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Why bride Lady Kitty Spencer didn't wear Princess Diana's wedding tiara

The Spencer Tiara is a family heirloom

kitty spencer wedding tiara
Nichola Murphy
Deputy Lifestyle Editor
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Princess Diana's niece Lady Kitty Spencer was a beautiful bride as she married her partner Michael Lewis in front of family and friends in Rome this weekend. 

MORE: 6 of the best new bridal jewellery pieces from Kate Middleton's favourite jewellers

She was pictured sporting a stunning wedding gown from Dolce & Gabbana, but fans may have spotted that she wasn't wearing a special family heirloom: the Spencer Tiara.

The tiara was most memorably worn by Princess Diana for her royal wedding to Prince Charles in 1981, when she paired it with an iconic stunning ivory silk taffeta gown with puffed shoulders and a billowing skirt by Elizabeth and David Emanuel.

WATCH: Lady Kitty Spencer's most stunning outfits

The century-old diamond-encrusted Spencer Tiara was reportedly made out of several different elements that were put together by Garrard in the 1930s, including the central part which was a wedding gift to Diana’s grandmother Lady Cynthia Hamilton.

RELATED: Lady Kitty Spencer speaks honestly about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's royal wedding

Diana's mother and two elder sisters Lady Sarah Spencer and Lady Jane Spencer also opted to wear the tiara on their own wedding days, while Kitty's mother Victoria sported the sparkling family jewel when she married Charles Spencer in 1989. So perhaps Kitty's sister Lady Amelia Spencer may choose to sport it when she marries her fiancé Greg Mallett?

princess diana wedding

Princess Diana wearing the Spencer tiara on her wedding day

The Spencer Tiara was thought to be one of the Princess of Wales' favourite tiaras, and she was pictured wearing it on many occasions after her wedding. After Diana tragically passed away in 1997, it was returned to the Spencer family. 

READ: Lady Kitty Spencer's celebrity friends arrive in Italy for her wedding to billionaire Michael Lewis

Perhaps Kitty's decision to leave the family heirloom out of her bridal look was to prevent any heartache around Diana's passing and keep the tiara as a private tribute to her aunt. She may have worn some jewellery from the Spencer collection as a sentimental touch, too.

charles spencer victoria wedding

Kitty Spencer's parents Charles and Victoria

Lady Kitty Spencer supposedly had to delay her wedding plans due to the pandemic, after she got engaged to Michael in 2019.

Earlier this year, on the topic of the future, she told Town & Country magazine: "I just look forward to a really happy home life; a happy marriage and happy children. And I feel very at peace that things play out the way they should."

It is unknown if the couple will remain in Italy or jet off elsewhere for a honeymoon.

SEE: Prince Harry and William's cousin Lady Kitty Spencer's £19million home is astonishing

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