Kate Middleton Shocks! 👑✨ REVEALING THE ONE PERSON WHO MAKES THE DECISION The Princess has just unveiled the most “huge” tiara of her royal career — the $8 million Oriental Circlet, crafted from 2,600 diamonds and fiery Burmese rubies.
This is the masterpiece Prince Albert gave Queen Victoria in 1853 — a royal treasure rarely seen in public.
And tonight, Catherine turned it into a moment of a lifetime.
👇 Full royal jewel breakdown below 👇
Kate Middleton Just Debuted Her Biggest Tiara Yet—All About the $8 Million Family Heirloom
Featuring a whopping 2,600 diamonds.
The Gist
The Oriental Circlet Tiara was a gift from Prince Albert to Queen Victoria in 1853.
It features Burmese rubies and a whopping 2,600 diamonds.
It is one of only five tiaras ever worn by Catherine, Princess of Wales.
Germany’s first state visit to the U.K. in 27 years was marked by a major tiara moment when Kate Middleton stepped out for the first time wearing the Oriental Circlet Tiara. A gift from Prince Albert to Queen Victoria in the early 1850s, the topper became part of the Crown Jewels when the monarch left it to her successors upon her death in 1901. Since then, it has remained one of the most valuable pieces in the royal family’s collection.
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Queen Elizabeth II wearing the Oriental Circlet Tiara during a state visit to Malta in 2005.
The Oriental Circlet Tiara contains a selection of rubies accompanied by a whopping 2,600 diamonds. It was worn by Queen Elizabeth II exactly once and, following the German state banquet, is now one of just five tiaras ever worn by the Princess of Wales. It is also by far the biggest. Ahead, here’s everything you should know about the 172-year-old Oriental Circlet Tiara, which most recently dazzled onlookers on December 3, 2025.
It was a gift from Prince Albert to Queen Victoria.
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Queen Victoria posing for an official portrait in 1887.
The Oriental Circlet Tiara has a rich history that begins with Prince Albert’s visit to the Great Exhibition in 1851. The event was the first-ever international exhibition of manufactured products, and while there, the Prince Consort fell in love with a series of lotus flower motifs. He enlisted Garrard, the crown jeweler, shortly thereafter, and before long a new tiara was in the works. It featured diamonds and opals, the latter being the prince’s favorite stone, according to the Royal Collection. The headpiece was completed in 1853, and a matching necklace, brooch, and pair of earrings were subsequently purchased.
It was redesigned several times.
The original design of the Oriental Circlet Tiara didn’t last long owing to a lawsuit over family jewels that was settled in 1857. According to The Court Jeweler, when the Hanoverian branch of the family won the rights to the late Queen Charlotte’s jewels, numerous stones that were set in the tiara had to be removed and sent to Germany. The Oriental Circlet Tiara was thus altered and reset.
A second redesign took place thanks to Queen Victoria’s daughter-in-law, Queen Alexandria, who reportedly believed that opals were bad luck. The monarch had the stones replaced with Burmese rubies, however she never actually wore the topper, nor did her successor, Queen Mary.
It was beloved by the Queen Mother.
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The Queen Mother wearing the Oriental Circlet Tiara at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art’s Diamond Jubilee in 1964.
Queen Elizabeth, now known as the Queen Mother, became the keeper of the Oriental Circlet Tiara when she ascended the throne alongside her husband King George VI in 1937. She wore the sparkler throughout her reign, including for a special portrait of the couple on their 25th wedding anniversary, which was turned into a commemorative stamp.
The Queen Mother’s love for the Oriental Circlet Tiara was so evident, in fact, that her daughter did not take possession of the topper until her mother’s death in 2002. Indeed, Queen Elizabeth II wore the piece exactly once, during a 2005 banquet in Malta.
It contains a whopping 2,600 diamonds.
With a stunning 2,600 diamonds and rubies, the Oriental Circlet Tiara is one of the most valuable pieces in the royal family’s collection. Various estimates hover around a worth of approximately $8 million, though its provenance means it is essentially priceless.
It is one of just five tiaras ever worn by Kate Middleton.
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Prince William and Kate Middleton at a state banquet during the 2025 German state visit.
When Middleton opted to wear the Oriental Circlet Tiara during the German state visit, it joined an exclusive list of just four other toppers ever worn by the princess. It is also the largest she’s ever worn and therefore the most dazzling. Symbolically speaking, the tiara was a clever nod to the royal family’s German guests, given that Prince Albert’s family was from Germany.
As for the four other tiaras worn by the princess? That’s the Strathmore Rose Tiara, first pulled from the archive by Middleton in 2023, the Queen Mary Lover’s Knot tiara, the Lotus Flower tiara, and the Cartier Halo tiara. (She has worn the latter topper exactly once, on her April 29, 2011 wedding day.)
