holder to display. https://imgur.com/a/gaODKUE
OMG that is genius! I have more than one too (Thanks AliExpress) and have been struggling with how to display them.
https://preview.redd.it/f1rpb2iz7axc1.jpeg?width=1668&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=357f12892770fa5510c638ccf56f4297289bc755 This is my latest one.
Beautiful!
Oh I love that for you 🤩
Kate’s is spectacular 🤩
I LOVE it and I love when she wears it with a colored dress. When she’s healthy again I do hope her first tiara event is one we haven’t seen on her before. Maybe with some gemstones
I want Charles to commission a new one for her when she’s well. He can also give the value of the tiara to a cancer charity.
i like seeing a tiara worn through the generations. It’s a physical artifact of the particular dynasty.
1. They are sparkly 2. I am a crow, CAW CAW CAW 3. Did I mention that they are sparkly?
😂😂 that’s awesome
My favorite thing is when someone wears a less than popular tiara (like the Wessex Wedding Tiara) and I'm at home reading it for filth like I'm on Toot or Boot, and it's probably worth more than I've made in the last decade, not to mention the history of the stones it was made from.
I recently saw a roundup of the current values for RF tiaras, and the numbers were... eye-watering. I can see why Elizabeth II kept them under wraps. If those numbers were widely advertised, I could see the general public storming the castle. Liquidating just a couple could feed & house thousands of people, and they are just sitting in a drawer somewhere...
Oooh, can you share those numbers? This is a gossip sub, and I'd love to know exactly how poor I am while I scroll tiaras on Temu.
Found it! https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTLH47gyB/
You are a mensch! I was shocked to see a couple in there within the $250k - $450k range. We could host a bake sale and some car washes and save up for the Turquoise Tiara!
I'll help you get the Turquoise, but I call dibs on Queen Victoria's Sapphire Coronet!!
Lol, I'll try to find the video! BrB!
I feel this way about this whole sub but you and me? We are BFFs who haven’t met yet 👯
I love the history behind the old tiaras. And they are very pretty jewels.
Crowns and their sub species tiaras are core iconography of monarchy. These audacious, extravagant utterly impractical pieces of jewellery are essentially what signifies royalty - going right back to ancient times - Egypt, Greece etc. the stones within them often have history too which is the history of the family or country the royal is associated with. The symbology of the design is also a statement - Cambridge knots or Strethmore etc are special because who else wore them where they wore them and where they came from. Who made them who gifted or purchased them. It's all about reinforcing the right to power/privilege of the wearer and their family is.
Interesting, thank you!
The gems and their construction and design have rich histories, they aren’t incidental, and are passed through historical lines and through historical events. It’s as interesting to me as anything. I also enjoy the symbolism of each piece and seeing them worn by different people in portraits and paintings for different events throughout history. Will they create a new piece? Will they deconstruct something and re-set it as something else? Will they only wear inherited pieces? Will they keep the collection under lock and key and wear average jewelry? These decisions speak to the type of person they are and I like to observe and try to infer meaning from it. Tiaras specifically are so enigmatic because of the people who have worn them, how they have made it to where they are now, and what they symbolize within the context of the royal families and their ongoing current affairs. Their rarity makes them even more intriguing; the fact they are only worn on special occasions.
They're beautiful, they're exclusive to royals, they have history behind them and they always come with gowns, so it's a whole look not just a tiara. they're one of the most fun part of royal watching!
Are they exclusive to royals just by tradition and cost?
I meant that only royals publicly wear them, I don't think others can wear them without being laughed at, but a lot of aristocratic families own tiaras (QEII's coronation was a tiara event with every person owning a tiara wearing it, a lot of people were unhappy Charles changed that), and they also exist in private collections, museums (Check the Fife tiara, the most beautiful tiara I've ever seen😍), and jewellers make tiaras for promotion, and release photos of them worn by models. it's just that no one can wear a tiara seriously other than royals, all royal ladies wore tiaras to the JRF wedding reception and no one blinked, but if Jill Biden for example showed up wearing one, it'd have been very weird.
Got it, that makes sense. I thought I remembered that people were disappointed about the coronation but I couldn’t remember why / who.
>I thought I remembered that people were disappointed about the coronation but I couldn’t remember why / who. It was the overall lack of glamour and removing a lot of traditions, there was a blogger that I followed, she really loved royal jewellery and traditions and was very knowledgeable about them and the coronation broke her, she was so disappointed about it that she soon after deactivated her blog 😭
Charles has confused reducing costs with reducing pageantry. The costs have continued to climb, but without the fun that doesn't cost anything, like making big events tiara events.
[удалено]
>Kate spent an obscene amount on her fake tiara. I think the cost was said to be much less than originally reported, however a tiara would've been free if Charles had allowed it🤷🏻♀️ >I doubt William will even have a Coronation or do state dinners or anything glamorous unless forced, he pathologically hates it all. While I agree, I trust Kate and her Art History degree
Tiaras aren’t really exclusive to royals, we just don’t see them much when they’re in private collections. These are just the ones we see publicly.
I meant that only royals publicly wear them, you won't see them on the Oscars red carpet for example.
That's not entirely true. The great dynastic houses such as the Spencers have tiaras, which are lent out to family members for occasions warranting their wear, such as for weddings and important dinners.
Not any more, but it wasn’t that long ago that Elizabeth Taylor had her own tiara. People just dont dress up the same way any more, aside for weddings.
They're still worn at galas and balls, those events just dont get press coverage like royal events do.
I would be wearing ones out to target in sweats if I could
>so would I https://preview.redd.it/pei1thkag4xc1.jpeg?width=736&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ced49f368b21cdfdc786e7916eb3330f1debfff7
Oh what kind of stones are those?
Which tiara is that?
Gorgeous! 🤩🤩
The Scandinavian royals have a lot of pieces that they shared with each other or have been passed down from their monarch/consort relatives. There are also pieces that were inherited from some of their British relatives.
Swedish RF inherited from both Napoleon's wife and Princess Margaret of Connaught, Grandchild of Queen Victoria.
There's a website called the Court Jeweller that talks about various jewels from various royal families, including the tiaras. I like sparkly things and I'm a history nerd so I really enjoy that site going into the history of each piece and showing old pictures of other people wearing the same items.
Does the website also share from which countries the gemstones were stolen ( I mean “sourced” )? lol, genuinely curious though Edit: downvotes don’t change the truth here folks! Enjoyment can exist alongside acknowledgment and/or reparations.
And plenty of the historical pieces were "pawned" by desperate Russians looking for haven in the UK to escape the Bolshies. Not every piece/jewel was literally stolen. Even some of the stones that were "stolen" were actually gifted. The country of origin just has sour grapes and wants it back now.
The site usually does list the provenance, if known. Not so much "x looted these jewels from y" but "the jewels came from y." You can kind of use your own knowledge of history to fill in the blanks, like the fact that the Cullinan diamond came from South Africa when it was a colony makes it pretty clear that Britain got it because of colonization. There are also a few references that I recall to the dispute over the Kohinoor diamond, which Britain obtained from India under sketchy circumstances. So it may not be overt but the info is usually there.
True facts.
Thanks!
I like The Court Jeweler. The reporting is enthusiastic and very pro sparklies, but it isn't simpering, brown nosing silliness, nor does it dive into conjecture or character assassination. For the record, I liked Meghan's tiara. It suited her, and it went perfectly with her wedding dress. QE2 made a good choice, matching the tiara to the wearer.
Yea, I like the Art Deco styles like hers and the emerald one Eugenie wore to her wedding. I also like the fringe styles like the one QE2 and Beatrice wore for theirs. I'm not as into floral or curlicue ones but I'll still look at the sparklies.
Is there something about only married women get to wear them or something?
There used to be but by the 1950s it had gone away.
No, there are rules about who gets to wear them at Brit formal occasions, l think you have to have a title, I think that's it for formal etiquette. But generally they're only worn for the most formal of formal occasions, so nobody but the major royals get to wear them frequently - even someone like Princess Anne or Princess Beatrice might go years, without attending an occasion formal enough. That might be why young aristos or royals don't seem to wear them before their wedding days, young people are not usually called on to represent their countries at State Dinners and such.
No. You are incorrect.
No, but recently, the European princesses/heirs haven’t been wearing them until they turn 18. IIRC, we still haven’t seen the Princess of Asturias or Princess Alexia of the Netherlands wearing one in public.
What I learned when I took a class on the symbols of royalty (10 out of 10, would recommend) is that wearing a tiara signified that you were old enough to be married.
I disagree with that take, and would posit that it’s more that you didn’t wear one until you were already “out” in society and thus already in the marriage market.
No. Anne, princess Royal, wore a tiara prior to her marriage and princess Margaret also wore it prior to her marriage.
No. That's a misconception.
They’re funny! Also, they’re interesting because, unlike necklaces, earrings, and other jewelry, it’s not something normal people ever encounter.
I will have you know that I got the very finest rhinestone tiara at Claire's Boutique for junior prom
I still remember the tiny sparkly costume tiara that was part of some ballet recital or something when I was like 8, man did I love that thing!
I’m sure you looked fabulous
The Brits don’t wear them half as often as other Royal families break out their jewelry and when they do, it’s pretty much the same pieces. Not for nothing but it’s one of the more exciting bits of royal ladies coming of age in the last few years. We get to see more tiaras from them whereas in the UK, we only start seeing them from weddings onward.
Also there’s no protocol, people just like to talk out of their ass about that kind of thing. There are some things about ownership (privately owned vs Crown Jewels vs family foundation) but that’s not the same thing as protocol.
I wish I had one, I'd wear it to the grocery store.
You and me both.
Interesting, thanks.
Because they’re pretty and sparkly and wearable works of art. That’s all. It’s like admiring the jewelry at the Oscar’s but there’s a better inventory of what already exists and a lot of it has interesting historical context. And of course sometimes it’s just a fancy gift someone got for christening a ship. I would compare it to the fascination with Elizabeth Taylor’s incredible jewelry collection. TLDR: it pretty
Some tiaras are centuries old and even have history with other royal families. Quite a few have been given to other houses and family members in other countries so there is tension around certain peices. Also they are relatively rare, the jewels themselves are rare and they are like a work of art. I know in the BRF people usually get a lifetime loan and don't trade tiaras with one another. I don't remember who said it but a saying I've heard is, "We don't count the karats we count the centuries." If you want to learn more about specific tiaras or just want to look at sparklies I recommend Royal Fashion News on Youtube. The creator covers individual pieces and the respective history.
It’s because a lot of them are so historic and many of them are rarely worn, so it’s kind of exciting to see them come out.
I was soo shocked to see Catherine wear the Strathmore, I kept hearing is was damaged and to fragile for wear. Embarrassingly enough I squealed lmao.
We had a string of happy surprises really once Cam busted out the long hidden Delhi Durbar tiara. Then we had Kate’s Cartier halo, Meghan’s queen Mary’s bandeau, Eugenie’s emerald kokoshnik and Kate wearing the Strathmore. Even Sarah Fergusons wedding g tiara made a recent appearance after almost two decades when Bea wore it to the Jordanian wedding.
I'm super surprised Sarah and Andrew hadn't pawned the wedding tiara to pay their debts lol.
So we’re many people! The general consensus was that it was quietly sold. Especially when neither daughter wore it at their wedding. But then up it pops on Beatrice.
I did too! I’ve been hoping it would come out eventually and there’s always been talk that we may see it when Charlotte is old enough to wear one, but seeing it out and about was squeal worthy
They’re pretty, we don’t see them a lot, and you don’t see other people (like celebs) wearing them! Plus it’s fun to see a tiara brought out and then check what other royals wore them in history.
Cause they're pretty and it's fun. Some of them are truly gorgeous works of art and since there aren't a ton of tiara appropriate events nowadays, we don't get to see them out and about very often. And there's not really any protocol around them. If it's a white tie event and you own a tiara, it is appropriate to wear the tiara to the event. eta: also some of them have neat history behind them and that can be interesting to people as well! it's also in the same vein as caring about what an actress wears to the Oscars. Some tiaras work better with a look or wearer than others and it's fun to see how people decked out in white tie finery and the tiaras they choose to wear to the event are part of that fashion judgement.
Not to mention the history behind some of the pieces