Princess Kate typically wears Queen Mary's Lover's Knot Tiara when it comes to formal occasions, and like Princess Diana before her, the pearl-and-diamond piece has become her signature tiara. On December 3, it was widely assumed she'd go for the Lover's Knot once again at the German state banquet, but instead, the Princess of Wales chose one of Queen Victoria's historic tiaras that hasn't been seen for 20 years.
The princess wore Queen Victoria's Oriental Circlet Tiara, a diamond piece accented with rubies that was designed for the late monarch by her husband, Prince Albert. The tiara was a favorite of the Queen Mother's, but was worn only once by Queen Elizabeth, in 2005—and it hadn't been seen in public again, until now.
While Victoria's circlet was an exciting departure from Kate's usual state banquet routine, her choice to wear a tiara from 1853 also hints at the type of Queen she wants to be, as former royal butler Grant Harrold says.
Princess Kate and Prince William are seen at the German state banquet on December 3.
Queen Elizabeth is seen wearing Queen Victoria's Oriental Circlet Tiara in 2005.
Speaking on behalf of Slots Temple, Harrold—who worked for King Charles at Highgrove House from 2004 to 2011—says Princess Kate's decision to wear the "striking" Oriental Circlet was "really interesting."
"It’s very bold and very overstated," he shares. "Kate is sending a clear message with the choice—It’s Kate saying 'This is my look, I’m doing it my own way.'" And when it comes to picking from such historic pieces, Harrold says that "it's only right" for Kate to "get to wear them now," since she "knows what her future is" as Queen.
According to jeweler Garrard, who created the piece, the tiara features 2,600 diamonds and includes an "Indian-inspired design of lotus flowers and Mughal arches." Its original opals were later replaced with rubies by Queen Victoria's daughter-in-law, Queen Alexandra.
Although it's nearly 200 years old, Harrold points out that the tiara "looks very modern" when worn by Kate with her sequin-covered blue Jenny Packham gown. "It’s bringing the old into the new."
Princess Kate and King Charles are seen toasting guests at the state banquet.
Princess Kate twisted her hair around the back of the tiara's closure.
Reflecting on how Queen Elizabeth only wore the circlet one time, Harrold shares that it's likely the Princess of Wales wanted to go for a tiara that wasn't closely associated with Prince William's late grandmother.
"Kate won’t want to copy the late Queen Elizabeth II," he shares. "She respected and admired her husband’s grandmother, but she will want to do things in her way and follow her own style—a decision which the late Queen would have approved of entirely."
He adds, “Kate knows her and Prince William’s monarchy is going to be very different to that of the late Queen. It will have to be a very modern monarchy, so why shouldn’t her fashion represent that?”"
Queen Victoria marked her Oriental Circlet as an heirloom of the crown, protecting it for future generations of Queens (and future Queens) to wear. Harrold notes, "King Charles will trust his wife and daughter-in-law entirely with the collection, and will want them to make the most of it and wear the pieces they love. He’s well aware that as the future Queen, Princess Kate will one down be in control of this collection herself, so he will be more than happy for her to explore it now."
