All the Details on the Lover’s Knot Tiara, Kate Middleton’s Most-Worn Tiara

Queen Mary commissioned the tiara from Garrard in the early 1900s

NEED TO KNOW

• Queen Mary commissioned the lover’s knot in 1913 as a replica of her grandmother Princess Augusta of Hesse-Kassel’s tiara
• It was passed down to Queen Elizabeth, later loaned to Princess Diana and is now a favorite of Kate Middleton
• The tiara features diamonds, baroque pearls, and designer Garrard’s signature Sovereign motif

The royal family has no shortage of dazzling jewels in their collection, including an array of crowns and tiaras worn by Queen Elizabeth.

Among the mix of family jewels is the Lover’s Knot Tiara, which was originally commissioned by Queen Mary in the early 1900s as a replica of her grandmother Princess Augusta of Hesse-Kassel’s tiara. The dazzling tiara was designed by luxury jeweler Garrard, the former Crown Jeweller. The headpiece features a combination of diamonds and baroque pearls and invokes the designer’s signature Sovereign motif.

Queen Elizabeth inherited the Lover’s Knot Tiara from Queen Mary following her 1953 death. It was later worn by Princess Diana during her marriage to then-Prince Charles. While the tiara wasn’t worn for nearly two decades following Diana’s 1997 death, the headpiece reappeared in the mid-2010s when it was worn by Kate Middleton and has made over a dozen appearances since.

From its inspiration to its construction, here’s everything to know about the Lover’s Knot Tiara.

It was inspired by a tiara originally made in the 19th century

The Lover’s Knot Tiara was inspired by another piece, called the Cambridge Lover’s Knot tiara, created in the early 1800s for Princess Augusta of Hesse-Kassel, per Christie’s. The Cambridge Lover’s Knot Tiara is estimated to have been made around 1818, according to Barnebys, as a wedding gift to Augusta, who wed Prince Adolphus Frederick, a son of King George III and Queen Charlotte.

According to the outlet, Augusta wore the tiara often, including at the coronation of Queen Victoria in 1838. The tiara was later passed on to her daughter, Princess Augusta of Cambridge, who wore the tiara to the 1902 coronation of Edward VII. Later, the tiara would be given to her great-granddaughter, Duchess Jutta of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.

The tiara was ultimately sold at auction at Christie’s in Geneva in May 1981 to an unknown buyer.

A replica was made in the early 1900s for Queen Mary

Princess Augusta of Hesse-Kassel’s granddaughter, Mary of Teck — who later became Queen Mary — commissioned a version of the Cambridge Lover’s Knot Tiara in the early 20th century after the coronation of her husband, George V, according to Barnebys. Garrard created a replica of the Cambridge Lover’s Knot Tiara in 1913 for Queen Mary, per the luxury jewelry company. The tiara was later left to Queen Elizabeth.

Christie’s reported that two more versions were produced in the early 19th century in Germany: one for Amalia of Oldenburg, who was Queen of Greece from 1836 to 1862, and another for Princess Yusupova, though it went missing after the Russian Revolution.

Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara features open-heart motifs set with diamonds and 19 baroque pearls beneath. The design, known as the Sovereign motif, has been a signature of Garrard for nearly three centuries.

Queen Elizabeth, Princess Diana and Kate Middleton have all worn the tiara

The Lover’s Knot Tiara has been worn by several members of the royal family over the last century. Queen Mary originally left the tiara to her granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth, in 1953, the year after her coronation, per Barnebys. While the late monarch wore the Lover’s Knot Tiara during the early years of her reign, she later leaned toward other favorites, including the Vladimir Tiara and the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland sparkler.

After the late monarch stopped wearing the tiara, it was loaned to Diana in 1981 as a wedding present. Many believed she would have worn it on her wedding day, though Diana instead opted for the Spencer Tiara.

However, the late princess, who died in August 1997 at age 36, donned the stunning piece at several public appearances, including at the British Embassy in Washington, D.C. in 1985.

After Diana’s 1996 divorce from then-Prince Charles, the Lover’s Knot Tiara went back into Queen Elizabeth’s royal vault. While many believed Queen Elizabeth had gifted the tiara to Diana, The New York Times reported at the time that their divorce terms included Diana being able to keep the jewelry she received during their marriage, which signaled it had been a loan.

It would be years before Kate would wear the Lover’s Knot Tiara, but the headpiece would become a favorite of the princess, who has worn the piece more than a dozen times.

The Lover’s Knot Tiara wasn’t worn for nearly 20 years

After Diana’s death, the Lover’s Knot Tiara wasn’t seen for nearly two decades. In December 2015, the tiara resurfaced when Kate wore the stunning tiara at the Annual Diplomatic Reception at Buckingham Palace.

The Lover’s Knot Tiara has become a staple of Princess Kate, and was most recently worn in September 2025. The princess wore the headpiece during the state banquet at Windsor Castle while hosting President Donald Trump’s visit to the U.K.

Read the full article here