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In the 12 years that the Princess of Wales has been a member of the royal family, she has worn a number of heirloom royal jewels from glittering tiaras to historic necklaces, rings and earrings.
The first major royal jewel that Kate Middleton wore—apart from her diamond and sapphire engagement ring which had formerly belonged to Princess Diana—was the diamond encrusted tiara she debuted on her wedding day, which had been loaned to her by her grandmother-in-law, Queen Elizabeth II.
Over the years, Kate has worn three key tiaras which have all been loans from the monarch's private collection, including the wedding tiara.
Most typically these are worn on two key occasions each year, the annual diplomatic reception at Buckingham Palace in December and at any state banquet also hosted at the palace.
Kate's tiara moments are eagerly anticipated by fans and royal watchers, with many expressing disappointment earlier this year when it was made clear that the jewels wouldn't be worn for the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla.
Nevertheless, Kate made a sparkling appearance on coronation day wearing a hybrid tiara which fit with the sartorial guidelines issued to senior royals for the day.
Here, Newsweek looks at a collection of Kate's top tiara moments, from royal weddings to state banquets.
Princess Bride
Kate's first appearance in a royal tiara was made on her April 29, 2011, wedding day to Prince William at Westminster Abbey.
Accessorizing her Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen dress, the future princess wore a small tiara, comprised entirely of diamonds loaned to her by Elizabeth.
The tiara held a special place in the queen's jewelry collection, being linked closely to her much-loved parents.
Known as the Cartier Halo Tiara, the jewel was given by King George VI to his wife, Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother) as an anniversary present in 1936. It is made from 16 graduated scrolls, set with 888 sparkling diamonds.
In 1944, the tiara was given to Elizabeth II as an 18th birthday present by her parents, and she loaned it to her sister, Princess Margaret, as well as her daughter, Princess Anne, before Kate wore it.
This is the only time the princess has worn the tiara to date.
State Banquet Heirloom
Kate didn't wear a tiara after her wedding until 2015 where she attended her first state banquet for President Xi Jinping of China, held at Buckingham Palace by Queen Elizabeth II.
For the occasion, the princess wore an art deco diamond jewel known as the Lotus Flower Tiara.
The piece had been made using a diamond necklace that had been given to Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother in 1923. The resulting tiara featured stylized diamond lotus flowers topped with floating diamond arches and could either be worn as a traditional tiara or a bandeau across the forehead.
The Queen Mother loaned the tiara to her youngest daughter, Princess Margaret, who wore it throughout her life before it was inherited by Queen Elizabeth II in 2002.
Kate wore the tiara with a large diamond bracelet that was also loaned to her by the queen, which had been a wedding present from Prince Philip in 1947.
Duchess in Diamonds
Since 2015, Kate's most worn tiara has been the Queen Mary's Lover's Knot Tiara, designed in the 1910s for the consort of King George V.
The tiara was inherited by Queen Elizabeth II in the 1950s and was worn in the early years of her reign. In 1981, it was given as a loan to Princess Diana as one of her wedding presents from the queen.
Diana wore the tiara on numerous official engagements and it became closely associated with her throughout her marriage.
In 1996, when Diana and the then Prince Charles divorced, the tiara was returned to the queen and it was not seen again until Diana's daughter-in-law, Kate, wore it for a diplomatic reception in 2015.
In 2019, the princess once again wore it for the reception held annually at Buckingham Palace, paired with one of the queen's most valuable diamond necklaces and earring sets.
Princess of Wales' Pearls
For her first tiara event as Princess of Wales, following King Charles III's accession in 2022, Kate opted for the Lover's Knot Tiara worn frequently by the title's predecessor, Diana.
Paired with Diana's pearl and diamond earrings, the diamond tiara with swinging pearls made a regal impact at the state banquet for President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa at Buckingham Palace.
Festive Bauble
Soon after the South African state visit in 2022, Kate again attended a diplomatic reception, this time wearing the Lotus Flower Tiara again for the first time since 2015.
The princess paired the jewel with a festive red embroidered dress by one of her favorite designers, Jenny Packham.
Coronation Hybrid
When Buckingham Palace announced the outfits that were being worn by members of the royal family for his coronation in May 2023, it was clear that a decision had been made for them not to include tiaras.
The reasoning for this was not given, however, slight modernizations to the ceremony and considerations for Britain's cost of living crisis are expected to have been influential in the process.
In a way around this issue, Kate made a regal appearance at the Westminster Abbey ceremony wearing a hybrid jewel, crossed between a headdress and tiara.
The crystal and silver embroidered headdress was designed by milliner Jess Collett in collaboration with Alexander McQueen and formed two bands of graduated leaves in the style of headdresses worn in antiquity.
A smaller version was made for Kate's daughter, Princess Charlotte, who matched her mother's outfit.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more