When Meghan Markle walks down the aisle to marry Prince Harry on May 19, she will certainly look the part of a princess. But, for royal fans looking to Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding for clues about the upcoming nuptials, there will be at least one key difference: Meghan Markle will definitively not be wearing the same tiara Kate Middleton wore on her wedding day in 2011.
The headpiece in question is the Cartier Halo tiara. Queen Elizabeth loaned the iconic piece to Kate for her wedding, but she won't be lending it to Meghan. No, it's not because of favoritism or even an old school royal rule in this case. Meghan can't wear the Cartier Halo because it's on loan to the National Gallery of Australia from March 30 through July 22.
The Cartier Halo tiara is part of Cartier: The Exhibition and is one of 300 tiaras, necklaces, brooches, and earrings featured in the collection. The Royal Collection Trust and Queen Elizabeth agreed to loan the tiara out to be a part of the exhibition.
So what will Meghan wear?
Leslie Field, author of The Queen’s Jewels: The Personal Collection of Elizabeth II (opens in new tab), says that Meghan will probably think outside the box when it comes to selecting her wedding day jewelry.
"I don’t think it will be a traditional diamond tiara but it could be one loaned to her by the Queen. My feeling is that Meghan and Harry have a new way of working events," she told People (opens in new tab). "It wont be a traditional headdress meaning a diamond tiara. It may be that it is a headdress as opposed to a tiara It could be her American heritage and could be made with fabric flowers, set with fake jewels."
One option that fits that description: the Strathmore Rose Tiara.
Grant Mobley, renowned gemologist and Director at Pluczenik, (opens in new tab) one of the world’s leading diamantaires, told MarieClaire.com (opens in new tab) this specific piece is his guess for what Meghan will choose.
"This is my top pick for Miss Markle to wear on her big day," Mobley said. "Although fairly simple compared to many royal tiaras, in my eyes this is one of the most elegant and beautiful in existence, and is also very on-trend in its design."
"It has only been seen worn by the Queen Mother in her early days and has yet to be seen worn since," Mobley said of the 19th century tiara created for the Queen Mother's wedding. "It would be a great choice for Meghan because it hasn’t been worn in such a long time, thus tying it to her in the modern age. Since it hasn’t been used in decades, it could be on long-term loan to her and be a staple in her collection going forward."
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