Tiara history, traditions, protocols, metals and meanings


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ellenw said:
The Spencer tiara belongs to the Spencer family, and it was worn by Victoria Lockwood at her marriage to Diana's brother, the present Earl Spencer. The tiara was a bone of contention between the Princess of Wales and her brother during one of their periods of difficulty, as he asked for its return (I believe it is rightfully his). The other tiara worn by Diana as Princess of Wales, the Cambridge Love Knot, belongs to the Crown, and she was not entitled to use it after her divorce.
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The Spencer tiara was left to Charles after the death of his grandfather in 1975. His sisters borrowed it from time to time until Diana married, at which time she used it frequently. After the separation, Lord Spencer asked Diana to return it.

The Cambridge Love Knot Tiara was a gift from The Queen and Diana retained it after the divorce. After her death, it was returned, along with Queen Mary's emerald choker and a few other pieces lent by The Queen. They will likely be given to Prince William's wife when he marries.
 
Elspeth said:
Princess Margaret married late enough in life that I think she might have counted as an honorary married lady once she passed 25 or thereabouts. I don't recall seeing photos of Princess Alexandra in a tiara for formal events before her marriage (or at least her engagement) although she wore diamond star hair ornaments as a teenager. She certainly wasn't wearing a tiara for the Queen's coronation, and from the photos of Princess Margaret it looks as though she was wearing only a very small one. Not sure about Princess Anne before her engagement photos were taken. I don't think Diana wore a tiara at all during her engagement.
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Diana wasn't a princess yet, though. She didn't become one till she was married, so it stands to reason that she didn't wear a tiara until her wedding. Wouldn't an unmarried princess wear one to really fancy events such as state banquets (not a complete circle of a tiara, but a half-one)?
 
It used to be that all white-tie occasions required tiaras, but black-tie didn't. Instead of a tiara, a bracelet or brooch could be worn in place. It was formerly popular to wear them to dinner parties and to the opera. The same thing applies to Orders and medals. These rules are not in place any longer, although certain royal families follow them to the letter to this day. Also, the first time a woman wore a tiara was on her marriage, and tiaras were common wedding gifts from parents or inlaws (more traditionally the bride's parents). Of course, family tradition (such as wearing a particular tiara) overrides certain social conventions in the cases of weddings.
 
some tiaras can be chage i size
ia m thinking of the Leuchtenberg Sapphire tiara

 
Who owns these tiaras?

I have always wondered, who owns the tiaras worn by the bride's maids of QEII on her wedding day? The tiaras all look to be identical, so I am assuming that the Queen owns them, but I just want to know for sure. Thanks if you can answer my question. Below is a link to find a picture of the bride's maids wearing the tiaras. :flowers:

Mandy's British Royalty: Ceremonies
 
These headpieces are not jewels. They are crowns of leaves if I'm not mistaken. One had been on display during the Golden Jubilee celebration.
 
Oh, I didn't know they were head pieces lol. I had always thought that they were tiaras...don't know why. I guess you learn something new everyday. Thanks kimebear for the explanation and jcbcode99 for providing the link.

:flowers:
 
Thanks Janet. That was the picture I had been looking for. Somewhat unusual looking I had always thought.
 
That link asks for log in name and password.
 
Sorry I posted it while logged on at Uni, its a pic anyway from the 1969 Italian state Visit to the UK Anne has on a Tiara
 
I like it when the royals wear a tiara , they have enough so wear them!!!
 
marmi said:
Yes, but Mary has only worn her wedding tiara and the parure - never any other. I'm not sure about the others, I do remember at least 2 for MM to - possibly 3.
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Mette Marit has worn a third tiara, as a necklace in her pre wedding event and maybe otherwise. I think it is a fan tiara, inherited from Queen Maud. Mathilde has only (sigh!:ermm:) one tiara, which she bravely wears to all tiara occasions, except for her wedding where she wore her mother in law's.
 
barber said:
I like it when the royals wear a tiara , they have enough so wear them!!!
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Unfortunately today (see above post) there are not many jewels circulating. The Queens/consorts hold on to them tightly, and the new princesses are not royal or even noble born, which prevents them from bringing new jewels into the family, (which happened 2 generations ago) and if each princess gets just one tiara, many times only to borrow, the supply is dwindling.
 
IMHO, a real effort should be made to purchase a tiara as a gift for a royal born princess on the occasion of her 18th birthday or for a royal born prince for his wife's use on the occasion of a wedding. The price is not so dear as to be unaffordable even by the least wealthy of the royal families and they will be passed down to the next generation. Small, but pretty, tiaras have been auctioned off in the past year or two for 20,000 - 40,000 euros.
 
That is sad that the some of the queens hold on tight the tiaras/crowns being that half them were born commoners too. Nice if they could let their daughters in laws borrow them more.It would even better if they could have atleast one of their own
tiaras/corwns.
 
This might not be the best place for these questions but
Just how many tiara's does HM QEII own? And
What's the difference between a black tie event and a white tie event? I am afraid I cannot find my Amy Vanderbilt's book on etiquette. I have a niggling suspicion that Mr. Russo got rid of it as I have many, many books!! :ohmy:
 
kimebear said:
IMHO, a real effort should be made to purchase a tiara as a gift for a royal born princess on the occasion of her 18th birthday or for a royal born prince for his wife's use on the occasion of a wedding. The price is not so dear as to be unaffordable even by the least wealthy of the royal families and they will be passed down to the next generation. Small, but pretty, tiaras have been auctioned off in the past year or two for 20,000 - 40,000 euros.
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I completely agree, Kimebear! Not only does such a piece mark an important event it also increases the collection of the female first borns who become monarchs and it keeps from decreasing the royal collections by giving tiaras to second and third (and so forth) daugthers. That may sound harsh, but I am all too aware of how the Harewoods sold many beautiful pieces of Princess Mary's to pay death duties--including a sapphire necklace of Queen Victoria's. I think it is fine to give some family pieces--a brooch, a necklace, earrings, bracelet--but Queen Mary gave some important pieces that ended up on the auction--remember the Cambridge sapphire tiara? Gone. Mary's heart was in the right place, giving historic parues to her children, but with the exception of the Gloucester's these parues are no longer intact. She should have just bought them some pieces or had parues assembled for them.
 
RoyalProtocol said:
Sorry I posted it while logged on at Uni, its a pic anyway from the 1969 Italian state Visit to the UK Anne has on a Tiara
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Which one is it? It should be either the mystery tiara from her 18th birthday portraits, the scroll worn by QEQM, Princess Margaret, or Anne or the greek key; she received the festoon later than that and the aquarmarine pine scroll was a wedding gift from her grandmohter. I'm thinking it is the scroll because I think that was the first tiara she wore--
 
Thank you, Kimebear. That is really a lovely tiara, it's a shame we havent't seen it in, what, about 30-almost forty years now?
 
I think the scroll tiara will not be seen until the next generations of royals are age appropriate to wear the tiara.
 
marmi said:
Yes, but Mary has only worn her wedding tiara and the parure - never any other. I'm not sure about the others, I do remember at least 2 for MM to - possibly 3.
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That wedding tiara and parure are so beautiful that if I were Mary I would never take them off, with her brunette looks she looks absolutely stunning.
Well to bed perhaps not, but I would be tempted. :whistling:
 
Next Star said:
I think the scroll tiara will not be seen until the next generations of royals are age appropriate to wear the tiara.
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I agree with you, Next Star. I think the reason why it seems so many of the younger royals don't have many tiaras is because their mothers/mothers in law are waiting to pass them on.
 
I actually don't like tiara's on women under the age of 21. I think they look tacky.
 
I dont mind small elegant ones (such Mette Marit's perhaps) on princesses (by birth) over 18, but certainly not big dazzlers!
Not til at least 21
 
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I think of tiaras as being mainly for adult women (i.e. 18 and over), but small ones can be appropriate for 16-17 year old princesses in certain situations. For example, Princess Alexandra of Luxembourg wore a small tiara to an event for her country's National Day celebrations this year, which I think was fine.
 
I think all tiara's, no matter the size, always look better on an adult woman...:)
 
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