Kate Middleton's Royal Wedding Tiara - Fit for a Queen
A tiara is the ultimate accessory for any princess bride, and as a future princess, Kate Middleton has been allowed to choose one of the Queen’s tiaras to wear on her wedding day.
As for which one, the world will have to wait and see, but London bookies—who have bets going on everything from who is designing the dress to the color of the Queen’s hat—received a wager of $9,800 that the bride-to-be's topper of choice is the Russian Fringe Tiara, reports the The Sun.
The diamond tiara was previously worn by Queen Mary, the Queen Mother, Princess Anne, and Queen Elizabeth II. The Queen and her daughter both wore the Russian Fringe Tiara on their wedding days, a “something borrowed” from the Queen Mother.
According to The Sun, the gambler is a well-spoken, middle-aged woman who first tried to make a bet at Ladbrokes in Ascot, but the manager refused because he thought the woman may have inside information. The woman then traveled to nearby Egham and put down the wager with 12-1 odds, which, if she’s correct, will win her over $118,000.
RELATED ARTICLES |
| Carole Middleton’s Royal Wedding Hat Hubbub » |
| Kate Middleton’s Wedding Dress Knocked off Before Seen » |
| Philip Treacy On Why Kate Should Wed in McQueen » |
Ladbrokes has closed all bets on Miss Middleton’s headpiece. A spokesperson told The Sun, “If the punt comes home, we'll lose a fortune. This woman either has more money than sense or she is very well informed.”
London wedding planner Mark Niemierko tells FashionEtc, “I think it’s exceptionally charming and fitting that Kate will perhaps wear the tiara the Queen wore on her wedding day. Both Kate and William have stressed throughout the planning they want this wedding to have personal meaning to them both, and involved those family members who are no longer with them—hence William proposing with Diana’s engagement ring. Diana, of course, wore her family’s tiara, the Spencer Tiara. The Middletons, unfortunately, have no tiaras in the family.”
Originally known as the George III tiara, the headpiece was made in 1830 as a necklace with brilliant-cut diamonds belonging to King George III. It was first worn in 1839 by Queen Victoria. In 1919 Queen Mary inherited the piece, which was turned into a tiara, and gave it to her daughter-in-law, the new Queen, in 1937.
As we previously reported, Middleton, who is wearing her hair down for the royal wedding, wants to sport flowers in her hair. (The last royal bride to wear flowers was Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York. However, after the ceremony, she changed into a tiara, to show that she was now royalty.)
Only time will tell.
For all things Will and Kate, keep an eye on our Royal Wedding Watch.