Diamonds in Kate Middleton’s wedding tiara ‘small in comparison to Meghan’s’

Lifestyle

Royal weddings are big days for many, but especially for jewellery enthusiasts. This is because it is a moment for a royal bride to wear a tiara, usually from the Queen’s archive.

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Kate Middleton wore the Cartier Scroll tiara, borrowed from the Queen’s collection.

The piece was gifted to the Queen by her mother on her 18th birthday. It was crafted in 1936 and worn by the Queen mother after her wedding to King George.

Meghan Markle, on the other hand, wore the Queen Mary’s bandeau tiara, created 1932.

It was made using the centre brooch initially given to Princess Mary in 1893 by the County of Lincoln.

A jewellery expert analysed both the tiaras.

They revealed the tiara worn by Meghan for her wedding day features much larger diamonds.

Alex Michell Gemologist at Prestige Pawnbrokers of Channel 4’s Posh Pawn told Express.co.uk: “The Cartier Scroll tiara was ‘borrowed’ from Her Majesty, The Queen, on Kate’s wedding day.

“It has 149 baguette-cut diamonds as well as an astounding 739 brilliant cut diamonds of varying weights (size), with the largest being at the top in the centre.

“Most of the diamonds are small in comparison to the piece worn by The Duchess of Sussex but are subtle and beautifully set.”

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What is the history of the tiara Kate selected for her big day?

“This halo scroll tiara was made in platinum by Cartier for the Duke of York to give to his wife just before he became King George VI in 1936,” Alex said.

“The Queen Mother gave it to her daughter, at the time, Princess Elizabeth for her 18th Birthday present in 1944.

“The Queen Mother was only ever photographed wearing it once and then she was seen wearing much grander pieces.”

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Royal tiaras are hugely extravagant pieces and offer a glimpse of the past, when wearing such rare and precious gems was commonplace for the aristocracy.

Old British families might have a family tiara which has been handed down from such an era.

Both Princess Diana and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall wore their family tiaras for their weddings.

Experts suggest the Spencer Tiara would likely sell for up to £30,000,000 today.

But royals don’t exclusively wear expensive gems.

Kate Middleton wore a pair of much more modest £185 gold hoop earrings in a recent video. 

Kate wore the Daniella Draper hoop earrings that she had previously worn during her trip to Ireland.

The mini hoops are crafted from 9-carat gold and can be customised with charms – something Kate did for her previous look by adding shamrocks.

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