A Brief History Of The Tiara, From Audrey Hepburn To The Duchess Of Cambridge

With Rihanna, Naomi Campbell and many others in between

When the Duchess of Cambridge appeared at a state banquet at Buckingham Palace back in October, all eyes were on her - but not, for once, for her beautiful Jenny Packham dress, impossibly glossy hair or flawless skin. This time, it was because of her most glamorous, chic, elegant tiara - a priceless item that once belonged to the Queen Mother.

Now, the future Queen has showed off her collection of fine jewels once again, attending the Queen's annual Diplomatic Reception in a dazzling diamond and pearl tiara that once belonged to Princess Diana.

The tiara has had a colourful history. Sitting beautifully atop the coiffed hair of royals like The Queen, Princess Diana and the Queen Mother over the generations, the tiara is no longer an elite piece of jewellery reserved only for the aristocracy: in recent years, fashion designers from Victoria's Secret to Dior to Yves Saint Laurent have sent models down the catwalk, their most notable item of clothing their sparkling tiaras.

Source: giphy

With the age-old Hollywood glamour of the tiara, seen on stars like Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday, Wendy Hiller in Pygmalion and Marilyn Monroe in We're Not Married, comes the more recent incarnations of the tiara - worn with grungy clothing like Fergie or Kelly Osbourne or Helena Bonham Carter on the red carpet, or dolled up with flowing dresses for A-list parties, like Scarlett Johansson at the Academy Awards afterparty, Liz Hurley at Elton John's annual fiesta and Sophia Loren, rocking the tiara in nowhere but her own flat. Now that's glamour.

Let's not also forget the favourite look of the 1990s - tiaras worn with barely-there slip dresses and deep, dark lipstick, like Courtney Love and Amanda de Cadenet - and a special mention has to go to the beautiful Rihanna, bringing the trend back to life in more recent years with a sparkling, eye-catching tiara.

What's your favourite look? Click through our gallery above and let us know @marieclaireuk