Lady Kitty Spencer didn’t wear a tiara for her own wedding despite owning the Spencer tiara that Princess Diana chose on her wedding day.
According to an expert, Kitty could have ditched the tiara due to “painful” memories around the sparkling accessory.
The Spencer tiara is a family heirloom diadem Princess Diana chose for her wedding to Prince Charles in 1981, and she also wore it many times after that.
The tiara was also worn by Diana’s sisters on their wedding days and after the Princess of Wales’s death in 1997, it was returned to Earl Charles Spencer, Diana’s brother and Kitty’s father.
Lady Kitty Spencer’s mother, Victoria Aitken, also donned the stunning jewel on her wedding day in 1989.
READ MORE: ‘Lesser-known offences’ that could catch Britons out in summer
Kitty, however, decided to leave the diadem at home and married Michael Lewis in Rome in a Dolce & Gabbana wedding gown and a delicate veil, but no sparkles and only flower garlands in her hair.
Jellewery expert and founder of Prestigepawnbrokers, James Constantinou, explained why and suggested the tiara could bring some “painful” memories.
He also claimed that the diadem didn’t really go with Kitty’s wedding gown: “Lady Kitty has always remained very private, and has never discussed the choice to not wear the tiara.
“First off, she wanted to combine her love of Italy with her English heritage, which involved flower garlands worn in the hair.
“However, is also thought that wearing the tiara would bring back painful memories for Kitty, remembering her aunt who died in tragic circumstances, and also memories of her own mother’s marriage which was also not a happy ending.”
Tiaras can be worn by members of the Royal Family and aristocratic women on their wedding day and other important occasions once they are married.
Lady Kitty was “fully entitled” to don the Spencer tiara, James explained, or “she could have opted to wear a discreet piece in a nod to her heritage,” the expert opined.
The Spencer tiara was a wedding gift from Lady Sarah Spencer to Lady Cynthia Hamilton, Princess Diana’s grandmother, in 1919.
Some other elements of the diadem came from Lady Sarah’s collection, and jeweller Garrard was commissioned to create the new Spencer tiara in the 1930s.
