After hearing the rumors that King Charles, 74, doesn’t want to be upstaged at his own coronation on May 6th – with one royal expert suggesting that he may even be concerned about his own daughter-in-law Kate Middleton pulling focus if she wears a particularly show-stopping outfit on the day – it doesn’t come as a huge surprise to learn that the Princess of Wales might not even wear a tiara!
As her husband Prince William, 40, is now first in line to the throne, one would assume that Princess Kate, 41, is one of the most important people at the entire coronation after King Charles, Queen Camilla, and Prince William, so the idea that she could be without that all-important accessory – one which she has actually worn several times since marrying Prince William on April 29th in 2011 – hasn’t gone down well with fans!
Kate Middleton Might Not Wear A Tiara To Coronation
The idea that the Princess of Wales *might* choose to not wear a tiara has been discussed in several outlets around the world, including People and Page Six to name just two; and it could have something to do with King Charles wanting a much smaller coronation. We already know that it's going to be a third of the size of his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II's coronation, so perhaps the dress code will also reflect this. Princess Kate's coronation outfit was discussed by jewelry expert and writer of The Court Jeweller Lauren Kiehna, who told People that she may not wear a tiara to keep up with the times.
"Tiaras were worn by nearly every royal lady at the Queen's coronation in 1953, as well as lots of aristocratic women, but times have certainly changed in 70 years," Kiehna told the pub. The young Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II) and Princess Margaret even wore tiny gold crowns called coronets to their father’s coronation in 1937.
"I'm certainly hoping we'll see coronation tiaras, but it's possible that Charles is following the example of some of his European counterparts, like the King of the Netherlands, and setting a daytime formal dress code for the event," she continued, adding: "That would mean that we could still see some grand jewels, like necklaces, brooches and earrings but no tiaras. I'll be sad if that's true but it may just be another part of the 'de-formalizing' of the British royal world that has taken place over the last several decades."
Queen Camilla Will Be Breaking With Tradition
Princess Kate might not be the only one who could break with tradition, as Camilla, 75, will also be doing things differently when it comes to her own crown. According to reports, Camilla will be wearing Queen Mary's Crown, which was worn by its namesake for King George V's coronation in 1911, and will be the first time in recent history that an existing crown is re-used for a coronation.
The decision to re-wear an existing crown was reportedly "in the interests of sustainability and efficiency" which is just another thing that proves how different King Charles' coronation will be to that of his mother's.
Royal Fans' Disappointment Over Princess Of Wales Not Wearing A Tiara
Royal fans have not taken the rumor that Kate will not wear a tiara to the coronation well; especially royal fans from across the pond! American royal expert Kinsey Schofield, who also hosts the To Di For Daily podcast, essentially said it's the sort of thing American royal fans live for, and Kate not wearing a tiara is almost like having something taken away from them.
"American outlets are saying the Princess of Wales might not wear a tiara for the coronation. I'm aghast, I'm offended. I hope we see a tiara, it's why we love these things," Schofield told TalkTV, according to The Express. "I'm hoping that these American outlets have really bad sources... it allows people to be excited about the future to see Catherine in a tiara."
"She is the incoming Queen Consort when, God forbid, we lose the King it just gives you something to look forward to," Schofield continued. "Seeing her in a beautiful dress, a beautiful tiara. So, I would be greatly disappointed if that happens."
Kate has worn a tiara on two occasions since King Charles took the throne. Once at a State Banquet for President Cyril Ramaphosa in November and then again one month later at a Reception for Members of the Diplomatic Corps at Buckingham Palace in December. And both times she looked incredible, so we really hope to see her in one!
