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It was worn by several Queen consorts during their coronations; Queen Alexandra in 1902, Queen Mary in 1911 and Queen Elizabeth, later the Queen Mother, in 1937. Read more

In a battle between sentiment and spectacle, it would be a huge honour for anyone to wear the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara, which was Elizabeth II’s favourite, or Queen Mary’s fringe tiara, which Queen Elizabeth wore for her 1947 wedding, but neither of those pieces would be as visually arresting as, say, the, Burmese Ruby tiara with its 96 rubies or the Brazilian aquamarine tiara with its imposing oblong stones.Firstly, would other female members of the family feel that they should also have a chance to show off some family jewels?

And although there is no suggestion of a tussle behind the scenes, it would be a nightmare attempting to decide who could wear which piece. On the eve of Royal Ascot, Jess Collett is up to her David Bowie-esque, lightning flash earring studs in feathers, fake grass, silk flowers and Ecuadorian straw. We’re stoically progressing with our interview in 30 degree heat in her North Kensington studio-cum-shop, while members of her five-strong team bob in and out – although we keep finding ourselves trying on merch. In a break with tradition, Queen Camilla is already “recycling” Queen Mary’s crown rather than having her own made and it won’t feature the controversial Koh-i-Noor diamond which has been used in the crowns of queen consorts since it was acquired by Queen Victoria in 1850.I seem to remember we had all the same rumours before the wedding of the Prince and Princess of Wales,’ says Carol Woolton, a Vogue contributing editor and founder of the podcast ‘If Jewels Could Talk. ‘There were stories every day that Catherine was going to wear a floral headpiece and not a Royal tiara and that Camilla as the Duchess of Cornwall was being called in to talk her around. I think she was going to wear the Halo tiara all along. This could plausibly mean that the Duchess of Edinburgh, her daughter Lady Louise Windsor, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, Princess Anne and Zara Tindall would all be wearing tiaras, a spectacle which, while in line with coronations past, would be quite the visual blitz of sparkle at a time when the royals are keen to appear relatable and modern. Besides, if the Princess of Wales did decide to wear a tiara, it would be a choice with delicate political consequences.