An Up-Close Look at Diana’s Wedding Tiara
The Spencer family heirloom is on display at Sotheby’s in London.
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While I was in London last week, I squeezed in one non-Jubilee excursion: a trip to Sotheby’s to see the Spencer Tiara as part of the exhibition, Power & Image: Royal & Aristocratic Tiaras. A bit more on the infamous piece, and what it was like to see it up-close, below. xx
“I remember it being grander,” an older woman whispered in a British accent, peering into the glass column in which the Spencer Tiara was enclosed. As the glittering piece perched on blue velvet rotated in front of her, she eyed it with a hint of sadness.
I’ll admit, I had the same thought. I had raced over to Sotheby’s London Showroom in the midst of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee festivities for the chance to see one of the most famous contemporary pieces of royal jewelry, worn by Lady Diana Spencer on her wedding day and throughout her tenure as the Princess of Wales. A friend had forwarded me the press release announcing the limited exhibition, otherwise I’m not sure I would have known about it. On a bustling Saturday on Bond Street, unsure of whether I was in the right place, I asked a burly bodyguard out front: “I’m looking for the tiaras?” He directed me inside, past a noisy crowd enjoying afternoon tea, beyond a small art gallery with a jubilee-themed exhibition and through the metal detectors into what Sotheby’s says is “the largest tiara exhibition to be staged in the UK in 20 years.”
The Spencer Tiara is displayed at Sotheby’s London along with dozens of others.
More than 40 tiaras line the edge of the rectangular room, or are suspended in columns dotting the center. The Spencer Tiara is the most famous piece by far, but you wouldn’t know it by the display. It has the same dark, small-print placard declaring its origins as the rest of the tiaras. I am not sure what I expected—a large arrow? A big sign? Still, you had to know to look for it. Once I found the Spencer Tiara, I stood next to it for quite some time, watching others come up and whisper: Is this it? Is this the one?
The piece dates back to the 1930s and the coronation of King George VI (the current Queen’s father). It is made from diamonds in the Spencer family’s collection; back then, people would round up their sparkly bits and take them to a jeweler to be reimagined—doesn’t that sound fun? Created for Cynthia Spencer, the wife of the 7th Earl Spencer, she was serving as a Lady of Bedchamber to the new Queen Elizabeth (the current Queen’s mother). “She needed plenty of jewels to wear to events to which she accompanied the new queen,” according to the Crown Jeweller.
Four and a half decades later, Lady Diana Spencer chose the tiara to wear to marry Prince Charles, declining an offer from her soon-to-be mother-in-law to loan her one from her collection—such an assertion of self! It was the 20-year-old bride’s “something borrowed,” as the tiara is a family piece and belongs to the Earl Spencer, who was Diana’s father at the time. She was the third of the Spencer sisters to wear it, with Lady Jane Spencer donning it for her wedding in 1978 and Lady Sarah Spencer wearing it two years later.
Diana’s wedding turned the tiara into an iconic piece of royal jewelry. Her father continued to loan it to her throughout her tenure. She wore it “at least seven times between 1983 and 1992,” according to Sotheby’s, “on special occasions during royal tours and high-profile events within and outside the UK.”
This shot of Diana wearing the Spencer Tiara on tour in Australia lives rent free in my brain. (Photo via Getty Images)
The tiara now belongs to Diana’s younger brother, the 9th Earl Spencer. Despite rumors that it could be passed to one of Diana’s granddaughters (like Princess Charlotte), the Court Jeweler insists it will remain in the Spencer family: “The tiara, like Althorp House and the rest of the Spencer estate, is part of Diana’s ancestral family holdings, a legacy entrusted to and managed by the present earl.”
But it will forever be associated with Diana, who made the piece into one of the most famous tiaras in royal history. Atop her 5-foot-10-inch frame, nestled in her signature blonde locks, the tiara took on a new prominence. “If pictures say a thousand words, images of Diana during that time repeat ‘I love the Spencer tiara’ in excelsis,” writes Stellene Volandes in Town & Country magazine, musing on the tiara’s “modern ease.” Some speculated Diana liked it because it was lighter and more manageable than the Lover’s Knot tiara, which had been loaned to the princess by the Queen. That towering piece, now the one the Duchess of Cambridge favors, is said to be quite heavy.
I was struck by how relatively modest the Spencer Tiara was compared to the others in the exhibition. Some were staggeringly large, a few delightfully delicate. Diana’s favored sparkler felt short and a tad stout. Would it have seemed that way if it had been displayed on its own? Difficult to say. But in the context of the Sotheby’s assortment, I felt a pang of disappointment. “Huh,” I thought.
I drifted away to admire other tiaras, but my mind stayed with the Spencer one. Before too long I found my way back to it, wanting to spend a few minutes near something that meant so much to Diana. Watching the tiara rotate inches in front of me (shoutout to the Sotheby’s display team, which made nearly all the pieces move for optimal viewing) a new feeling arose. It is an undeniably romantic piece, as the auction house’s description declares “heart-shaped scrolls and flowers can only mean love.” But up close, there is a different energy. The scrolls feel like crashing waves, each containing a frenetic, sparkling swirl of flowers and vines. Some of the blooms, to my eye, look more like stars. It has a much different vibe, in today’s parlance, than the tiara then-Princess Elizabeth wore on her wedding day: The Fringe Tiara, belonging to her grandmother Queen Mary, with its stately, tiered diamond columns.
Diana arrives for her wedding to Prince Charles in 1981, and the Spencer Tiara takes its place in royal jewelry history. (Photo via Getty Images)
As I was thinking through the design details, the iconic photograph of Diana entering St. Paul’s Cathedral on her wedding day came to mind. Emerging from the horse-drawn carriage, heading to meet her groom, Diana is nearly engulfed by her voluminous dress and epically long veil. And there, in the midst of a moment that seems to foreshadow of Diana’s fate, is the Spencer Tiara.
I looked back at the sparkler slowly spinning before me. Of course Diana’s tiara wasn’t what I thought it would be. It was different, underestimated even, and filled with surprises—just like the princess herself.
But mostly: This experience was a welcome reminder that the real power of any piece is with the wearer. The Spencer Tiara and countless other items from Diana’s wardrobe are now timeless treasures because of who she was and how she wore them. There is some real inspiration to be taken from that, don’t you think?
The Spencer Tiara is on display at Sotheby’s in London through June 28. The exhibition features more than 40 tiaras, including several worn for the Queen’s Coronation in 1953. Admission is free. More information (and fabulous photographs) can be found here.
Have you seen a piece of royal jewelry or fashion up close? Did it live up to your expectations or did you notice something new? Hit “Join the Discussion” and leave a comment on my Bulletin page.
This concludes my London jubilee newsletter dispatches! What a fun trip. Thank you all for your enthusiasm, it really did feel like you were with me in spirit. I will be back in your inboxes next week with a look at Royal Ascot.
ICYMI ~so many~ jubilee newsletters: Platinum event lineup / Jubilee retrospective / Best balcony moments and more / Special souvenirs
And links to what I wore: White jeans (size down) / blue trench / leather sneakers / gray sweater / mid-rise jeans (size down) / THE COAT (UK sized) / ballet flats / jubilee t-shirt (TTS) / silk scarf (I just bought!) Note: Some of these are affiliate links, thank you for supporting my work.
(Header photo courtesy of Sotheby's London)
The So Many Thoughts newsletter comes out twice a week, with royal coverage and other style stories. Please forward this to a friend! You can subscribe here, follow along on Instagram at @EHolmes, and check out my book, HRH: So Many Thoughts on Royal Style. Thank you so much for supporting my work.