The 20 Best Royal Tiaras From Around the World

When you think of famous royal women, you probably envision them wearing tiaras. Glittery headpieces have become synonymous with monarchs and distinguished figures around the world, and we've seen our fair share of exquisite royal tiaras over the years. There have been plenty of dazzling royal wedding tiara moments, along with tiara sightings on red carpets and at honorable events. Interestingly enough, though, wearing a royal tiara isn't as straightforward as browsing a closet of dazzling crowns and picking one that matches an outfit. There are quite a few rules that come with wearing royal tiaras, many of which are still followed today.

For starters, it's customary for royals to wear their first tiara on their wedding day. This rule is often observed by members of the British royal family, as Princess Kate, Princess Eugenie and Meghan Markle all debuted their first tiaras at their respective nuptials. Weddings aside, royals are generally only permitted to wear tiaras for evening events taking place after 5 pm. You also won't see any youngsters wearing tiaras, as only those above the age of 18 are allowed to wear gemstone headpieces.

Stipulations aside, we can't help but feel a flurry of excitement every time a royal steps out in a diamond- or gemstone-encrusted accessory. Here, we look back on 20 of the most beautiful royal tiaras we've ever seen. Some have been worn at weddings, while others simply left a lasting impression at significant events—but all are equally dazzling.

Queen Mary Diamond Bateau Tiara

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All eyes were on Meghan Markle as she wed Prince Harry on May 19, 2018, in St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle wearing Queen Mary's diamond bandeau tiara. The sparkly headpiece, which Queen Elizabeth II lent Duchess Meghan for her wedding day, was made in 1932 and frames a detachable diamond center brooch dating back to 1893. Although this instantly became one of our favorite royal wedding tiaras of all time, it allegedly wasn't the bride's first choice. Plus, in his autobiography Spare, Prince Harry later revealed that he experienced a few obstacles with the Queen's dressmaker when it came time to borrow the tiara to practice the bride's wedding day glam look.

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Challenges aside, the Duchess spoke highly about her royal tiara in an audio recording for the royal wedding outfits exhibition at Windsor Castle in 2019. "Harry and I had gone to Buckingham Palace to meet with Her Majesty The Queen to select one of the options that were there, which was an incredibly surreal day, as you can imagine," she reminisced. "That [diamond bateau tiara] was the one that I think as we tried them on stood out; I think it was just perfect because it was so clean and simple, and I think also at that point an extension to what Clare [Waight Keller, her dress designer] and I had been trying to do with the dress, which was have something that could be so incredibly timeless but still feel modern."

Cartier Halo Tiara

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Everyone knows Kate Middleton loves to re-wear her outfits, but it may come as a surprise to some that her royal wedding tiara was also recycled—in the most glamorous way possible, of course. She opted for the Cartier halo tiara, which was loaned to her by the queen. Complete with 739 brilliant-cut diamonds and 149 baguette-cut diamonds, the headpiece was made in 1936 by Cartier for the Queen Mother from her husband, King George VI. Since then, Queen Elizabeth II (who inherited it on her 18th birthday) has shared the crown with other royal family members—namely the Princess of Wales on her wedding day in 2011.

Greville Emerald Kokoshnik Tiara

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Princess Eugenie, granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II (and the second daughter of Prince Andrew, Duke of York and Sarah Ferguson), borrowed a spectacular heirloom headpiece for her Windsor Castle wedding to her longtime love Jack Brooksbank. The Greville Emerald Kokoshnik tiara, a loan from Her Majesty for Eugenie's special day, is a diamond and platinum diadem featuring one 93-carat oval-cut emerald at the center and six smaller emeralds around the sides. French jeweler Boucheron originally designed the headpiece in 1919 for British socialite Dame Margaret Greville, invoking the iconic Russian kokoshnik headdress style to create it. The Greville tiara was later bequeathed to the Queen Mother, and Queen Elizabeth inherited the headpiece after her mother's death in 2002. Princess Eugenie could not have chosen a more gorgeous tiara to highlight the green in her eyes and incorporate some (literal) jewel tones into her autumnal ceremony.

Queen Mary Fringe Tiara

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Perhaps the most beloved royal wedding tiara of all time is the Queen Mary fringe tiara—otherwise known as Queen Elizabeth II's wedding tiara. Britain's longest-reigning monarch donned this exquisite headpiece for her 1947 nuptials to Prince Phillip, which was lent to her by the Queen Mother. Originally a fringe necklace that Queen Victoria gave Queen Mary as a wedding gift on her wedding day in 1893, Garrard was commissioned to make it into a proper tiara in 1919. It was turned into a kokoshnik-style headpiece featuring 47 graduated brilliant and rose-set tapering bars with 46 narrow diamond spikes in between.

As it turns out, royals aren't exempt from wedding day blunders, because part of the tiara snapped when it was placed on Queen Elizabeth's head. With the royal jeweler on standby, though, they were able to fix the headpiece before she walked down the aisle. (In some wedding photos, you can see a space between the prongs where it broke.) This royal tiara was later worn by Princess Anne at her wedding in 1973, and again by Princess Beatrice for her nuptials to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in May 2020.

Chaumet Tiara

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We were simply captivated by Princess Iman of Jordan's wedding look. The bride married Jameel Alexander Thermiotis in March 2023 wearing an elegant Dior wedding dress with a sheer lace neckline and long cuffed sleeves. While many speculated that the bride would wear a diamond tiara belonging to her mother, Queen Rania, she ultimately opted for a delicate royal wedding tiara by Chaumet. Although the name of her crown hasn't been confirmed, it's believed that Princess Iman's royal wedding tiara may have been loaned or gifted by her grandmother, Princess Muna.

Palmette Tiara

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Sofia Hellqvist got quite the wedding present from her in-laws, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia, when she married Prince Carl Philip on June 13, 2015: a brand-new emerald and diamond crown. This stunning royal wedding tiara, which was reportedly designed from an existing necklace in Thailand, boasts pear-shaped emerald stones on the top that can be swapped for other gems. While the bride kept the original green design for her wedding day, she's since worn the royal tiara with pearls, diamonds and turquoise stones.

Cameo Tiara

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Princess Sofia's sister-in-law, Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, put a traditional spin on her wedding day in 2010 when she married Prince Daniel. She wore the same headpiece her mother, Queen Silvia, and her father's sisters, Princess Birgitta and Princess Désirée, did on their own wedding days: the Cameo Tiara, a Swedish royal family heirloom. It's one of the oldest tiaras still being worn today. This royal wedding tiara is thought to have been gifted to Empress Josephine de Beauharnais by her husband, Napoleon Bonaparte, in the early 1800s, and was handed down through several royal families (due to marriage) since then.

Modern Fringe Tiara

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Victoria's sister, Princess Madeleine, didn't follow her family's bridal tradition of wearing the Cameo Tiara when she wed Christopher O'Neill in 2013. Instead, she chose to wear the royal tiara she wore the most in public: the Modern Fringe tiara. A 10th-anniversary gift from King Carl XVI Gustaf to Queen Silvia in 1986, it's also referred to as a "private tiara" (meaning it wasn't inherited), and the word "fringe" means it can be worn as a necklace once it's properly unhooked from its frame. The tiara is also said to have remained in Princess Madeleine's possession since her wedding day. Perhaps her daughter, Princess Leonore, will also wear it at her wedding—in a few years, that is.

Prussian Tiara

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The Queen of Spain wasn't joking around when it came to her royal wedding tiara, which has crowned quite the resumé of distinguished wearers. Letizia donned the Prussian tiara, a stunning headpiece designed by German jeweler Koch for Princess Victoria Louise of Prussia—a gift from her father, Kaiser Wilhelm II, for her wedding day in 1913. It was passed down from Greek royalty to Spanish royalty (due to marriage), and Queen Sofia of Spain (who wore it on her own wedding day) loaned it to her daughter-in-law to wear on hers in 2003 when she wed King Felipe VI.

Spencer Tiara

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Even though Princess Diana's wedding to Prince Charles in 1981 had the word "royal" written all over it, her beautiful tiara didn't come from Queen Elizabeth II's collection. Instead, she wore the Spencer Tiara, which had been in Diana's family for almost a century. Pieces of the tiara were added to it throughout the years, and it was finally completed by Garrard in the 1930s. Diana's mother and sisters all wore the diamond headpiece on their wedding days too, and it still belongs to the Spencer family. Princess Di loved this royal tiara so much that she would go on to wear it at many more events in her lifetime.

Poltimore Tiara

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Perhaps the most scandalous royal tiara is the one Princess Margaret wore on her wedding day. The Queen's younger sister opted for the Poltimore tiara, which includes cushion-shaped and old-cut diamond clusters alternating with diamond-set scroll motifs. It originally belonged to Lady Poltimore and was passed down through that lineage before Princess Margaret bought it at an auction in 1959. She used this topper to accessorize her long sleeve Norman Hartnell wedding dress when she married Antony Armstrong-Jones in 1960.

Then, scandal broke out. Four years after her death, a photo leaked depicting Princess Margaret in a bathroom wearing only the Poltimore tiara. The snapshot was captured by her husband at the time, Lord Snowdon, and was titled, "Dip in Diamonds." When Snowdown died, the royal family removed the image from public view—but that didn't stop Netflix's The Crown from reimagining the moment in the drama series' third season.

Meander Tiara

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Queen Elizabeth II's second-eldest grandchild, Zara Phillips, proves you don't need a royal title to wear a tiara—just a little (okay, a lot of) royal blood. When Phillips's mother, Anne, Princess Royal, married Captain Mark Phillips, he declined a royal title and therefore their children also forfeited any royal titles. But still, Zara Phillips wore a pretty fantastic "something borrowed" when she wed Mike Tindall in 2011: the Meander tiara. It originally belonged to Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark and was eventually handed down to Queen Elizabeth II, who gave it to Princess Anne, who loaned it to Phillips for her wedding day. This unique royal wedding tiara has a full diamond bandeau design with a Greek key pattern and honeysuckle motifs.

Anthemion Tiara

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When Sophie Rhys-Jones wed Queen Elizabeth II's son, Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, in 1999, she wore a tiara that was a gift from her mother-in-law—which is said to have been created from four pieces of one of Queen Victoria's crowns. Known as the Anthemion tiara, this custom headpiece featured four anthemion elements that were originally pieces of Queen Victoria's Regal Circlet. For her wedding day, the Countess of Wessex added a new row of diamonds to the band at her hairline. The royal's affinity for this tiara is evident, as she continues to wear it to events to this day.

Pearl Button Tiara

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For her wedding to Prince Willem Alexander of the Netherlands (now the King), Princess Máxima opted to wear the Pearl Button tiara. This crown began as brooches worn by Queen Sophie, which were fastened together in a headpiece that was first worn in 1965. Traditionally, the Pearl Button tiara features five buttons of diamonds and pearls on a diamond band (hence the apropos name). But on her wedding day, Queen Máxima swapped the pearls for diamond stars sourced from the family's arsenal of gemstones.

Cambridge Lover's Knot Tiara

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As much as we love Kate Middleton's royal wedding tiara, she's perhaps more closely associated with the Cambridge Lover's Knot tiara. Although this didn't make an appearance on her big day, it's one of the Princess of Wales' go-to headpieces. The crown was created for Queen Mary in 1914 using pearls and diamonds from the family's vault of jewels. Queen Elizabeth II inherited this British royal tiara upon Queen Mary's death, and she wore it a few times before moving on to other designs. Queen Elizabeth offered to lend the Cambridge Lover's Knot Tiara to Princess Diana for her nuptials, though the bride opted for a different sparkler from her family's collection—but it was still one of her favorite tiaras to wear to other royal events and engagements, despite reports that it hurt her head because it was so heavy.

Upon Charles and Diana's divorce, this royal tiara went back into the possession of Queen Elizabeth until 2015, when Kate Middleton wore it at an event at Buckingham Palace. Since then, it's been in heavy rotation for the Princess of Wales, as she's worn it nearly 10 times since.

Burmese Ruby Tiara

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One of the more colorful British royal tiaras is the Burmese Ruby crown, which was often spotted on Queen Elizabeth II. It has a bit of a controversial history, as several tiaras were sacrificed to create the Burmese Ruby Tiara we know today. In 1973, Garrard refashioned this design, which has 96 rubies—some of which were gifted to Queen Elizabeth by the people of Burma as a wedding gift.

Delhi Durbar Tiara

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After marrying King Charles in 2005, Queen Camilla was loaned three tiaras from Queen Elizabeth II: the Greville Tiara, the Teck Crescent Tiara, and the Delhi Durbar tiara. Although she's only worn the Durbar design once, it's easily one of our favorite British royal tiaras thanks to its sheer opulence. This large sparkler was originally commissioned by Queen Mary in 1911 for her and King George V's coronation as Emperor and Empress of India. As one of the most ornate royal tiaras out there today, it's only been worn publicly three times—and just once by Camilla.

Strathmore Rose Tiara

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So many of the most iconic British royal tiaras came from the collection of Queen Elizabeth I, also known as the Queen Mother. One of our favorites is the Strathmore Rose tiara, which was a wedding gift from her father, the Earl of Strathmore. The botanical crown features a garland of wild roses in diamonds set in gold and silver. As beautiful as this royal tiara is, it's rarely seen in public. The Queen Mother wore it for a formal portrait in the 1920s, and again to see an opera performance in the 1930s. The royal tiara was included in an exhibit in 2002, but no one else has donned this diadem since then.

Six Button Tiara

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One of the most unique royal tiaras belongs to the Swedish royal family. The six button tiara is aptly named for the six diamond rosettes that extend above a double row of diamonds. The rosettes were worn by King Carl XIV Johan at his coronation in 1818, and remained in the family for over 200 years. The Six Button tiara came to be in 1976 when Princess Lilian married Prince Bertil. Today, the Six Button crown is a favorite among the women in the Swedish royal family, as it's been spotted on Queen Silvia, Crown Princess Victoria and Princess Christina.

Hanoverian Floral Tiara

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Perhaps one of the most underrated royal wedding tiaras is the Hanoverian Floral tiara, worn by Alessandra de Osma. The model married Prince Christian of Hanover, second in line to the Hanoverian throne, in March 2018. The intricate floral headpiece was previously seen on women in the Hanoverian family, including Osma's sister-in-law Ekaterina Malysheva.