Tiaras and Jewels for Prince Harry's Future Wife

[wymanda]

What Tiaras, besides those worn by Diana, do you think will be made available to Williams future wife?

I hope that one is the Indian Tiara which was worn by the Queen Mother. Queen Alexandra had it set with the current rubies as she thought the original opals were unlucky. I think it would be a pretty tiara for a young woman and with opals so fashionable now it would be ideal with it's original stones reset.

http://royal-jewels1.tripod.com/et/india.html

 

[A.C.C.]

I think when William becomes king he will, of course, inherit the entire vast collection of jewels, but until that time, I think William's wife will wear the Lover's Knot Tiara and she might have one more, that's it.

 

[wymanda]

Has the Spencer tiara been returned permanently to the family or is Earl Spencer holding it in trust for Williams wife? My understanding was that the tiara was Diana's wedding present from her father.

 

[Fireweaver]

I believe it was just for her lifetime, and not something she could inherit.

 

[justine]

isn't it the Spencer tiara and thus remains in the Spencer family in possession of Spencer?
I always thought that Diana borrowed it often because it was a family piece (and much lighter than the Lover's Knot). The other sisters as well as Countess Spencer all have the 'right' to wear it don't they. Victoria Lockwood wore it when she married the (then) Viscount Althorp.

Who in that family would have refused the (then) future queen the right to wear a family heirloom anyway?

Has anyone ever seen pix of other female family members wearing this tiara by chance?

 

[wymanda]

Hello! did publish some photo's of Diana's grandmother wearing the tiara.
I would have thought that the Spencers would have wanted it worn by Diana's descendants to remind everyone that they were Spencers as well as Windsors.

 

[A.C.C.]

Don't the Spencer's have another tiara besides the one worn by Diana? I think the Spencer Tiara worn by Diana should be a wedding gift to William's wife, but they could still be able to borrow it from her. They won't need a tiara but for select events like a wedding, if they are invited to a ball or state event, or a coronation (of either Charles or William), because all peers and peeresses are invited.

Anyway, it would be a nice gesture to give William's wife that Spencer Tiara (if they have another tiara for themselves).

 

[Fireweaver]

There's talk that they own another one, but I haven't seen any current Spencer ladies wearing it.
Diana's step mother (Or was it step grandmother? Raine Spencer does have one that was bought for her/bought by her, but she's under no obligation to give it to the Spencer family.

 

[wymanda]

Perhaps some of Diana's other jewels will be remodelled for Williams wife.

I would like to see the Sapphire & Diamond brooch which Diana wore as the centre piece of a choker, incorporated into a tiara. Perhaps with a triple row of pearls to commemorate how Diana wore it??

 

[wymanda]

I wish I could draw because there are some great ideas running around in my head!! I'd be greatful if someone could translate this one.

Perhaps the brooch as a centrepiece with a base of baguette diamonds, three rows of pearls separated by blue enamel bars every three pearls. The whole piece tapering away at the back Kokoshnik style.

 

[Lady Jean]

Wymanda I love your idea for a choker w/that huge sapphire. I have always thought the way Diana had it was a bit of a dowdy style.
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I highly doubt William would have his wife wear the tiaras associated so closely with his mother. It would be very unfair to his wife: the comparisons, expectations, etc. There will be plenty of jewels for his wife to choose from, and she will surely get some fabulous gifts from other royal families just as the previous royal fiancees/wives have.

Perhaps the Spencer tiara with the Greek key design has since been restyled or sold. The only other photo I have seen of it is in the book "Ancestral Jewels", Diana's grandmother Cynthia is wearing it. THe tiara certainly has a distinctive design, but I wouldn't say it is pretty.

 

[Fireweaver]

that's why if they still have it, they should make it into two different ones

 

[wymanda]

I think he might want to pay tribute in a lasting way to his mother and what better way than to convert a piece of jewellery that was closely identified with her into a substantial tiara. Also, once Charles becomes King and if he remarries quite a large number of the current pieces would be worn by his wife, wether she is crowned Queen or not. This would leave only the Cambridge Lovers Knot for a new Princess of Wales. Remember that Diana had the Spencer piece as well. A Pncss of W would look a little poor if she had only one tiara to wear!

 

[Fireweaver]

Maybe Charles will be more willing to share the jewels with his sons' wives (Yeah, I'm jumpng ahead a few years here) then his mother was? Her majesty bought Sarah and Sophie's tiaras rather then giving them historical pieces.

 

[wymanda]

Originally posted by Fireweaver@Feb 17th, 2004 - 5:37 pm
Maybe Charles will be more willing to share the jewels with his sons' wives (Yeah, I'm jumpng ahead a few years here) then his mother was? Her majesty bought Sarah and Sophie's tiaras rather then giving them historical pieces.

My understanding was that Sophie's tiara was achieved by remodelling one of Queen Alexandra's pieces that had not been worn in decades. Is there any proof that they were purchased?

 

[justine]

or any proof to which one of Queen Alexandra's tiara's this might have originally been?

 

[wymanda]

Originally posted by justine@Feb 17th, 2004 - 8:07 pm
or any proof to which one of Queen Alexandra's tiara's this might have originally been?

I'm not sure what it was called but there was a picture of her dressed in black wearing the tiara and a line of diamond stars down the front of the dress.

 

[justine]

are you referring to the Rundell tiara?

a while back I posted a picture that compares the Rundell and Sophie's tiara as well as the honeysuckle tiara.

The Rundell doesn't seem to have any real similarity to Sophie's tiara.

at Danjel's.......
Queen Alexandra's Rundell Tiara http://groups.msn.com/RoyaltyDanjel2/gbrundellw.msnw

Wessex Wedding Tiara http://groups.msn.com/RoyaltyDanjel2/gbwessexw.msnw

Princess Mary's Diamond Honeysuckle Tiara
http://groups.msn.com/RoyaltyDanjel2/gbmarydiamondw.msnw

 

[wymanda]

Can we get back onto the topic of what jewels will be available to William's wife either as Princess of Wales or as Princess William (if he marries before Charles becomes King).

 

[wymanda]

However, William may want the tiara for his wife as it is so closely identified with his mother.

 

[wymanda]

The Teck Rose & Crescent is lovely. I wonder if the centre rose is removable? If so it would look stunning with Diana's sapphire......

 

[Lady Jean]

Originally posted by justine@Feb 18th, 2004 - 6:24 am
Well I don't think that the Queen has showered any of her daughters in law with tons of jewels (compared to the jewels she has to offer), so I can't see her bestowing a lot onto her granddaughter-in-law.
But I think if QEII is passing out the tiara's then it might be something smaller, older, and more 'immediate family' like the Strathmore Rose or Diamond Scroll.


Who knows what will happen if it's King Charles passing out the baubles tho.
But I have a feeling that the Lover's Knot tiara will not be used (or gifted) for a while...at least by the Queen or Prince Charles.

I think it is more likely that by the time William gets married, his father will be King and as has already been said, maybe he will be a different kind of lender or gift-giver than his mother was (I hope a better one.) If Charles ever remarries, I don't see them being so insensitive as to let Camilla wear the Cambridge Lover's Knot. Also I would be a little bored w/seeing the same things , I would like to see more of what it is in their fabulous collection.

For William's wife, there will be plenty of family items to choose from, including from the collection of tiaras the Queen wears currently. Also what about items like the Queen Mother's modern style diamond tiara she had made up in the 1950's (geometric pattern - in her 80th birthday portrait I think), Princess Margaret's Poltimore tiara or her gorgeous turquoise tiara, and who knows what other goodies are in the vaults, not recently seen??

William's wife will be representing the British Crown, not the Spencer family, so I don't think we will be seeing their jewels on her.

 

[Fireweaver]

No one knows what happened to Princess Maragret's tiaras. It's entirely possible that her children still own them, in which case Willam's wife won't be wearing them.

 

[Lady Jean]

I know Princess Margaret's children might own the tiaras, it is also very unlikely they will ever make use of them. Lending them makes sense to me.

 

[wymanda]

It is possible that the Queen purchased these from Viscount Linley. Although he will succeed his father as Earl of Snowdon so his wife may have need of a tiara. I would think they would keep the Poltimore as it was a wedding gift to Pncss Margaret and she wore it at her wedding.

I don't know if the Linley's were given the Fan tiara that Lady Linley wore on her wedding day. It belonged to the Queen Mother but hadn't been worn much since Pncss Margaret was young. If the Queen now has this piece it would be young and pretty for Williams wife.

http://royal-jewels1.tripod.com/et/papyrus.html

 

[Alexandria]

How many tiaras does the Spencer family possess? At the Diana exhibit I viewed some time back there was one tiara on display that was beautiful but surprisingly and unfortunately, had scratches on it. I am not sure if I recognize the tiara I saw as something Diana wore often while married to Charles. Would she have forsaken her own family's tiara for those owned by the Windsors instead?

 

[wymanda]

Originally posted by Alexandria@Feb 18th, 2004 - 9:55 pm
Would she have forsaken her own family's tiara for those owned by the Windsors instead?

As Princess of Wales she WAS a Windsor. In wearing the Spencer Tiara on her wedding day and afterwards she payed tribute to her own family much as Queen Mary did with the Cambridge Emeralds but with the vast array of Windsor jewels and the wedding presents she recieved there was so much to choose from. The Queen Mother also had a family tiara, the Strathmore Rose, which was a wedding gift from her father. She wore it quite a lot as a young woman but it was loaned to Princess Margaret who wore it regularly in her youth.

If the Spencer Tiara was to have been Diana's permanently and she had a daughter then, once she became Queen, we would probably have seen it "handed on".

 

[justine]

doesn't the weight of the 2 tiara's play into this also? Obviously there are the sentimental and familial ties, but I think I have read more than once that the Lover's Knot weighs alot and the Spencer is much lighter and easier to wear.

 

[wymanda]

Queen Mary's jewels actually skipped a generation. It was always her intention to leave them to the present queen, her granddaughter. Even if she had died before her son, George VI, the jewels would have still gone to Elizabeth.

From what I remember the Queen Mother inherited very little personal jewellery from her mother-in-law. She had the Crown Jewelery which Queen Mary handed over when the Duke of Windsor abdicated.

 

[wymanda]

Originally posted by Lady Jean@Feb 18th, 2004 - 9:28 am
Also what about items like the Queen Mother's modern style diamond tiara she had made up in the 1950's (geometric pattern - in her 80th birthday portrait I think

Perhaps the QM's geometric tiara will go to Camilla if she and Charles marry? As an older lady she would carry this off well. Also Camilla has a lot of jewels that she inherited from her great grandmother Alice Keppell. There may be a tiara amongst those.

Can any of you clever people manipulate an image of this tiara onto Camilla?