How Meghan Markle's Wedding Tiara Compares to Princess Diana's and Kate Middleton's Tiaras

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last updated 28 August 2021

We knew that Meghan Markle wouldn't wear the same tiara as Kate Middleton (opens in new tab)—the Cartier Halo tiara—since it's on display in the National Gallery of Australia from March 30 through July 22. Instead, she chose to wear Queen Mary's Sapphire Bandeau straight from the Queen's vault (opens in new tab) and she looks absolutely stunning.

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Here are all the details on the tiara from Kensington Palace (opens in new tab):

"The veil is held in place by Queen Mary's diamond bandeau tiara, lent to Ms. Markle by The Queen. The diamond bandeau is English and was made in 1932, with the centre brooch dating from 1893.

The bandeau, which is made of diamonds and platinum, is formed as a flexible band of eleven sections, pierced with interlaced ovals and pavé set with large and small brilliant diamonds. The centre is set with a detachable brooch of ten brilliant diamonds.

The diamond bandeau was made for Queen Mary and specifically designed to accommodate the centre brooch. This brooch was given as a present to the then Princess Mary in 1893 by the County of Lincoln on her marriage to Prince George, Duke of York. The bandeau and the brooch were bequeathed by Queen Mary to The Queen in 1953."

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Tiara expert Grant Mobley—renowned gemologist and Director at Pluczenik, (opens in new tab) one of the world’s leading diamantaires—originally placed bets on the Strathmore Rose (opens in new tab). The Queen Mother, Queen Elizabeth II's mom, wore the Strathmore tiara on her wedding day to King George VI in 1923. The design is modern yet traditional, and of course Meghan could have pulled it off perfectly.

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Kate Middleton

On her wedding day, the Duchess of Cambridge wore the Cartier Halo tiara that holds nearly 1,000 diamonds. It was an anniversary gift from King George VI, the Queen's father, to his wife and later passed down to his daughter as an 18th birthday gift. The Queen then gave it to her new granddaughter, Kate.

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Princess Diana

Princess Diana wore the Spencer Tiara, which actually belongs to her own family. The center part was given as a wedding present (opens in new tab) to Diana's grandmother and the topper was given by her grandfather's great aunt, Lady Sarah Isabella Spencer.

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Follow along here (opens in new tab) as we report on the royal wedding in real-time—from the dress to the tiara to Harry and Meghan's most adorable moments.

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See Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Wedding Kiss

Rachel Epstein is a writer, editor, and content strategist based in New York City. Most recently, she was the Managing Editor at Coveteur, where she oversaw the site’s day-to-day editorial operations. Previously, she was an editor at Marie Claire, where she wrote and edited culture, politics, and lifestyle stories ranging from op-eds to profiles to ambitious packages. She also launched and managed the site’s virtual book club, #ReadWithMC. Offline, she’s likely watching a Heat game or finding a new coffee shop.