Six Sparkling Tiaras That the Royals Wore This Week

For royal fans and watchers one of the most eagerly anticipated aspects of official state ceremonies is the opportunity to see some of the monarchy’s impressive collection of glittering jewels and accessories.

From crowns worn during the opening of parliament to military badges worn to remembrance events, the British royals have one of the largest state and private jewelry collections in the world.

Among these are a vast number of jeweled headdresses, known as tiaras. These take the form of half crowns or circlets that are worn by female members of the royal family in a style influenced by the historic wreaths worn throughout antiquity.

Many members of the royal family have their own tiaras, while others are loaned them by the monarch. Queen Elizabeth II was believed to have had the biggest private tiara collection in the world with the exact number unknown, though she only wore a small regular rotation.

When the queen died in 2022, the majority of her estate, including her jewelry collection, was inherited by her eldest son and the new monarch, King Charles III. Now in his possession, it is the king’s decision as to who wears tiaras from his collection and when.

On November 21, Queen Camilla, the Princess of Wales, the Duchess of Edinburgh, Duchess of Gloucester and Princess Anne all wore tiaras for the state banquet held in honor of President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea at Buckingham Palace.

Here, Newsweek looks at the six tiaras that were brought out from the royal vaults by the women of the House of Windsor this week.

Princess of Wales—Strathmore Rose Tiara

Between her marriage in 2011 and her accession to the title of Princess of Wales in 2022, Kate had only worn three tiaras, all loaned to her by Queen Elizabeth II.

For the South Korean state banquet, however, the princess debuted a new tiara—to the delight of royal style watchers.

Believed to have been loaned by King Charles III, Kate was photographed wearing what is known as the “Strathmore Rose Tiara,” which before now hadn’t been worn in public for nine decades.

The tiara was purchased in 1923 as a wedding present by the Earl of Strathmore for his daughter, Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon who married Prince Albert, the second son of King George V and Queen Mary.

The tiara comprises five roses set with diamonds on a band of diamond stems and leaves.

Elizabeth wore the tiara in the 1920s as a bandeau on the forehead and into the 1930s. When her husband became King George VI after the abdication of his elder brother, Elizabeth had access to the wider royal jewelry collection and wasn’t seen in the Strathmore Rose jewel during her reign or after as Queen Mother.

The tiara is reported to have been inherited by Queen Elizabeth II after her mother’s death in 2002.

Queen Camilla—Burmese Ruby Tiara

During her reign, Queen Elizabeth II commissioned the creation of at least three tiaras; one of sapphires, one of aquamarines and one of rubies.

For the South Korean state banquet, Queen Camilla wore for the first time what is known as the “Burmese Ruby Tiara” of her late mother-in-law, made of diamonds set in platinum with five large roses set with rubies.

The tiara was mainly made using existing stones in Queen Elizabeth’s collection and was worn regularly from its creation in the early 1970s. Elizabeth wore the tiara for the state visit of U.S. President Donald Trump to Britain in 2019.

Duchess of Edinburgh—Aquamarine and Diamond Tiara

In 2005, Sophie the Duchess of Edinburgh (at the time Countess of Wessex) debuted a modern tiara made from two scrolling diamond bands divided by a large aquamarine stone.

The duchess married Queen Elizabeth II’s youngest son, Prince Edward, in 1999 and is a sister-in-law of King Charles III.

The tiara is convertible and can be worn as a necklace and has become one of her most worn items of jewelry.

The duchess paired the tiara with diamond earrings and an aquamarine pendant on the evening of the South Korean state visit, accessorizing the white embroidered gown she wore to the king’s coronation in May.

Princess Anne —Diamond Festoon Tiara

For the state banquet, King Charles’ only sister, Princess Anne The Princess Royal, attended wearing her Diamond Festoon Tiara, which was originally a gift she received for launching a ship in 1973.

The princess has worn the tiara regularly ever since and often pairs it with a diamond brooch given to her by the king as a wedding present.

Duchess of Gloucester—Emerald Bandeau Tiara

A lesser-known royal relation is Birgitte, the Duchess of Gloucester.

Married to King Charles’ second cousin, Richard, the Duke of Gloucester, the Danish-born duchess has one of the largest jewelry collections in the royal family.

For the state banquet this week, the duchess wore a diamond and emerald bandeau tiara that had been given to her mother-in-law, Princess Alice, in 1935 as a wedding present from her groom, the third son of King George V and Queen Mary, Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester.

The duchess is a working member of the royal family and attended the king’s coronation in May.

Duchess of Gloucester—Honeysuckle Tiara

The day after the state banquet, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester attended a special dinner hosted for President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea by the City of London at the Guildhall.

For the occasion, as the principal royal lady in attendance, the duchess wore a large diamond tiara from her collection known as the “Honeysuckle Tiara.”

The piece was made for Queen Mary in 1914 with alterations made later on. The tiara can have its central element changed to accommodate different stones and for the Guildhall dinner, the Duchess of Gloucester wore it with a large pink topaz.

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.

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