Lady Diana Spencer wore the iconic Spencer Diamond Tiara to marry the Prince of Wales at St Paul’s Cathedral in London on this day in 1981, 45 years ago! Created by her grandmother from older family heirlooms when she became a Lady-in-Waiting to the Queen Mother in 1937, the Tiara was worn by the Princess of Wales on countless occasions through the 1980s and 90s and remains an heirloom of the Spencer Family.
When Lady Cynthia Hamilton married Viscount Althorp in 1919, she received the central element of the Tiara as a wedding gift from the groom’s aunt, Lady Sarah Spencer, alongside the two pieces on the end, which were given to Lady Sarah by Frances, Viscountess Montagu in 1875.
When she was appointed a Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Elizabeth in 1937, the now Countess Spencer used those pieces, alongside four other elements created by Garrard, to create this striking Diamond Scroll Tiara.
Countess Spencer seems to have worn the central element of the Tiara as a Corsage Ornament with the Diamond Honeysuckle Tiara for the Coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.
While Countess Spencer was frequently pictured wearing the Diamond Honeysuckle Tiara, she was only pictured wearing the Diamond Scroll Tiara on a handful of occasions as a Lady-in-Waiting to the Queen, among them a Screening of ‘A Star is Born’ in 1937, soon after the Tiara was created.
Countess Spencer also wore her Diamond Tiara for several Gala Performances as well as for a Royal Academy Banquet in 1956, among other occasions until her passing.
After Countess Spencer’s death in 1972, her Diamond Tiara was worn by her granddaughter, Lady Jane Spencer, when she married Robert Fellows in 1978 in London.
The Spencer Tiara was next worn by the elder sister, Lady Sarah Spencer for her wedding to Neil McCorquedale at St. Mary’s Church in Northamptonshire in 1980.
The following year, the Spencer Tiara was notably worn by Lady Diana Spencer to marry the Prince of Wales at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, paired with a pair of Diamond Earrings on loan from her mother.
Over the next decade, the Princess of Wales continued to wear the Spencer Tiara, alternating with Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara for countless Banquets, State Dinners, Royal Tours, and many iconic Portraits, on loan to the Princess from her father, Earl Spencer.
In 1989, model Victoria Lockwood wore the Spencer Tiara to marry Viscount Althorp, now the current Earl Spencer, at St Mary’s Church in Great Brington.
The Princess of Wales continued to borrow the Spencer Tiara through the early 1990s, notably wearing it for her last Banquet, during a Malaysian State Visit in 1993.
After the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, the Spencer Tiara was displayed around the world in the travelling Diana Exhibition over several years.
In 2018, Celia McCorquodale, the daughter of Lady Sarah, wore the Spencer Tiara for her Wedding to George Woodhouse at St Andrew and St Mary’s Church in Stoke Rochford, Lincolnshire.
Most recently, the Spencer Tiara went on display at the ‘Power & Image: Royal & Aristocratic Tiaras’ Exhibit at Sotheby’s in London, and lets hope we see it worn again soon!
