26 WDSECRETS OF THE ROYAL JEWELS
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The tiara that
A
midthelargeand
decadent Crown
Jewels and thousands
of privately owned
pieces, the Lover’s Knot tiara is
perhaps one of the British royal
family’s most coveted pieces.
Very rarely has a single piece
of jewellery been worn by so
many different members of the
royal family, with most pieces
becoming strongly associated
with an individual royal wearer.
Mostly recently, the tiara
has become one of Kate,
the Duchess of Cambridge’s
favourite adornments, with
the mother-of-three frequently
opting for the historical
headpiece for royal events,
including Buckingham
Palace’s diplomatic receptions.
Interestingly, the tiara Kate
wears today is said to have
been recreated by Queen Mary
in 1914 by the House of Garrard
jewellers from some of her very
own pearls and diamonds.
According to reports, Mary
modelled the tiara after her
grandmother Princess Augusta
of Hesse’s headpiece, the
original Cambridge Lover’s
Knot Tiara, which had
a similar construction.Theoriginalheadpieceis
currently thought to be held in
an unknown private collection
and has not been seen publicly
since. Upon Mary’s death in
1953, the tiara was inherited
by Queen Elizabeth II, then
Princess Elizabeth.ROYAL LEGACY
Given that Queen Mary
commissioned the recreation,
the diadem is frequently
referred to as Queen Mary’s
Lovers Knot and it’s believed
to have been one of her most
valued tiaras. The royal wore
it regularly during her reign
alongside King George V.
In 1981, Queen Elizabeth II
is said to have loaned the tiara
to Princess Diana as a wedding
gift. Instead, Diana opted to
wear the Spencer Tiara, a
family heirloom, on her big
day, but the Lover’s Knot also
became one of her favourite
pieces, despite reports it was
so heavy that it hurt her head.
When Diana and Prince
Charles divorced, the piece
was returned to Queen
Elizabeth II, who is expected
to pass it on to the Duchess of
Cambridge when she dies.The Lover’s Knot tiara was worn and
loved by Mary, Elizabeth, Diana and Kate