Diana’s wedding tiara on display in London

A unique exhibition, which alone would be worth the price of a plane ticket to London. It opens on May 28 at Sotheby’s Power & Image: Royal & Aristocratic Tiarasan exhibition included in the calendar of events organized for Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth dedicated to diadems (until June 15).
A name is enough to make it even more tempting for real jewelry lovers: the Spencer Tiara. At number 34-35 of New Bond Street it will be possible to see live, for the first time since the 1960s, that “crown” worn by Diana on the day of her wedding with Prince Charles on July 29, 1981.
The precious relic, much loved by fans of the Princess of Wales (and not only) is not part of her majesty’s collection but, as the name suggests, belongs to the Spencer family. She flaunted it in surprise the young Lady D although Elizabeth had offered her the Cambridge Lover’s Knot Tiaraunderlining his lineage with this gesture.

The diadem of diamonds mounted on gold and silver with the garland motif that intertwines in the center to form a heart dates back to 1767. The design has changed over time but it is in the 1930s, when the Garrard maison puts its hands on it, that it takes on the aspect that entered our imagination thanks to that famous one royal wedding. Passed from generation to generation, the Spencer tiara records its pivotal moment in 1919 when Lady Cynthia HamiltonDiana’s grandmother, receives it as a gift for the marriage to Viscount Althorpthe future 7th Earl Spencer.

In her short but intense real life, the princess has had the opportunity to show off the diadem numerous times and she did it not only for sentimental reasons but also for convenience: it seems it was the most comfortable of those she had available (Cambridge Lover’s Knot Tiara included).

Diana wasn’t the only one wearing the Spencer Tiara. In 1978 she got around her sister’s head Janein 1980 the other sister Sarah and in 1989 Victoria Lockwoodbrother’s first wife Charles Spencer. The last time we saw her on Diana was 1993 and, after decades of oblivion, the tiara reappeared in 2018 at the wedding of Celia McCorquodalethe daughter of Lady Sarah.

But this is not the only reason why the exhibition at Sotheby’s is not to be missed. There are about fifty tiaras of aristocratic and royal origin present, some of which are exhibited for the first time. The itinerary reviews the various styles appreciated over time, starting from the tiaras of the Napoleonic period up to those with a modern and contemporary design.

Among the best known and priceless specimens, we can mention the emerald and diamond tiara designed by Prince Albert for Queen Victoria in 1845, the tiara in gold, enamel and cameos made around 1805 in Paris for Giuseppina Bonaparte by the artist Jacques-Ambroise Oliveras, recently auctioned at Sotheby’s and some pieces worn right in the day of the queen’s coronation in 1953 as the diadem of Angleseythe Derby tiara and the Westminster Halo Tiara.

One of the most interesting aspects of this exhibition is the modern reinterpretation of a jewel with such a long tradition as we had the opportunity to see at Met Galaa trend in vogue probably also thanks to TV series such as The Crown And Bridgerton.
The jewelry designer Christopher Thompson Royds has created for the occasion a refined contemporary tiara with gods do not forget me 18-karat gold (Diana’s favorite flower) while Kiki McDonougha signature much appreciated by the Duchess Kate, has ventured into one kokoshnik tiara of diamonds.

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– Lady Diana’s wedding dress, everything (still) you need to know