Duchess Kate’s tiara becomes royal heirloom for the first time in 100 years

Duchess Kate dusted off an incredibly rare treasure from the royal coffers when she donned the Strathmore Rose Tiara for the first time in almost a century.

The Princess of Wales, now 43, delighted royal watchers when she unveiled the Strathmore Rose Tiara at a state dinner celebrating South Korea’s state visit at Buckingham Palace in November 2023.

The delicate headpiece hasn’t been worn in over 90 years (since the 1930s!) and was an important fashion statement for Princess Kate. She became the second person to wear this tiara in public, and this sparkler was only the fourth tiara she ever wore during her royal life.

The Strathmore Rose Tiara features five diamond roses across its floral band and was originally owned by the Queen Mother, Queen Elizabeth.

Queen Elizabeth’s mother received the sparkler as a wedding gift from her father, the Earls of Strathmore and Kinghorn, when she married the future King George VI in 1923, and is remembered for wearing it during a series of portraits with him.

The exact date of the photo shoot is unknown, but Court Jeweler reported that the Queen Mother was last photographed wearing the sentimental head topper in the 1930s.

Although Queen Elizabeth never wore this unique sparkler during her record-setting reign, excitement was even higher when Princess Kate wore one.

The wearing of the tiara was interpreted as a deliberate tribute to King Charles, who was very close to his grandmother, who died in 2002, and emphasized the bond the Duchess and the King shared.

“The Duchess of Cambridge has always expressed a desire to emulate the Queen Mother’s royal role, and wearing her jewelry is an important symbol of that continuity,” Court Jeweler blogger Lauren Keena exclusively told PEOPLE at the time.

“It is fitting that the Duchess of Cambridge, perhaps with the support of King Charles, has chosen to wear this tiara exactly 100 years after the Queen Mother first received it. The piece is an antique that has been out of fashion for decades, but many jewels that were once considered lofty or unfashionable are now being embraced once again,” she added.

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The Daily Telegraph’s fashion director Bethan Holt likened the rare tiara to a “lost treasure”.

“I think this is great because the King was very close to the Queen Mother. Knowing that one of her most precious pieces of jewelry is being worn by his daughter-in-law gives a real emotional connection between generations,” Holt told PEOPLE.

“The Duchess of Cambridge is said to have looked to the Queen Mother for inspiration in how she conducts herself, and I think it’s really meaningful to have a tiara that represents that in a public setting like this. I think if anyone should wear that tiara, it’s the Duchess of Cambridge. She was the woman who wore it and took it forward.”