Why Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle will get to wear crowns to King Charles’ coronation

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published 5 February 2023

Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle will be two members of the Royal Family allowed to wear 'small crowns' at King Charles' coronation later this year, a style expert has revealed.

A style expert has revealed that Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle will both be wearing 'small crowns' at King Charles coronation.
The small crowns are called coronets and are worn by members of the Royal Family and the titled nobility.
In other royal news, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are moving attention away from documentaries and towards ‘rom coms’ and ‘feel good’ programmes’ for upcoming Netflix projects.

While it is as yet unknown whether Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will attend King Charles' coronation, which will take place on 6 May this year, speculation around their participation in the event is already circulating.

If the couple do attend, a style expert has claimed that they both, alongside Kate Middleton and Prince William, will be allowed to wear a version of a tiara, or 'small crown', on the special occasion.

Style expert Rosie Harte, who runs the TikTok channel The Royal Wardrobe, asked her followers, "Did you know that Kate and Meghan will get to wear tiaras and crowns at the coronation?

"Well technically they’re not crowns," she explained. "They're coronets which are little small crowns. Members of the Royal Family and members of the titled nobility such as Dukes and Duchesses will also get to wear them and the design of the coronet varies based on your rank and your relationship to the monarch."

Coronets vary massively in their design, ranging from pieces mirroring the look of actual crowns to simpler golden bands decorated with jewels.

Rosie Harte added, "Harry, Meghan and Kate, as the son and daughters-in-law of the monarch, will get to wear a coronet featuring crosses and fleur de lis [a decorative design resembling a lily] . As the Prince of Wales, William will get to wear a special coronet, his father's old coronet."

While she will wear a simple coronet to Charles coronation, when Prince William ascends to the throne, Kate will wear a vastly more magnificent crown. According to The Sun, it is likely she will wear the Queen Mother’s impressive crown that is currently on display at the Tower of London’s Crown Jewels exhibition.

The stunning crown was made in 1937 by Garrard for the Queen Mother. It’s features 2,800 diamonds centred around the gigantic Koh-i-Noor diamond which sits in the centre of the platinum frame.

The Queen Mother wore the crown during her and King George VI's joint coronation, as well as during her daughter Queen Elizabeth's coronation in June 1953.

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Charlie Elizabeth Culverhouse is a news writer for Goodtoknow, specialising in family content. She began her freelance journalism career after graduating from Nottingham Trent University with an MA in Magazine Journalism, receiving an NCTJ diploma, and earning a First Class BA (Hons) in Journalism at the British and Irish Modern Music Institute. She has also worked with BBC Good Food and The Independent.