Priceless Princess Diana heirloom 'to go to Princess Charlotte and not Lilibet'

21 January 2024 , 10:08

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Diana opted to use the Spencer family heirloom rather than borrow one from the Queen when she married Prince Charles on 29 July 1981 (Image: Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)

Princess Charlotte is set to inherit one of Princess Diana's most iconic heirlooms - a tiara she wore on her wedding day to Charles over 40 years ago.

According to palace sources, as Charlotte is the eldest of Princess Diana's granddaughters she'll get first pick when it comes to which heirlooms she inherits, with Lilibet the second of her son's daughters. In 2021, an insider close to both the Cambridges and the Spencers revealed that when charlotte comes of age, the eight-year-old will have "the pick of the palace jewels."

The most coveted item - the Spencer Tiara - is currently being looked after by Diana's younger brother, Earl Charles Spencer, who lives at the family's Althorp House. Speaking about the heirloom to GoodToKnow, the royal source claimed: "William is close with his uncle and has asked if his mother's namesake tiara can be given to Charlotte someday." They continued: "William is quite aware the Earl has daughters of his own, but the two have agreed that Diana’s iconic piece belongs to her first granddaughter."

Meanwhile a second insider also told NewIdea that Charlotte was "giddy with excitement" over inheriting the heirloom. They said: "Lotte [sic] knows all about her 'Granny Diana' – after all, Diana is one of her middle names. She’s also seen pictures of her wearing the tiara. Charlotte is more than aware that she’s a princess, and she’s already got plastic tiaras and gowns to play dress-ups in. It’s very cute."

Princess Charlotte will have "the pick of the palace jewels" when she comes of age (UK Press via Getty Images)

The famous Spencer Tiara wore by Diana on her wedding to now-King Charles in 1981 was designed by Garrard in the 1930s, and was forged using other pieces of jewellery the Spencer family owned. Of those, the tiara's heart-shaped centre piece was a wedding gift to Diana's grandmother from Lady Sarah Isabella Spencer - an aunt of the 7th Earl of Spencer.

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The tiara was also partly made out of a a wedding gift given in 1919 from Lady Sarah Spencer to Lady Cynthia Hamilton, Diana's grandmother, for her marriage to Viscount Althorp. The jaw dropping headpiece had been in the Spencer family for almost a century before the royal wedding, and had been worn at the weddings of her two older sisters, Lady Sarah McCorquodale and Lady Jane Fellowes.

As well as the coveted Spencer Tiara, Princess Charlotte is expected to inherit some of the Queen's priceless Crown Jewels. New Idea's royal insider even predicted that the six-year-old will receive the Vladimir Tiara that holds emeralds from the Queen’s grandmother, Queen Mary, which is worth in the region of £10million.

Joseph Gamp