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Sparkle

Tiaras, please!

Charles has called for business attire at his coronation—but oh, how we wish for an excuse to trot out the family fender.

In decades past, the coronation of a British king would cause a royal stampede to the vaults for the family’s heirloom tiaras. However, with King Charles’s wish for a more restrained and modern affair, royal watchers claim it’s unlikely the tiaras will be twinkling on May 6, coronation day.

Carol Woolton, a contributing editor at Vogue and host of the podcast If Jewels Could Talk, recalls Queen Elizabeth’s maid-of-honor Anne Glenconner’s foremost memory of her coronation in 1953. “Tiaras—row upon row of glittering tiaras. It was incredibly glamorous,” Woolton says. “I don’t think we will see that now because most people invited won’t have tiaras and won’t borrow them.”

The coronation’s confirmed guest list is heavy on politicians and world leaders such as Jill Biden and Emmanuel Macron—and light on the tiara-toting aristocracy. Business attire is encouraged.

So, what exactly dictates proper tiara protocol?

The diamond and pearl Lovers' Knot, given to her by The Queen, was a favorite of Princess Diana—seen here wearing it in 1985. Photo by Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images
The diamond and pearl Lovers' Knot, given to her by The Queen, was a favorite of Princess Diana—seen here wearing it in 1985. Photo by Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images
The headpiece, which was commissioned in 1913 by Queen Mary, is quickly becoming Princess Kate’s go-to tiara. Will it make an appearance at the coronation? Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images
The headpiece, which was commissioned in 1913 by Queen Mary, is quickly becoming Princess Kate’s go-to tiara. Will it make an appearance at the coronation? Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images
The Princess also often dons the Lotus Flower, made in 1923 by Garrard for the Queen Mother. Photo by Victoria Jones - Pool/Getty Images
The Princess also often dons the Lotus Flower, made in 1923 by Garrard for the Queen Mother. Photo by Victoria Jones - Pool/Getty Images
Camilla, then Duchess or Cornwall, wearing the Delhi Durbar tiara—one of the largest in the royal collection—in 2005. Photo by Anwar Hussein Collection/ROTA/WireImage
Camilla, then Duchess or Cornwall, wearing the Delhi Durbar tiara—one of the largest in the royal collection—in 2005. Photo by Anwar Hussein Collection/ROTA/WireImage

Women don tiaras for weddings, white tie events, and state banquets. “It is the highest form of dress,” says Woolton. In the late 19th century and into the 20th century, an invitation often included a note in the bottom left corner: “Tiaras will be worn.”

Custom dictates that only brides and married women wear tiaras. British jewelry specialist Geoffrey Munn, author of Tiaras: A History of Splendour, writes that a tiara “signals the crowning of love and the loss of innocence to marriage. The family tiara was worn by the bride, and from that moment onwards it was the groom’s jewelry she was expected to wear.”

 

In the late 19th century and into the 20th century, an invitation often included a note in the bottom left corner: “Tiaras will be worn.”

A prime example is Princess Diana, who wore her family’s heirloom, the now-famous Spencer Tiara, when she wed Prince Charles in 1981. Originally made in 1937 for her grandmother, Cynthia Spencer, who served as Queen Elizabeth’s Lady of the Bedchamber, the Spencer Tiara passed to Cynthia’s son Johnny Spencer, whose daughters Lady Jane Spencer, Lady Sarah Spencer, and—most notably—Lady Diana Spencer all wore it on their wedding day.

The Spencer Tiara recently made headlines during the publication of Prince Harry’s book, Spare, in which he recounts his aunts’ offer to loan it to Meghan Markle for their 2018 nuptials. The Duke of Sussex writes that “shortly before the wedding, however, Granny reached out.” Harry then describes a memorable morning spent in Queen Elizabeth’s private dressing room with The Queen and her royal dresser Angela Kelly, who presented five tiaras from which Markle could choose.

The essential wedding accessory (preferably a family heirloom): Princess Diana sporting the Spencer Tiara. Photo by Terry Fincher/Princess Diana Archive/Getty Images
The essential wedding accessory (preferably a family heirloom): Princess Diana sporting the Spencer Tiara. Photo by Terry Fincher/Princess Diana Archive/Getty Images
The Queen lent Kate Middleton the Cartier Halo tiara—made up of nearly 900 diamonds—for her marriage to Prince William. Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images
The Queen lent Kate Middleton the Cartier Halo tiara—made up of nearly 900 diamonds—for her marriage to Prince William. Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images
Meghan Markle chose an Art Deco bandeau from The Queen’s private collection when she wed Prince Harry in 2018. Photo by Phil Noble/PA Images via Getty Images
Meghan Markle chose an Art Deco bandeau from The Queen’s private collection when she wed Prince Harry in 2018. Photo by Phil Noble/PA Images via Getty Images
Princess Eugenie walked down the aisle the following year in the Greville Emerald Kokoshnik, also loaned by The Queen. Photo by Yui Mok/AFP via Getty Images
Princess Eugenie walked down the aisle the following year in the Greville Emerald Kokoshnik, also loaned by The Queen. Photo by Yui Mok/AFP via Getty Images

“Tiaragate” as the British press later coined it ensued, as reports emerged that Markle’s choice of an emerald tiara was ultimately rejected by The Queen due to the piece’s possible dubious heritage. (However, Princess Eugenie wore the tiara in question, the Greville Emerald Kokoshnik tiara, for her wedding day six months later, leading to intense speculation over the rejection for Markle’s request). Markle ultimately made do with Queen Mary’s Art Deco-style bandeau tiara.

Like Markle, Kate Middleton did not have a family tiara to wear for her wedding to Prince William in 2011. Rumors that Middleton planned to wear a floral headpiece dissipated when the bride walked down the aisle in the Cartier Halo tiara, loaned to her by Queen Elizabeth. Originally purchased in 1936 for the Queen Mother by her husband, King George VI, it was given to Queen Elizabeth in 1944 on her 18th birthday. However, the monarch never wore it in public, as tiaras were seen as frivolous during World War II.

Tiaras may not make an appearance at the coronation, but they were center stage at the 2022 Met Gala—with Dame Anna Wintour setting the trend. Photo by GWR/Star Max/GC Images
Tiaras may not make an appearance at the coronation, but they were center stage at the 2022 Met Gala—with Dame Anna Wintour setting the trend. Photo by GWR/Star Max/GC Images
If content creator Emma Chamberlain was invited on May 6, her followers—16 million on Instagram and 12 million on YouTube—might see some tiara action. Photo by Sean Zanni/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images
If content creator Emma Chamberlain was invited on May 6, her followers—16 million on Instagram and 12 million on YouTube—might see some tiara action. Photo by Sean Zanni/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images
Actress Blake Lively bedazzled in a multicolored creation to coordinate with her Atelier Versace gown—in line with the ‘Gilded Glamour’ dress code. Photo by James Devaney/GC Images
Actress Blake Lively bedazzled in a multicolored creation to coordinate with her Atelier Versace gown—in line with the ‘Gilded Glamour’ dress code. Photo by James Devaney/GC Images

The Princess of Wales now favors two tiaras from the royal collection when duty calls: The Lovers’ Knot, a favorite of Princess Diana’s, which was commissioned in 1913 by Queen Mary and made by Garrard, and the Lotus Flower, made in 1923 by Garrard for the Queen Mother and given to Princess Margaret in 1959 before her wedding to Antony Armstrong-Jones.

Charles's coronation may be a toned-down affair, but for European royalty—like Queen Maxima of The Netherlands—some sparkle is essential for state occasions. Photo by Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images
Charles's coronation may be a toned-down affair, but for European royalty—like Queen Maxima of The Netherlands—some sparkle is essential for state occasions. Photo by Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images
Queen Rania of Jordan often wears this sparkling diamond tiara for formal events. Photo by Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images
Queen Rania of Jordan often wears this sparkling diamond tiara for formal events. Photo by Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images
For some, tiaras are birthday attire. Queen Sofia of Spain at King Carl Gustav of Sweden’s 50th celebrations. Photo by Antony Jones/UK Press via Getty Images
For some, tiaras are birthday attire. Queen Sofia of Spain at King Carl Gustav of Sweden’s 50th celebrations. Photo by Antony Jones/UK Press via Getty Images

While the royal family has remained tight-lipped about their coronation toppers, Woolton says there is a yearning for the tiaras to come out. “People do look to the royal family to provide this pomp and pageantry,” she says. “People will be very disappointed if we didn’t celebrate it.” Nonetheless, Woolton predicts a sea of brightly colored fascinators rather than twinkling headpieces come May 6: “In our age, I doubt we will ever see all those tiaras in one place again.”

Hero image: Queen Camilla at a state banquet in Berlin in March this year. Photo by Samir Hussein/WireImage

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