KATE MIDDLETON has graced royal fans with three tiaras during her time as the Duchess of Cambridge, compared to Meghan Markle, who since 2018 has only worn one tiara. Why is this?
Kate Middleton has worn three tiaras on 11 occasions throughout her time as a working royal. However, Meghan Markle has only worn one tiara since joining the Royal Family in 2018. Why is this? British royalty has strict rules regarding the use of tiaras, which makes the occasions of seeing these gems very special. The first time the Duchess of Cambridge wore a tiara was at her wedding, where she wore the Cartier Halo design. The reason for this is simple: “Traditionally, tiaras are a sign of marriage,” Grant Harrold, etiquette expert and formal royal butler told Insider.
“So, normally, they can be worn by a bride on her wedding day, or after she gets married, she can wear one to any white tie event.” According to the expert, women born as Princesses in British royalty can also use the item. In 2013, Kate wore another tiara publicly for the annual Buckingham Palace diplomatic reception. On the occasion, she wore the Lotus Flower Tiara, one of Princess Margaret’s favourite models that features pearls and diamonds. This same tiara was used by the Duchess on another occasion in 2015 for a state banquet in honour of the president of China.
However, the tiara most worn by Kate was Princess Diana’s favourite, the Lover’s Knot. She has been seen wearing it on eight occasions, the first being at the 2015 annual diplomatic reception, and then wearing the item for the same event for three consecutive years. Besides that special event, gala dinners, receptions at Buckingham Palace, and banquets were the other occasions chosen by Kate to appear in such a dazzling tiara. The last time the public saw the Duchess in a tiara was in 2019 at the Queen’s Diplomatic Corps reception. Again, she chose the Lover’s Knot tiara for the occasion. Kate is expected to wear another tiara whenever the next state visit will occur.
Meghan Markle, on the other hand, has only worn one tiara since becoming a royal, and that was for her wedding on May 19, 2018. The Duchess of Sussex wore Queen Mary’s Bandeau tiara, which was an Art Deco-style diamond-encrusted band that, in Meghan’s own words, appealed to her because it was “incredibly timeless but still [felt] modern”. Why has Meghan not worn a tiara since this day? Tiaras are usually worn by female members of the Royal Family at state dinners and banquets, however, Meghan only attended one during her time as a working royal.
This was in Fiji in 2018, but the Duchess reportedly did not wear a tiara due to it being seen as “reminiscent of a bygone era”, as was reported by Grazia at the time.
When then President Donald Trump visited the UK for a state visit in 2019, Meghan was on maternity leave so did not attend the state banquet where she may have been able to wear another tiara.
