Lotus Flower Tiara
Embed from Getty Images
In 1923, Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon received a pearl and diamond necklace from the Duke of York upon their marriage, which she soon transformed into this delicate piece, featuring lotus flowers topped with diamond arches and pearls. The Tiara was most notably worn by the Duchess for a series of portraits in the 1920s, which were widely circulated around the time of her husband’a 1936 accession to the Throne.
The following year, the then Queen Elizabeth loaned the Lotus Flower Tiara to her elder sister, Lady Elphinstone, for the Coronation of King George VI at Westminster Abbey. Lady Elphinstone was the mother of the Queen’s famous niece, the Hon. Margaret Rhodes.
Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images
In 1959, the then Queen Mother gave the Lotus Flower Tiara to her younger daughter, Princess Margaret, ahead of her wedding the following year. Though not as famous as her Poltimore Tiara, she wore this piece quite regularly for the rest of her life.
Embed from Getty Images
In 1993, Princess Margaret loaned the Lotus Flower Tiara to the Hon. Serena Stanhope when she married her only son, then Viscount Linley, at St Margaret’s, Westminster.
The Lotus Flower Tiara was also ‘worn’ by Reginald Wilcock, the Queen Mother’s Page who served in her Household for 40 years, on the wedding day of Viscount Linley.
Embed from Getty Images
After Princess Margaret’s death, the Lotus Flower Tiara came into the Queen’s collection, who loaned the piece to the Duchess of Cambridge for the Diplomatic Reception in 2013 and the Chinese State Banquet in 2015. Since then, the Duchess has solely worn Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara, and thus the Lotus Flower Tiara would be the perfect starter piece for Meghan Markle.
The now Princess of Wales wore the Lotus Flower Tiara for the Diplomatic Reception at Buckingham Palace in 2022.
The Duchess of Edinburgh wore the Lotus Flower Tiara at the State Banquet in honour of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako of Japan at Buckingham Palace.
The Princess of Wales’ Tiaras | The Jewels of the Princess of Wales
