Today on Royal Wedding Wednesdays Tiaras and Headpieces. You so enjoyed the recent post on Royal engagement rings that I thought perhaps more jewelry was in order.
The Grand Duchess Vladimir Tiara
Royal Wedding Wednesdays Tiaras and Headpieces
Differences between headpieces in broad terms:
A tiara is a jeweled head ornament which has an open back.
A diadem is a circlet. Diadem is a German word that also on occasions is used to describe a tiara. The diadem has the resonance of sovereignty.
A coronet is a heraldic device denoting Nobility.
Queen Victoria’s iconic sapphire and diamond coronet.
A crown is a symbol of a Monarch or Sovereign Prince and generally encloses the head.
Christian crowns generally have arches surmounted by a cross which is a form of religious symbolism. Royal crowns have arches dipped at the center and Imperial crowns do not.
Tiara History
Tiaras are commonly associated with three things: Queens, brides and pageant winners. The earliest tiaras were found in the Greek/Roman world. Goldsmiths created crowns to top the heads of statues of Gods and priests. The Greeks also awarded crowns (made of various metal or laurel leaves) to their early Olympic champions. In Egyptian culture, the crown symbolized respect and was placed on the heads of royal and noble mummies. Tiara’s and crowns really came into vogue during the Tudor reign and Bourbon monarchs began creating elaborate tiaras in the French court. However, it is today’s British monarchy, and other noble brides, who have worn the most beautiful tiaras. Most were created in the 19th and 20th centuries.
The Strathmore Rose Tiara
Queen Victoria
I find it quite interesting that one of Britain’s most beloved queens, Victoria, wore a simple headpiece/wreath of orange blossoms upon her head when she married her beloved Prince Albert.
Here is an 1847 painting by Franz Xaver Winterhalter of Queen Victoria in her wedding clothes. It shows her wearing a wreath of orange blossoms, the diamond and sapphire brooch given to her by Albert on their wedding day, and the collar of the Order of the Garter.
PBS is currently showing season two of Victoria which is a feast for the eyes jewelry wise. In addition, I wholeheartedly recommend “The Young Victoria” with Emily Blunt for the Royal loving soul.
Her daughter, Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, followed suit by wearing orange blossoms when she married Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia on January 25, 1858, at the Chapel Royal at St. James Palace in London.
When King Edward VII, Queen Victoria’s eldest son, wed the lovely Alexandra of Denmark she also wore a crown of flowers. But the fashions would soon change with royal brides.
Queen Mary
The one time Princess May of Teck, a German Princess, was presented a wedding gift by Lady Eve Greville’s committee which raised funds for The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara. The gift celebrated her 1893 wedding to Prince George, The Duke of York. She, of course, would later become Queen Mary when the prince, son of King Edward VII, became King George V. Princess May combined the best of both worlds and wore the tiara and flowers.
The diamond tiara was purchased from Garrard Jewelers. It has been described as having a diamond festoon-and-scroll design surmounted by nine large oriental pearls on diamond spikes and set on a bandeau base of alternate round and lozenge collets between two plain bands of diamonds.
Queen Mary gave the tiara to Queen Elizabeth on the occasion of her wedding to Prince Philip.
The Queen Mum
Next, we have the beautiful Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. I am sure that when she wed the Albert, Duke of York, second son of King George V she never dreamed that she would someday be Queen Consort to her husband, King George VI. Her ivory veil made of Flanders lace was secured in place with a simple wreath of myrtle leaves, a cluster of white York roses and white heather positioned on either side of her head.
Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon became Queen Consort largely due to a twice-divorced American woman, Wallis Simpson. In one of the most scandalous unions of all time, King Edward VIII (King George VI’s older brother) abdicated the throne so that he could marry her. After his abdication and their subsequent marriage six months later they became the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. The Duchess wore a simple “Wallis blue” silk dress and a hat enhanced with pink and blue feathers by French milliner Caroline Reboux on her wedding day.
Queen Elizabeth
When H.M. Queen Elizabeth, then Princess Elizabeth, married Prince Philip she wore the Fringe Tiara.
It was created in 1919 using diamonds that had been part of a tiara/necklace given by Queen Victoria to Queen Mary on the occasion of her marriage in 1893. Queen Mary gave it to the Queen Mother when she ascended the throne in 1937. It was then passed on to Elizabeth II.
There are reports that on the day of Princess Elizabeth’s wedding the tiara snapped in half. Given that the royal jeweler was standing by it was quickly repaired in time for the royal bride to walk down the aisle.
The Fringe tiara has also worn by Princess Anne when she married Capt. Mark Phillips in 1973.
When Princess Anne’s son, Peter Phillips, married Autumn Kelley in 2008 the bride wore the Festoon tiara loaned to her by her mother in law.
Anne, the Princess Royal, received the tiara as a gift from the World Wide Shipping Group when she christened one of their ships in 1973.
When Princess Anne’s daughter, Zara Phillips, married in 2011 she wore her mother’s Meander tiara.
The tiara once belonged to Princess Andrew of Greece and Denmark (born Princess Alice of Battenberg), mother of Prince Phillip. Alice gave the tiara to her daughter-in-law, Queen Elizabeth, as a wedding gift in 1947.
The tiara was then given to Princess Anne in 1972. The all-diamond design features large Greek key designs. The central element is a laurel wreath which surrounds a large brilliant cut diamond. Honeysuckle motifs are on either side.
Princess Margaret
Queen Elizabeth’s sister, Princess Margaret wore The Poltmore tiara for her wedding to Anthony Armstrong~Jones, Lord Snowdon.
The Poltmore tiara was originally made by Garrard for Florence, Lady Poltimore, wife of the second Baron Poltimore, in the 1870’s. It was auctioned off in 1959 by the fourth Baron Poltimore and presumably purchased for Princess Margaret.
The tiara features cushion-shaped and old-cut diamonds that are set in a gold and silver scroll motif. It is a convertible piece which can break down into a necklace and 11 brooches. Sadly, it was sold by the children of the late Princess, Viscount Linley, and Lady Sarah Chatto, at a Christie’s auction in 2006.
When Princess Margaret’s son, then Viscount David Linley now Lord Snowdon, married Serena Stanhope in 1993 she wore the Papyrus tiara also known as the Lotus Flower tiara.
The Papyrus tiara was originally worn by the beloved Queen Mum. It was created by Garrard from one of her wedding gifts, a necklace of a Greek key pattern with pendant diamonds and pearls given to her by her husband. Once she was Queen the necklace was dismantled and reworked into the tiara.
Princess Margaret’s daughter, Lady Sarah Armstrong Jones, who was Lady Diana Spencer’s eldest bridesmaid, wore the Snowdon Floral Tiara for her 1994 wedding. The tiara was created from three separate antique brooches Anthony Armstrong-Jones (Lord Snowdon) had given to Princess Margaret.
One of the sweetest twists on tiaras was that of the Duchess of York’s tiara. She entered Westminster Abbey as a commoner wearing a wreath of flowers upon her head in 1986.
When exiting the church as the Duchess of York she wore a tiara.
The tiara was created specifically for Sarah by the Queen, to be worn on her wedding day. It was made by Garrad’s jewelers.
Countess of Wessex
On her wedding day to Queen Elizabeth’s youngest son, Prince Edward, Sophie Rhys~Jones wore a tiara from the Queen’s private collection. The tiara consists of three open-work scroll motifs, designed and remodeled by the Crown Jeweler, David Thomas, at Asprey and Garrard. If only all brides could have a “something borrowed” such as this. As a side note, her Prince designed the pearl wedding jewelry.
Diana, Princess of Wales
My favorite Princess, Diana, wore the Spencer Family Tiara on her wedding day to Prince Charles in 1981.
The Spencer family tiara is a delicate tiara featuring diamonds mounted in gold. The tiara is made of several separate jeweled pieces including a tiara owned by Frances, Viscountess Montagu and left to Lady Sarah Spencer in 1875. The tiara is thought to have been made in 1767, but the style suggests the 1830s. The central element was a wedding gift from Lady Sarah Spencer to Cynthia, Viscountess Althorp (Diana’s grandmother) in 1919. In the 20th century, it was remounted and four other elements were made to match it.
Duchess of Cambridge
Many thought that Catherine Middleton might wear the Spencer family tiara when she married Prince William in 2011. But she was loaned, by the Queen, the Cartier Halo tiara.
The tiara was initially purchased from Cartier in 1936 as an anniversary gift from King George VI to his wife. Eight years later it was presented to Princess, now Queen, Elizabeth as an 18th-birthday gift. I think it was fitting that the Duchess of Cambridge wore this tiara as it was originally bought for a commoner that became a Duchess, and then a Queen. Much like Catherine herself will be.
Have you ever worn a tiara?
Laura
Enjoyed this one as much as the last. I'm certain you know much more about this than my English mother 🙂
I'm a bit perplexed about the tea party date as that is the day a gang of law school spring breakers arrive on my doorstep. Must see if I can work it out, so want to join in.
Haven't seen the Emily Blunt movie, must rectify. Did see The Kings Speech – loved it. Also funny, I mentioned a crown in my post today but it was more of the tooth variety 🙂
Laura,
You haven't missed a beat. Such fun to come and indulge in the royalness here each Wed. Loving this!
Sherry
Wow Laura…….what a bevy of fun things to do! I shall endeavor to attend the tea. Will there be fresh lemon curd and Devon cream? How about some hardcore Scrumpie??? Have you ever had it? It's a regional brew on the level of moonshine….I was told “it will take the paint off the side of a barn” when I sampled a few pints. So yummy on a cold English night, sitting by a warm pub fire.
Hugs,
Meri
Oh, this is all so interesting. Such beautiful photos and such beautiful headwear…everything is so….
well….royal. 🙂
You did such a nice job on your post. I can see it took a lot of time and effort. Thanks so much.
I love Princess Margaret's tiara–SO TALL…oooh ahhh…but, my vote for lovely Catherine is the Cambridge Lover's Knot. It is such an iconic piece and would be another sparkling nod to the late Queen of Hearts. Love the post–was waiting for it this morning!!!
–Tara
What a beautiful, informative post. I visited a tiara display at V&A museum in London. What a disappointment – they wouldn't let us try them on!LOL. Had I know about this I would have shared some of my postcards from this event.
Carol
Laura,
Thank you for the beautiful and informative post. Since I was born in June and the pearl is my birthstone, I favor the Cambridge Lover's Knot.
I wish were closer and could attend the wonderful event you have planned. I will however be participating in your online link parties!
Love,
Deborah
xoxo
LOVING the tiaras and the stories behind them…and ohhhhhhhh I am hoping I get an invite to this tea!! :):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):)
Fabulous! Love reading this. Now when I wore that crown at Not Too Shabby, this is what they told me. If the back is open it is a tiera. If the back is closed, it is a crown. Don't know if that is true….
Thank you for such an in-depth look at the royal tiaras! I couldn't even begin to guess which one will adorn the new princess's head, but my favorite is the one Queen Mary gave to Queen Elizabeth when she married Prince Phillip.
Wow, that was fun! I absolutely LOVE the last one..it gets my vote! I hope she picks it!
Wish I lived closer, a tea sounds divine!
Hugs to you!
Missy
What lovely tiaras! I can't even imagine wearing one. But, I'm thinking it would be fun to construct one for my beautiful “princess” granddaughter to wear…
More wedding fun! I love the idea of the High Tea Tablescape since I can't join the “real” party. Let's see, scones, cream, strawberries, cucumber sandwiches….
This was a wonderful post, Laura. I know it took a great deal of research, so thank you for doing the legwork for all of us. I hope Catherine wears the Cambridge Lover's Knot as that picture of Diana is one of my favorites. Maybe she will have one designed for her. They are all lovely, but I have to say Victoria gets my vote with her crown of Orange Blossoms. Young Victoria is on my Netflix list and I will be moving it up the queue. Ann
Dear Laura,
“Well done!”
I applaud you on this nifty post…you have done a super job!!!
You can't see me, but I'm waving at you the famous Queen handwave.
Enjoyed all the pictures with info.
God bless and may you have a sweet life!
d from homehaven
Hmmmmmmm, it's a toss up between Sarah's and Autumn Kelley's. All of the tiaras are beautiful though. Thanks for doing all that research and sharing it with us!
Laura you are such a breath of fresh air … & so full of fun & rich history. I love each but Diana was my favorite for all times.
I'll try to make it if at all possible, my friend. You are a GEM!
So privileged to call you friend.
Have a beautiful day.
TTFN ~
Hugs,
Marydon
So very interesting and informative! My favorite is Queen Mary's tiara. I am already thinking about what hat and dress to wear. Do I wear gloves? So many decisions!!! RSVP for the Bloggers Tea.
Hi Laura,
as I love jewels, I enjoyed your very informative post so much. If I could, I would choose Sarahs tiara. They are all wonderful, but I like Sara's best.
I will try to join in your High Tea Party. Thank you for hosting this fun.
Greetings, Johanna
Second comment today!!! O.K., not only do I want that bauble in your last pic, but I also want that nifty, nifty BOX it comes in!! It's SO COOL.
Pip, pip & cheerio,
Tara
Another stunning and informative post! Funny thing is we were discussing tiaras last night, no seriously, we were. Why? Because my daughter just got engaged and she wants to wear one at her own wedding and in our eyes she really is a princess!
Oh I learned some interesting things from you today again, Laura! I love the flowers pinned on the dresses in Victoria's age; and her orange blossom headdress. I join the crowd in thinking the Lover's Knot will be chosen. It's so pretty and simple. I caught part of a show about the D+D of Windsor last night and thought of you!
I loved this post so much! I am marking my calendar for all these lovely activities. I don't have a favorite tiara, I think she is going to be lovely no matter which she wears. So, will she wear flowers in and a tiara out??
The wedding will be the same day as my husband birthday. This date will be forever in my heart! I also have friday's off, so I will not move from the news as it is shown to us. I have watched over and over and own the Young Victoria. I love this movie…I also have an older version too! I love the Queen Victoria. She is who I admire most. I love all the history Dear Laura that you inform us of. So happy you have spent the time to share this with us! THANK YOU!
~Shirley
Laura…this is such a fabulous post. As one whose computer is misbehaving {badly, I might add} this is just what I need. A fantasy. Thank you sweet friend. Maybe I'll put on a tiara and that will make my computer behave better {or my family will have me sent away to a padded room} xoxo Lidy
I love all the tiaras! About ten years ago I wanted one and my dear husban actually found a tiara-like headband for me. I bought my daughter one in Lebanon for her 14th birthday. There is nothing like a tiara to make a girl feel special.
The Love knot for all the way for Kate! So beautiful, so her. I plan to ask off of work for the tea party! I look forward to it. Nice post, just spoon feed me the Royal scoop! Hugs, Karen
Laura, I am SO late today, but I wanted to drop by and see what was on tap. This was a neat post, and I hope that Kate wears the Lover's Knot tiarra. That's my favorite out of all of them, and it was stunning on Diana. I adore it.
Hope all is well there. I have had the craziest three days imaginable, and I hope it lets up some by tomorrow! I started feeling like I was coming down with this respiratory thing again. I hope and pray not.
Can't wait for next week's installment. Thanks SO much for doring this.
Love you…
XO.
Sheila 🙂
BEST. RWW. YET! Even if I didn't get to read it until Thursday. 😉
When I saw the post this morning, I went and made my morning cup of tea (in a pretty cup, not my usual mug), turned off the TV and sat myself in my favorite chair. I may have to make this my RWW ritual.
Oh, tiaras! How I love thee! My only regret about my wedding is that I didn't wear a tiara. I wanted one, but they were not popular in 1995 and I was too timid (I laugh at that now) to put my foot down with the wedding coordinator and get the tiara I wanted. When my friend got married in 2000, they were back in style and she wanted the biggest tiara she could find (think the Miss Universe tiara).
I can't wait to see what Kate will wear. I'm assuming that like, Sarah Ferguson, she will wear something different into the church than what she wears out of it. I think that's actually a nice touch. You didn't showcase it here, but I'm a big fan of Grand Duchess Vladamir's Tiara, which is now owned by the queen. It's a bit showy though, and I think Kate will likely go with something simpler, like the Cambridge Lover's Knot or my personal favorite, the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara. Perhaps I'll wear a tiara while watching the royal wedding. 🙂
Oh how I wish we still lived in AZ, just so I could come to your tea party! I'd love to join in on the internet parties though!
No Diana for Catherine, I'm affraid. Though she would look lovely with it; but I think the ring and then the tiara will somehow bring more comparisons and a certain Mummy's-boy for William and he won't wish that for his wedding day.
I have a feeling Kate will go for “The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara”.
Now that I put the jewel out of sight I must thank you and die-of-utter-envy with the work and knowledge that it took to build this post.
You're The Crown Jewel of Bloggers, Princess Laura.
Have a Nice Day!
Teresa
I so enjoyed this! I have a tiara my cousins bought me for my 50th but it is nothing like these! LOL
I hope she chooses the Queen Mary/Diana with the pearls is beautiful.
What a wonderfully informative and fun post! LOVE the beautiful tiaras…I've always dreamed of wearing a tiara!
Your Tea sounds like it will be a most beautiful event! I so wish I lived closer! Such fun!!!
Have a beautiful day~
;-D Kathleen
After reading all of that I'm putting on one of my vinatge Tiara's that I have collected
Janice
So much fabulous info!
I was at a mom's wine
tasting last night and
we were talking about
putting together a party
to celebrate the nuptials,
where everyone would come
in a hat, etc. Such a
fun event to plan a party
around : ) Thanks for
this lovely post.
xx Suzanne
This is a wonderful post full of great information and photos. Thank you for pulling this altogether. You did a first class job! I'm thrilled to find your Royal Wedding Wednesdays. I'm off to visit the ones I've missed.
My vote? I give a thumbs up for the Cambridge Lover's Knot. I love the mix of pearls with the diamonds.
~ Sarah
Funness! I love all the tiaras! I have a hat! Wow! Maybe I find it! 🙂
I think that I can go… I will have to check. It will be a hoot!
~Liz
Hi, What a great post. Its so hard to decide, but I adored Diana and would have to choose her tiara! I would love to attend the Tea Party. This will be such a fun event.
Have a pretty week, Gail
i just saw the Spencer tiara last week at the Diana exhibit in Grand Rapids, MI. BEAUTIFUL!!! the whole exhibit was fabulous….can't wait until April 29th 🙂
beth
goodvariety@yahoo.com
What a great history of tiaras. Thank you.
Very nice article. Enjoyed learning more about the tiaras. I am in the middle of watching The Crown so I have the bug.
This post was exceptional, Laura! You have outdone yourself again! I enjoy all the royal posts you do.
Thanks for all the work.
Jeepers, they have so many of them. Couldn’t we just have one that we could pass around?
What beautiful photos…..makes us all ooooohhhh and aaaahhhh! And no, I’ve never worn one. I’m showing off the pretty things you made and sent me today on my blog. I hope you can stop by to visit! Thank you so much! Hugs!
This is great fun, Laura. You know I love your royal posts! I think I love the pearl coronet and Strathmore (?) tiara most. Small and simple. But oh, so many are really beautiful.
Loved this – I loved Margaret’s and didn’t realize they sold it! That’s strange. I would have thought it wsa the Queen’s to sell???
AND – isn’t the rule that if you aren’t titled, y ou don’t wear a tiara. That’s why they change and wear a tiara after the wedding. Not sure about that.
Fabulous story!!!!!!!!!
Another wonderful post, Laura. I’ve never worn a tiara, and I hear they are quite heavy. One would have to practice wearing one I think. It’s hard to choose a favourite.
Fascinating! I actually learned several things from your post.
This is so interesting! I”ve been watching The Crown, so my curiosity about the royal family is heightened these days.
wow, such a lot of detailed research must have gone into this. I had a tiara shaped thing on my head on my wedding day but it was lace and flowers not jewelled. It had belonged to my mum so passed down in the same way the royals seem to but on a much simpler level!
I’ve been watching Victoria and the Crown recently and both tv programmes seem to pay so much attention to getting the costumes right, it’s nice to see the original photos that you’ve shared here.
Amazing post! I LOVE photos of Queens and tiaras. I wore a tiara for my wedding, just a small one.. but it was so elegant! Thanks for this fantastic post. I am visiting from Katherine’s Corner.
I read your post five times and enjoyed every second. It was so much fun and interesting as well.
Fascinating info Laura! You have really done your research, and it’ll be interesting to see how Meghan Markle is outfitted.
I really enjoyed this post, Laura! It’s really well researched and so interesting! I’ve been lucky enough to see some of these beautiful tiaras in real life, on a special tour at Buckingham Palace a few years ago. They are stunning and their histories are just fascinating. Thank you so much for sharing this post at the Hearth and Soul Link Party.
Laura, you have written a beautiful article on all these royal tiaras. So ethereal!!! Well done!!! I pinned a bunch of photos to my Period Dress and Ethereal Hairstyles boards as I don’t have a Royalty board, though I ought to since I have followed them since Diana married Prince Charles. <3 I love how you told each royal family member's story and listed them ancestorially {if that is a word} ~ makes it so much easier to see who is related to whom. I haven't been watching Victoria, though. Finally saw some of The Tudors this fall on a binge weekend! Will catch up eventually. 🙂
Have a great rest of your weekend and I enjoyed our visit with the Lone Star girls on Wednesday. A fun group!
Hugs,
Barb 🙂