The Princess of Wales has worn one of the most valuable tiaras in the royal
collection but it’s a mystery to most people and for a very
good reason.

The gem in question hasn’t been seen in public for over twenty
years and that’s because it had become so heavily associated with a
queen who wasn’t meant to have it that no one else really felt
happy wearing it

The tiara in question is called the Circlet and it’s a whopper
of a diadem, easily the biggest we’ve ever seen Kate wear.

It’s also a really important jewel for this is a tiara for
queens only. Kate is the first princess to be seen using it.

It was created in the 1850s for Queen Victoria with huge input
from her husband, Prince Albert. His German roots have played a big
part in the State Visit of the President of Germany so the choice
of the tiara is appropriate for a State Banquet in his honour.
However, the fact that it’s Kate wearing it and not Queen Camilla
is intriguing.

For this tiara has only ever been worn in public by women with
the title of queen. Victoria loved it and was often seen wearing it
although it looked slightly different in her day.

The basic structure is based on Indian architecture and features
large diamond arches. Prince Albert was deeply interested in multi
culturalism and art and combined the two to help create this tiara
which first started to come together in 1851, the year of the Great
Exhibition that he organised in London.

It was completed several years later and some of the diamonds in
it have an even older royal history as they belonged to Queen
Charlotte, grandmother of Queen Victoria and another German born
consort to a British monarch.

However, Albert designed this gem to feature opals as its other
stone. When he died, in 1861, Victoria put away her biggest jewels
and famously wore mourning for the rest of her life.

On her own death, in 1901, she passed this tiara to the Crown so
it could never leave the Royal Family. It was used by her
daughter-in-law, Queen Alexandra, but she thought the opals were
unlucky and had them replaced with rubies. That’s the design that
still exists today.

In the intervening years, this tiara has been worn by Queen
Alexandra, Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother and Queen
Elizabeth II. Seeing it on the Princess of Wales is a major royal
moment.

It’s also a new tiara to many royal watchers as it’s not really
been seen much in public in the 21st century. The Queen Mum loved
it and wore it often while her husband, King George VI, was on the
throne. On his death, it should really have passed to their
daughter, Elizabeth, who was now queen.

But the Queen Mum was so fond of it she decided to put that
decision on ice, no doubt with the full backing of her daughter,
and she continued to wear it throughout the later years of her
life. When she died, it finally came into Elizabeth II’s possession
full time but, perhaps understandably, she didn’t really take to
wearing it.

By then, it had become so closely associated with her mother
that it didn’t really find a home in her stable of tiaras.
Elizabeth II wore it in public once only, during a visit to Malta,
and after that it disappeared behind palace walls again.

Until now. Kate’s use of the tiara is a significant royal
moment, underlining her role as a queen to be. And it’s also pepped
everyone up in these dark December days for a little sparkle does
go a very long way.