The British royal jewels are some of the most envied in the world, and the late Queen often lent tiaras from the collection to members of her family. But sometimes royals have opted to wear their own tiaras, including Sophie, Countess of Wessex this week at the latest State Banquet. Here are some of the most iconic tiaras royals have acquired themselves over the years.
Princess Margaret – Poltimore Tiara
Although she was the Queen’s only sister, Princess Margaret decided to wear a diadem she had purchased herself at an auction to her wedding in 1960.
The Poltimore Tiara is famous for its imposing height and elegant design, and Margaret often wore it on top of high hair-dos.
The tiara was left to Margaret’s children when she died in 2002 and it has since been sold.
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Sophie, Countess of Wessex- Aquamarine Necklace Tiara
Sophie, Countess of Wessex often wears blue gemstones, and she has been pictured in the past wearing the Queen’s Five Aquamarine Tiara.
But Sophie also owns her own aquamarine diadem, the Wessex Aquamarine Necklace Tiara, which she wore most recently to the State Banquet for South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The Wessex Aquamarine Necklace Tiara was believed to have been made by Collins and Sons for Sophie, and it features an oval aquamarine at its centre.
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When the Queen ascended the throne in 1952, she opted to let the Queen Mother keep the ruby Oriental Circlet Tiara from the royal collection.
In need of a ruby diadem, the Queen had the Nizam of Hyderabad Tiara that she had received as a wedding gift dismantled and turned into a new design.
The Burmese Ruby Tiara was also made from the rubies gifted to her by the people of Burma (now Myanmar) to mark her wedding in 1947.
The elegant diadem is adorned with rose motifs and is set on a bejewelled band at the hairline.
