Kate Middleton Unexpectedly Wore Rarely-Seen Tiara for the First Time in 100 Years

The Duchess of Wales donned the heirloom during a state banquet in 2023. It previously belonged to Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, who received the crown as a present when she married King George VI.

Kate Middleton became the first to wear the Strathmore Rose Tiara in nearly a century when she attended a state banquet honoring a state visit from South Korea in November 2023. The delicate sparkler had not been worn in more than 90 years.

As per usual, the Princess of Wales was a vision of timeless elegance when she donned the tiara. She wore a floor-length ivory gown featuring structured shoulders and intricately embroidered gold detailing along the sleeves.

The dress had a clean, statuesque silhouette that perfectly complemented the regal formality of the event. Draped across her shoulder was a royal blue sash adorned with a star insignia and a yellow badge — marks of her royal honors.

She accessorized the look with drop earrings, long white opera gloves, and an ivory clutch, while her soft brunette waves were pulled back into a half-up hairstyle. The Strathmore Rose Tiara completed her ensemble, making it one of her most iconic and impactful looks to date.

The Duchess had become only the second person to ever don the bejeweled anadem. It features a delicate floral design of diamond roses and leaves arranged across a slender band. The only other person to have ever worn it was Queen Elizabeth, the late Queen Elizabeth's mother, also known as the Queen Mother.

She had received the Strathmore Rose Tiara as a gift from her father, the Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne, when she married the future King George VI in 1923, and subsequently wore it in a series of portraits with her husband.

According to The Court Jeweller, she last wore the headpiece in the 1930s. When Kate wore it in 2023, it was widely interpreted as a tribute to King Charles III, as he shared a close relationship with his grandmother. The Queen Mother passed away in 2002 at the age of 101.

"Kate has always signaled that she'd like to emulate the Queen Mother's royal role and wearing her jewels is an important symbol of that continuity," Court Jeweller blogger Lauren Kiehna told People at the time.

"It's fitting that Kate — likely with some assistance from King Charles — would choose to wear the tiara exactly a hundred years after the Queen Mother originally received it," Kiehna continued.

She added, "The piece is an antique that wasn't fashionable for many decades, but many jewels once considered fussy or unstylish have now been embraced again." Bethan Holt, the fashion director of The Daily Telegraph, likened the rare tiara to a "lost treasure."

"I think it's lovely as the King was so close to the Queen Mother and knowing that one of her most precious pieces of jewelry is being worn by his daughter-in-law gives a really emotional tie between the generations," Holt told People.

The journalist added that Kate has been said to draw inspiration from the Queen Mother regarding how she conducted herself. "So to have that tiara symbolizing that, in such a public moment, I think it is really significant," Holt continued. "I think if there was anyone to wear that tiara, it was Kate; she was the woman to wear it and carry it forward."