Diana’s wedding tiara to be part of Sotheby’s exhibition
THE tiara worn by Diana, Princess of Wales, on her wedding day is to go on public display in London for the first time in more than 50 years as part of a Sotheby’s jubilee exhibition.
The piece dates back to the 18th century and has been in the Spencer family for generations. It will join some 50 other tiaras of aristocratic and royal provenance, many seen for the first time in public in decades.
Earl Spencer, Diana’s brother, has loaned the heirloom to the auction house – the first time it will have been exhibited in London since the 1960s.
Lady Diana Spencer wore the elaborate garland tiara – with a central heartshaped motif set with diamonds flanked by continuous running scrolls, and star and trumpet-shaped flowers – when she married the Prince of Wales in 1981.
Lord Spencer later recalled how the jewellery gave Diana a headache on her wedding day as she was not used to it.
Kristian Spofforth, head of jewellery at Sotheby’s London, said sourcing pieces for the show was “a labour of love”, and the exhibition “showcases the best iterations within the tiara style register, through some of its most famous incarnations – including the muchloved and photographed Spencer Tiara”.
The event at Sotheby’s, on New Bond Street in London, will run from May 28 to June 15.