Queen Elizabeth doesn't want Princess Diana to wear her Cambridge Lover's Knot Tiara after the Princess divorced Prince Charles in 1996. It is the only piece of jewelry that she can't wear after they separated.
Princess Diana is a woman of style and fashion. She looks stunning with her little black dress known as her "revenge dress." She looks gorgeous wearing her two sparkling Tiaras, her family heirloom Spencer tiara, and the ornate Cambridge Lover's Knot tiara. Reports said that the Cambridge Tiara was loaned to her as a gift to be used for diplomatic functions for the Queen.
Princess Diana is no longer allowed to wear her favorite Cambridge Lover's Knot Tiara because of the divorce. She was allowed to keep all of the jewelry she obtained during their marriage except for the Cambridge tiara. The Princess needed to return the tiara to the Queen because it was part of the royal family's private collection. By British law, the Princess is no longer part of the family after the divorce. The princess also lost her title, travel budget, office at St. James Palace, some staff, police protection, some friends, and emotional stability. The princess also lost her privacy because of her marriage with the Prince and because of the divorce.
The tiara was made from silver and gold with lots of diamonds and pearls. The Princess loved the glittering and elegant piece, but she also complains of its weight. The expensive is made of 19 arches and a whopping 38 teardrop-shaped pearls. The 19 pearls hang suspended from pretzel-like twists known as lover's knot bows, and the other half serve as removable upright pearl spikes. Reports said that the only royal who wore the tiara with the upright pearl drops attached is Queen Mary.
The Cambridge Lover's Knot tiara wouldn't exist in the Palace if it weren't for Queen Mary. The current tiara is a replica from the original piece worn by Princess Augusta of Hesse, Queen Mary's grandmother and the first Duchess of Cambridge. Queen Mary commissioned Garrard, the famous court jeweler, to make the replica since she didn't inherit the original piece. It was built in 1913, and she passed it down to her granddaughter Queen Elizabeth II.
Harper's Bazaar noted that Princess Diana last wore the Cambridge Lover's Knot Tiara in 1991. Kate Middleton wore the tiara in 2015 when she wore it to attend the Diplomatic Reception at the Buckingham Palace and on two other occasions.
