It is tradition for royal brides to wear a tiara on their wedding day - indeed, protocol dictates that they aren't allowed to wear them until that occasion. Lady Diana Spencer chose a family heirloom for her 1981 wedding to Prince Charles, touchingly paying tribute to her own family rather than borrowing a different diadem from the Queen's sprawling collection. It had been worn by her two elder sisters, Lady Jane Fellowes and Lady Sarah McCorquodale on their weddings, and was crafted by Garrard in 1919 from several jewels that had been gifted to the Spencers.
The other tiara that Diana is most closely associated with is the Cambridge Lover's Knot Tiara, which she was reportedly first loaned by the Queen for her wedding day, before choosing to wear her family's diadem instead. The diamond and pearl piece was made in 1914 for Queen Mary, and was modelled on one owned by her grandmother, Princess Augusta of Hesse. It was widely reported that Diana got headaches when she wore it, due to its weight.
Diana frequently returned to the Spencer tiara, with its sweet floral design, which perfectly suited her bouncy blonde bob of the 1980s. Here she is wearing it with the sapphire earrings and necklace gifted to her by the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia on her wedding day, at a banquet in Brisbane during her first ever royal tour of Australia and New Zealand. Later that same year, Diana wore the Cambridge Lover's Knot Tiara, this time matching it perfectly to her pearl drop earrings and white gown.
She opted for comfort during her pregnancy with Prince Harry, choosing the less heavyweight Spencer tiara. Starting to find her feet sartorially, Diana oozes confidence by finding a new way to wear a gift from the Queen, this emerald and diamond choker, which becomes Wonder Woman-esque when worn across her forehead to match her turquoise gown designed by the Emanuels. Proving how diverse the Spencer tiara was, here Diana wears it with an altogether more daring look for the young royal: a navy velvet gown with sweetheart neckline and lace insert, plus a sapphire and diamond choker from the Saudi suite.
Diana looks every inch the Princess wearing her family diadem and a Catherine Walker sleeveless gown for this state occasion, accessorising further with her pearls and elbow length gloves. Really finding her fashion feet now, Diana again adapted an existing piece to be worn as a tiara across her forehead, this time using the Saudi Suite's sapphire and diamond choker. She teamed it with the matching earrings and a vibrantly hued dress in the same colour.
A real fashion moment, Diana exudes cool confidence in this two-tone black and white gown featuring giant bow at the waist by the Emanuels, which she teams with her shorter cropped hair, red lipstick and the Cambridge Lover's Knot Tiara. Exuding happiness, Diana looks beautiful in the Spencer tiara here, which she is wearing with a sapphire and diamond necklace with matching earrings, both gifts from the Sultan of Oman. The elegant cut of the off-the-shoulder dress accentuates her long neck, while the sapphires add a sparkle to her blue eyes.
Clearly the best dressed guest at the party, Diana accessorised her one-shoulder turquoise gown with a lot of jewels: namely the Spencer tiara, Queen Mary's emerald and diamond choker necklace and earrings plus her Royal Order. One of Diana's most famous fashion moments, wearing a Catherine Walker gown that was widely dubbed 'the Elvis dress', the look may not have become so iconic were in not for the addition of the Cambridge Lover's Knot Tiara, which brings the entire look together so well with its pearl details. Thought to be the last outing of the Cambridge Lover's Knot Tiara, Diana teamed it with an asymmetrical one-sleeved gown by Catherine Walker and her favourite pearl drop earrings.
Upon her divorce from Prince Charles in 1996, she was required to return the tiara, as it belonged to the Royal Family and she was no longer a member. A new colour for the Princess, 1993 saw her wearing this vibrant lime green dress by Kelly with Queen Mary's emerald and diamond choker necklace, plus the Spencer tiara, naturally. This was one of the last occasions that she wore it.
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