Why Kate Middleton won’t inherit iconic £400k heirloom Princess Diana wore on her wedding day
ON her wedding day to then-Prince Charles in 1981, 19-year-old Princess Diana wore the Spencer Tiara.
The diamond-encrusted heirloom was created in 1937 from old jewels and has been kept in the Spencer family ever since – excluding a few exhibition stints.
It is said to be worth £400,000.
And while it would be fair to assume that the tiara would be inherited by the future queen, Princess of Wales Kate Middleton, this isn’t the case.
Instead, it is set to be kept in the Spencer family.
The tiara was originally made for Cynthia Spencer, wife of the 7th Earl Spencer.
When she passed away in 1972 and her husband in 1975, the diadem was passed to their son, John, who was both the 8th Earl Spencer and Princess Diana’s dad.
It was worn by all three of John’s daughters on their wedding days: Lady Jane Spencer in 1978, Lady Sarah Spencer in 1980 and then Lady Diana Spencer in 1981.
Following Diana tying the knot to the then-Prince of Wales Char;es at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, the beautiful jewels garnered global attention.
However, the tiara wasn’t gifted to the new Princess – it was simply on loan from her dad.
In March 1992, Diana’s dad John died after suffering a heart attack and the tiara was passed to his only son, Charles, who became the 9th Earl Spencer.
Diana continued to borrow it for royal engagements from her brother until her death in 1997.
After Diana’s passing, the tiara was publicly displayed as part of Diana: A Celebration, an exhibit devoted to Diana’s life which ran for a number of years.
It has been featured in other exhibitions throughout the years, but is still owned by Charles.
It was last worn by his niece Celia McCorquodale at her wedding in Spring 2018.
When Charles passes, the tiara will be inherited by his son – Louis Spencer, Viscount Althorp.
Who inherited Princess Diana's jewellery?
AFTER her death, Diana's sons Prince William and Prince Harry were left three-quarters of her £21 million estate — with the other quarter going to her 17 godchildren.
In a special “letter of wishes”, Diana explained that she was leaving her jewellery to her sons’ future wives.
The letter reads: “I would like you to allocate all my jewellery to the share to be held by my sons, so that their wives may, in due course, have it or use it.
“I leave the exact division of the jewellery to your discretion.”
Some of Diana’s most iconic gems were on loan from the royal collection, while others were not included in her estate.
Some reports claim that nine-year-old Princess Charlotte, Diana’s eldest granddaughter, can expect to own the diadem one day, but this has never been confirmed.
Before her death, Diana wrote a “letter of wishes”, which explained what she would like to happen to her glittering jewellery collection in the future.
It stated: “I would like you to allocate all my jewellery to the share to be held by my sons, so that their wives may, in due course, have it or use it.
“I leave the exact division of the jewellery to your discretion.”
Before tying the knot with King Charles in 1981, then-Lady Diana Spencer observed traditional tiara etiquette by not borrowing from the royal vault.
Instead, she wore a family heirloom to secure her 140-meter veil.
Since then, the Spencer Tiara has made a few rare appearances at private family weddings and was displayed as part of a 46 piece exhibition by Sotheby’s.
The Aristocratic Jewels exhibition was commissioned to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022.
At the time, it was regarded as the largest collection of headpieces exhibited for decades.