Meghan Markle wears Queen Mary Diamond Bandeau tiara on wedding day

Meghan Markle wears Queen Mary Diamond Bandeau tiara on wedding day



Meghan's sparkling tiara is Queen Mary's Diamond Bandeau, which has been loaned to her by Harry's grandmother the Queen.



Royal brides are traditionally loaned priceless heirlooms to wear on their wedding day.



Meghan could have chosen the Spencer tiara - famously worn by Harry's later mother Diana, Princess of Wales when she married the Prince of Wales in 1981.



But Meghan, 36, has instead selected this little-known piece, which features a magnificent floral-shaped suspended brooch in the centre made of a large round diamond surrounded by nine smaller circular diamonds.



It was specifically made for the Queen's grandmother Queen Mary in 1932 to accommodate the detachable brooch, which was given to Mary as a wedding present in 1893 by the County of Lincoln.



The bandeau is a flexible band of 11 intricate glittering sections, pierced with interlaced ovals and pave set with large and small brilliant diamonds.



The bandeau and the brooch were bequeathed by Queen Mary to her granddaughter the Queen on her death in 1953.



Celebrity stylist Lucas Armitage said that Meghan, who is very much a modern bride, would have faced difficulty when choosing a tiara for the big day.



'When it came to wearing a tiara everyone was conflicted, for me a tiara didn’t feel like a natural choice for Meghan who I see as a modern bride,' he explained.





'However I felt she would want to be respectful and here she gives a nod to protocol and wears a stunning diamond tiara.



'It appears to be a never before seen tiara, which could be a nod to old tradition but welcoming a feeling of the new.



'It’s a more modern take on the lavish pearl and diamond pieces we have seen before such as he Spencer Tiara and the Lovers Knot.'





The Spencer Tiara, which was famously worn by Diana on her wedding day to Prince Charles in 1981, was considered to be a contender for Meghan to wear on her wedding day.



The Cambridge Lover's Knot tiara - another favourite of Diana's that has also been worn by the Duchess of Cambridge on several occasions - was also put forward as an option by experts.



However, the Cartier Halo Scroll Tiara worn by Kate on her wedding day was not available to the bride, as the dazzling headpiece is currently on display in Australia.



Some experts had suggested that Meghan would have a tiara specially commissioned for her - like the Duchess of York on her wedding day.





Today Harry and Meghan exchanged vows at St George's Chapel and shared tears, laughter and a passionate kiss in front of their hundreds of VIP guests dominated by glamorous Holywood stars including the Clooneys, the Beckhams, Idris Elba, Elton John, Oprah Winfrey, Tom Hardy and James Corden.



And in a stark departure from his brother and his father's weddings, Harry was visibly emotional for much of the ceremony especially when he saw his bride for the first time, when he grabbed her hand and told her: 'You look amazing - I missed you' before tenderly lifting her veil.



The new Duke of Sussex also said 'thank you, pa' after his father Prince Charles walked the now Duchess of Sussex down the aisle of St George's Chapel, Windsor, having stepped in at the last moment for Meghan's father Thomas.



The former actress, 36, managed to make a tearful Harry giggle as they exchanged vows before being pronounced man and wife by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby.



What were Meghan's tiara options for her wedding day?

The Spencer Tiara, which was famously worn by Diana on her wedding day to Prince Charles in 1981, was considered to be a contender for Meghan to wear on her wedding day.



The Cambridge Lover's Knot tiara - another favourite of Diana's that has also been worn by the Duchess of Cambridge on several occasions - was also put forward as an option by experts.



However, the Cartier Halo Scroll Tiara worn by Kate on her wedding day was not available to the bride, as the dazzling headpiece is currently on display in Australia.



Some experts had suggested that Meghan would have a tiara specially commissioned for her - like the Duchess of York on her wedding day.



But she ultimately opted for a little known piece, the Queen Mary's Diamond Bandeau.



SPENCER TIARA



The Spencer Tiara was worn by Princess Diana at her wedding to Prince Charles in 1981, and worn by her on numerous occasions after her big day.



The tiara is a family heirloom that was also worn by all of Diana's sisters on their wedding days.



The headpiece, which was made by Garrads in the 1930s, has an elaborate design of stylised flowers decorated with diamonds in silver settings.



The tiara is now owned by Diana's brother, Earl Spencer, so Harry would have to borrow it from his uncle if his bride were to wear it on her big day