Strathmore Rose Tiara Worn by Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales

Thanks to Kate Middleton, the Strathmore Rose Tiara is back in the limelight.

The tiara, a remarkable piece with a unique floral design, resurfaced from the royal vaults after nearly 100 years when The Princess of Wales wore it to a State Banquet last November.

With renewed interest in the piece, looking at the tiara in more detail would be fun! Let’s take a closer look at its design and history.

Strathmore Rose Tiara Design:

Crafted in England in the nineteenth century, this magnificent tiara features a diamond bandeau with five roses and diamond sprays.

This tiara has two hidden secrets:

First, each rose can be detached and worn separately as a brooch. If the tiara isn’t too delicate to disassemble, might we see the Princess wear a rose brooch at an engagement in the future?

Second, the diamonds at the centre of each flower can be changed for sapphires, creating a whole new look. I suspect we’ll see Kate wear the tiara with sapphires one day, to match her engagement ring and other sapphire jewels.

One tiara, two styles:

Kate wore the Strathmore Rose Tiara on top of her hair, but it can be worn on the forehead. This look is associated with the ‘flapper’ style, which was very popular in the 1920s. The late Queen Mother preferred to wear hers in this way, very much in keeping with the style of the day (see below).

Vandyk photographic studio, No restrictions, via Wikimedia Commons

History of the Strathmore Rose Tiara

The Strathmore Rose Tiara was a wedding gift to Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, the future Queen Mother, from her parents, the Earl and Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorne, in 1923. (Hence the name, Strathmore!).

At the time, Lady Elizabeth married Prince Albert, the Duke of York, who later became King George VI. The tiara, purchased from the London dealer Catchpole and Williams, is an antique piece created in the nineteenth century.

Which Royals have worn the Strathmore Rose Tiara?

Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (later the Queen Mother) wore the tiara in several official portraits during the early years of her marriage to the Duke of York—circa 1930s.

We saw the tiara nearly 100 years later in 2023 on Catherine, Princess of Wales, at the State Banquet in honour of the visiting President of South Korea at Buckingham Palace.

There is no record of Queen Elizabeth II or other members of the Royal Family wearing this tiara in public. It looks like it remained unused in the royal collection for many years until its recent appearance.

Its recent reappearance on the Princess of Wales adds a new chapter to its storied past.

The Strathore Rose Tiara on Kate:

The Princess of Wales’s decision to wear the Strathmore Rose Tiara at the South Korea State Banquet has sparked renewed interest in this historic piece as the occasion marked its first public appearance in almost a century.

So far, to date, this is the only time the Princess has worn the gem.

The selection of the Strathmore Rose Tiara by the Princess of Wales was met with great enthusiasm from royal fans. This exquisite tiara frequently tops the list in social media polls predicting which royal headpiece aficionados are most eager to see the Princess wear! Royal fans and Kate watchers alike were so happy to see the Princess dazzle in the piece!

I hope we see the Princess wear the floral headpiece again in future.

Also, I wonder now Kate’s added the Strathmore Rose Tiara to her jewellery repertoire, I wonder if we’ll see her wear the individual flowers as brooches anytime soon? Possibly!