One of the biggest perks of being a royal is getting to wear the crown jewels. They're absolutely stunning, and so exclusive. As part of Queen Elizabeth's massive $6.5 billion jewelry collection, she has tons of tiaras in particular that are coveted by the royal ladies for special events.
Royals can only begin wearing tiaras once they're married, which makes their wedding crowns that much more special. And for married women, tiaras replace hats at formal events that begin after 5 p.m. That's why the Queen, Kate Middleton, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, and more are usually spotted in the jewels at dinner parties.
Among the vast array of royal sparklers, here are 20 tiaras that stand out for their beauty, prestige, and unique history.
Strathmore Tiara
According to Express, this gorgeous floral tiara has only ever been worn by the late Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, and it was first given to her by her parents (the Strathmores) when she married the Duke of York in 1923. The Strathmore Tiara is quite a modest tiara, since at the time there was no expectation that she would become Queen — the Duke of York's brother's abdication changed all that. The tiara's jeweled flowers could be removed to wear as brooches and swapped out for sapphires.
Poltimore Tiara
This crown was a favorite of Princess Margaret's. She infamously wore the Poltimore Tiara not just on her wedding day, but also once for a photo of her taken in a bathtub — the crown perched on her beehive. After her death in 2002, the tiara was among some of the items her children sold at auction. It went for $1.7 million.
Snowdon Floral Tiara
Princess Margaret's daughter Lady Sarah Chatto got her own tiara for her wedding day. Known as the Snowdown Floral Tiara, it was made up of three diamond brooches that Margaret received as wedding gifts from her husband, Antony Armstrong-Jones. They were crafted into a crown specifically to commemorate Sarah's marriage.
Girls of Great Britain & Ireland Tiara
According to the Royal Collection Trust, the Girls of Great Britain & Ireland Tiara was originally a wedding gift to Queen Mary from "the girls of Great Britain and Ireland" — hence its name. In 1947, Mary gave the jewels to her granddaughter, the then Princess Elizabeth. The now-Queen has worn it on several occasions, including in this portrait with her husband, the late Prince Philip.
Spencer Family Tiara
These days, royal women tend to borrow wedding tiaras from the Queen's collection, but Princess Diana's crown came from her own line of aristocratic family jewels. The Spencer Family Tiara was also worn by both of Diana's sisters for their own wedding days. It became one of Diana's favorite pieces of jewelry and she wore it throughout her royal life, but no one has worn it since her 1997 death.
York Diamond Tiara
Sarah Ferguson's wedding tiara was gifted to her by the Queen and Prince Philip, along with a matching necklace, earrings, and a bracelet — a set valued at $800,000. Fergie continued to wear the York Diamond Tiara for many royal engagements, and she even continued to sport it after her divorce from Prince Andrew. She was last spotted wearing it in 2001.
Kent Diamond & Pearl Fringe Tiara
The Kent Diamond and Pearl Fringe Tiara originally started as a modest diamond bandeau worn by Queen Mary's daughter-in-law, Princess Marina. When Marina's son, the Duke of Kent, got married to Katharine Worsley, the crown passed into her hands. She later had it redesigned to include an array of pearls atop the diamonds.
Lover's Knot Tiara
This diamond and pearl crown was a favorite of Diana's, and Kate Middleton has since worn it as well. The Lover's Knot tiara originally belonged to Queen Mary, who commissioned the jewels in 1913. It was later given to Queen Elizabeth and then to Diana. The gorgeous piece is reportedly very heavy, with Vogue noting that Diana allegedly got headaches from wearing it.
George IV State Diadem Crown
These days, the Queen wears this massive tiara when going to the State Opening of Parliament, and she's pictured in it on the country's stamps and coins. The George IV State Diadem Crown contains an impressive 1,333 diamonds. Now synonymous with Queen Elizabeth, the crown was initially commissioned by George IV for his coronation in 1821.
Delhi Durbar Tiara
According to Tatler, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall got to wear the Delhi Durbar Tiara at her first state banquet after marrying Prince Charles. The swirly head piece was created in 1911 for Queen Mary to wear to the coronation of King George V as Emperor of India. It had to be especially made for the occasion, because she wasn't permitted to take any of the crown jewels outside of Britain to attend the coronation.
Halo Tiara
Kate Middleton chose the Halo Tiara to wear on her wedding day. The Cartier piece has more than 800 diamonds in it and was originally gifted to the Queen Mother by King George VI. She later passed it down to Queen Elizabeth on her 18th birthday, nine years before she ascended the throne. And now it's been worn by Kate, future queen consort of England. What a legacy.
Meander Tiara
The Meander Tiara comes from Prince Philip's family line, and it was originally his mother's — Princess Alice, who married Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark. The tiara's name comes from its Greek key pattern, the meander. Alice wore the tiara often before gifting it to Queen Elizabeth when she married Prince Philip. It then passed to Princess Anne, who lent it to her daughter, Zara, for her wedding in 2011.
Diamond Bandeau
Meghan Markle's tiara of choice for her wedding day was the Diamond Bandeau. Originally belonging to Queen Mary, it was specially designed to feature Mary's 10-diamond brooch. She got the brooch as a wedding gift in 1893 and had it turned into a tiara in 1932, which she would eventually pass down to Queen Elizabeth.
Iveagh Tiara
Queen Mary received the Iveagh Tiara from Lord and Lady Iveagh, and she passed it down to her daughter-in-law, Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester. Over the years since, it's also been called the Gloucester Leafage Tiara. In 2008, Lady Rose Windsor, daughter of the current Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, wore the crown at her wedding.
Greville Emerald Kokoshnik Tiara
For her wedding in 2018, Princess Eugenie chose to wear the Greville Emerald Kokoshnik Tiara. It's more than 100 years old and wasn't originally a royal-owned piece. According to Vogue, the crown was held by socialite Dame Margaret Greville, who, upon her death, gifted all her jewels to the Queen Mother. It later passed to Queen Elizabeth, who lent it to Eugenie.
Lotus Flower Tiara
The Queen Mother had this tiara made from a necklace originally given to her as a wedding present from her husband. Princess Margaret was gifted the Lotus Flower Tiara ahead of her wedding, and she lent it to her daughter-in-law, Serena Stanhope, for her marriage to Margaret's son in 1993. These days, it's mostly been worn by Kate Middleton to several official royal events.
Grand Duchess Vladimir Tiara
This crown comes from the Romanov dynasty, smuggled out before the Russian revolution. The Grand Duchess Vladimir Tiara was eventually sold to Queen Mary, who added her own flair to the tiara. She commissioned a mechanism that allowed either emeralds or pearls to be strung along the inside of the diamond circles. It's considered one of Queen Elizabeth's favorites.
Brazilian Aquamarine Tiara
For her coronation, the Queen was gifted a gorgeous pair of Brazilian aquamarine earrings and a matching necklace from the Brazilian president. In 1957, she commissioned a tiara to match those gems. The tall (and pointy) Brazilian Aquamarine Tiara highlights the light blue jewels, and it has been worn by the Queen on many occasions over the years.
Queen Mary Fringe Tiara
Most recently worn by Princess Beatrice for her 2020 wedding, the Queen Mary Fringe Tiara has long been a popular royal wedding tiara. Before Beatrice, it was worn by the Queen herself when she got married in 1947, and Princess Anne also wore it for her wedding to Mark Phillips in 1973. The piece was commissioned by Queen Mary in 1919 and named after her.
Burmese Ruby & Diamond Tiara
This is perhaps the most useful crown in the Queen's collection, as the rubies are said to ward off evil. The press had a field day with that when the Queen wore the Burmese Ruby and Diamond Tiara to a dinner with former US President Donald Trump. Whether it actually wards off evil or not, the crown is spectacular, filled with rubies from Myanmar (formerly Burma).
