January 11, 2023 5.00 pm This story is over 24 months old

Prince Harry details Meghan’s wedding tiara drama – with a Lincolnshire connection

Recalled in Prince Harry’s new memoir Spare

By Local Democracy Reporter

Meghan Markle’s wedding tiara has a Lincolnshire connection – and Prince Harry’s new book Spare shares details of how it ended up on her head for the historic day.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle wed on May 19, 2018 in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, earning them the Duke and Duchess of Sussex titles and marking the love between a British royal and an American actress.

Since that wedding day, drama has followed the couple everywhere they go, resulting in them both stepping back from royal duties at the start of 2020 in the quest for more of a private life – dubbed Megxit by the British press.

What followed was a back-and-forth between national media outlets and Harry & Meghan, who have regularly accused the press of orchestrating a witch-hunt against the couple, prompting a fiery interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021 and the cutting of ties between major national newspapers and the Duke and Duchess.

A Netflix documentary about Harry and Meghan’s new life and their alleged experiences within the Royal Family was released in late 2022, accompanying the rollout of Prince Harry’s tell-all autobiography Spare – which was released on January 10, 2023.

The Lincolnshire connection

Within this new book, which publishers claim is the fastest-selling non-fiction book of all time, Prince Harry recalls the stresses and tribulations they faced in arranging everything for the royal wedding of 2018, including gaining access to a prestigious tiara with a Lincolnshire connection for Meghan Markle to wear.

The couple were offered one of Lady Diana Spencer’s tiaras, a gesture they were both moved by, before Queen Elizabeth II stepped in to offer her help to Harry and Meghan.

After receiving an invitation from the late Queen Elizabeth II to access her tiara collection, Harry and Meghan opted for a diamond bandeau tiara that was gifted to Queen Mary for her marriage to Prince George, Duke of York in 1893.

Queen Mary’s Diamond Bandeau was worn by Meghan Markle. | Photo: Royal Collection Trust

The detachable brooch on the tiara was given to the then-Princess by the County of Lincoln for her wedding day, and was kept until Queen Mary passed it down to her granddaughter Elizabeth in 1953.

It was in Queen Elizabeth II’s possession for over 60 years before an olive branch was offered to Meghan Markle, and it would be the brooch and tiara she wore on her big day.

However, despite a personal invitation from Harry’s grandmother herself to choose from her tiara collection, the Duke claims in his new book that not everyone associated with the family was pleased with Meghan wearing it.

Queen Elizabeth II’s confidante and dresser Angela Kelly regularly delayed organising the tiara’s delivery to Markle, after Her Majesty requested it be kept in a safe until the bride tried it on, according to Prince Harry.

A replica of the tiara on display in Lincoln. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

Harry recalls the “extraordinary morning” where he went into his grandmother’s private dressing room for the first time ever, with the late Queen guiding Meghan towards five tiaras that were placed in front of a full-length mirror.

“One of the five, however, stood out,” Harry says in Spare. “Everyone agreed. It was beautiful, seemingly made for Meg. Granny said it would be placed in a safe directly and she looked forward to seeing it on Meg’s head come the big day.

“We left the Palace feeling awed and loved and grateful.”

After being unable to contact Angela amid fears of how time-consuming and “intricate” the tiara process was for this wedding, Harry began to panic.

Angela apparently then told Harry that an orderly and a police escort were required to transport the tiara from the Palace, which Harry describes in the book as “a bit much”.

She is then alleged to have said her schedule was too busy to arrange it, which Harry claims was Angela being “obstructive, obviously” before calling her a “troublemaker” and describing her as someone he “didn’t need as an enemy.”

Angela eventually appeared “out of thin air” at Kensington Palace with the tiara, where Harry claims she had eyes like “fire”, giving him “a look that made me shiver” with a face that was a “clear warning” that this wasn’t over.


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