We’re still stunned by Kate Middleton’s choice to reach deep into the royal vault to wear the Oriental Circlet Tiara, crafted in 1853 by Prince Albert for Queen Victoria and last worn by Queen Elizabeth II in 2005. But there was another subtle homage to the late monarch at the German state banquet Wednesday night via Queen Camilla: Her show-stopping Girls of Great Britain & Ireland tiara.
Queen Camilla Wears Iconic $11 Million Tiara Gifted to Queen Elizabeth on Her Wedding Day
It also came to symbolize the late monarch’s reign
Published Dec 5, 2025
•3:00pm
Aaron Chown/Getty Images
Worth an estimated $11 million (or £8,500,000), the iconic tiara was crafted by royal jeweler Garrard in 1893 and worn by Queen Elizabeth on numerous occasions before she passed away in 2022. After her death, Queen Camilla famously donned the sparkler for the first time publicly in 2023 just a few months after the May coronation of her husband King Charles. Wednesday night marked another opportunity for Her Majesty to wear the show-stopping piece.
Camilla chose to pair the tiara with a teal blue gown featuring a floral design by Fiona Clare. Another stand-out accessory? She also wore the Royal Family Order of King Charles III, of course.
Back to the tiara: It was a gift to Queen Elizabeth upon her marriage to Prince Philip in 1947 by a committee representing the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland. The tiara also became an iconic symbol of the new Elizabethan age following the premature death of her father, King George VI, in February 1952, per the jeweler. Its icon status was secured after Queen Elizabeth chose to wear it for her first official portraits as monarch, breaking royal tradition by wearing a tiara instead of a more formal crown.
Royal history via tiara? The best.
