Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara

Queen MARY'S LOVER'S KNOT TIARA

Modeled from the original Cambridge Lover's Knot Tiara — once owned by Princess Augusta of Hesse-Kassel, the Duchess of Cambridge — the Lover's Knot Tiara was commissioned by Queen Mary in 1913.

The Lover's Knot Tiara consists of 19 diamond arches capped with lover's knot bows; hanging between each arch are beautiful, white drop-shape pearls.

The tiara was commissioned by Queen Mary in 1913, modeled from the Cambridge Lover's Knot Tiara, owned by her cousin, Duchess Jutta of Mecklenberg-Strelitz. Queen Mary dismantled several existing jewels from her collection in order to create the piece. Though the tiara's original design, similar to the true Cambridge Lover's Knot Tiara, included an upright pearl on the top of each arch, Queen Mary eventually had these pearls removed.

The Lover's Knot Tiara has adorned countless members of the British royal family since its creation. After Queen Mary's death in 1953, the tiara was passed to Queen Elizabeth II, who wore it regularly in the early 1950s. In 1981, Queen Elizabeth loaned the tiara to Diana, Princess of Wales, as a wedding gift. Princess Diana famously found the tiara to be too heavy and headache-inducing, often opting to wear the more light weight Spencer Tiara.

In 2015, the Queen again loaned the tiara; this time, to the newest member of the British royal family, the Duchess of Cambridge, who wore it for a diplomatic reception at Buckingham Palace.