Kate Middleton, Elizabeth II and the real favorite tiara
Here is the quick answer many search for : Queen Elizabeth II’s documented favorite tiara was the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara, according to the Royal Collection Trust, which calls it “one of The Queen’s favourite tiaras”. Catherine, Princess of Wales, has never worn that piece. She instead rotates royal loans chosen for her station and the event.
Yet the story does not stop there. From her 2011 wedding day with the Cartier Halo Tiara to the regular return of Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot, the choices came with the late Queen’s approval and timing. They show how the Crown manages continuity, memory and visibility in plain sight.
Which tiara did Queen Elizabeth II favor, and did Kate wear it?
The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara dates to 1893. It became Queen Elizabeth II’s signature from the 1950s and appears on countless portraits and coinage. The Royal Collection Trust describes it as a favorite, a rare official hint in a world that seldom spells out preferences. Catherine has not appeared in this tiara, which underscores a simple protocol : not every piece circulates to every royal woman.
Instead, Elizabeth II loaned Catherine pieces suited to a young senior royal. The first was the Cartier Halo Tiara on 29 April 2011. Commissioned in 1936 by King George VI for Queen Elizabeth, later the Queen Mother, the tiara holds 739 brilliant cut diamonds and 149 baguette cuts, per the Royal Collection Trust. The scale felt light for a bridal veil and a future Princess of Wales at the start of royal duty.
From the wedding Cartier Halo to Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot
Visibility grew with state dinners. On 20 October 2015, for the Chinese state banquet at Buckingham Palace, Catherine debuted Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara. Garrard created it in 1913 for Queen Mary, with 19 pear shaped pearl pendants swinging beneath diamond arches. The Court Jeweller notes the tiara returned to the royal vaults after Diana, Princess of Wales, and later reappeared on Catherine.
Since then, the Lover’s Knot has anchored many major moments : the Spain state banquet on 12 July 2017 at Buckingham Palace, the Netherlands state banquet on 23 October 2018, the United States state banquet for President Donald Trump on 3 June 2019, the South Africa state banquet on 22 November 2022. Each time, it signaled senior rank and a deliberate echo of heritage.
Quick at a glance, for readers who want dates and pieces in one place :
- 29 April 2011 : Cartier Halo Tiara at Westminster Abbey wedding, 739 brilliant and 149 baguette diamonds (Royal Collection Trust)
- 3 December 2013 : Lotus Flower Tiara at the annual diplomatic reception, a 1920s piece tied to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother (The Court Jeweller)
- 20 October 2015 : First outing of Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara at the Chinese state banquet (The Court Jeweller)
- 21 November 2023 : Strathmore Rose Tiara at the state banquet for South Korea, originally a 1923 wedding gift to Elizabeth Bowes Lyon (Royal Collection Trust, The Court Jeweller)
Why the Lover’s Knot keeps returning on Catherine
There is a practical reason. The Lover’s Knot reads strongly across a ballroom and on camera. The rows of diamonds and those 19 pearl drops catch light and frame the face, so images reproduce cleanly in international media. For a Princess of Wales, that matters.
There is a protocol reason. Tiaras are loans from the monarch, not personal property, and placements reflect rank, event scale and diplomatic tone. Elizabeth II lent Catherine the lightweight Cartier Halo when she was newly married, then moved to the more senior Lover’s Knot once Catherine took on state banquets and long haul representational work. King Charles III has continued the pattern.
And there is a heritage reason. The Lover’s Knot links Queen Mary to Diana and now to Catherine. The Court Jeweller documents its path : made for Queen Mary in 1913, inherited by Elizabeth II in 1953, loaned to Diana in the 1980s, returned after the 1996 divorce, then worn by Catherine from 2015. It projects continuity without saying a word.
What the Queen’s choice signals inside the monarchy
Elizabeth II’s personal favorite remained the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara. Keeping it off general loan protected a signature image built over seven decades on coins, banknotes and official portraits. That left room for strategic lending elsewhere.
The broadened palette since 2022 shows that strategy still lives. On 21 November 2023, Catherine surprised with the Strathmore Rose Tiara at the South Korea state banquet. The piece, gifted in 1923 to Lady Elizabeth Bowes Lyon, had not appeared publicly on a senior royal for roughly a century, a detail recorded by The Court Jeweller and widely noted by British media. The message felt simple : refresh the jewel box while staying rooted.
So the answer behind the headline is twofold. The tiara Queen Elizabeth II truly favored was the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland, not worn by Catherine. The tiara most often chosen for Catherine’s high level duties has been Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot, a loan that balances visibility, history and the quiet rules of royal jewellry.