As Prince William and Princess Kate’s only daughter, Princess Charlotte is set to receive an incredible inheritance – and it includes an iconic item that belonged to her late grandmother

The British royal family has the most exquisite jewellery collection featuring priceless heirlooms and invaluable historical items passed down through the generations.

Princess Kate has loaned a number of glittering pieces over the years, which her daughter Princess Charlotte will also one day have access to. But the nine-year-old is also set to inherit a very special piece that her mother has been unable to wear.

Charlotte is set to be given the iconic Spencer tiara, which previously belonged to her late grandmother, Princess Diana. Diana famously wore the headpiece at her wedding to then-Prince Charles in 1981.

The garland-style tiara features a central heart flanked by continuous running scrolls, and is interspersed with star and trumpet-shaped flowers. It is set throughout with circular and rose-cut, cushion and pear-shaped diamonds, mounted in gold. The tiara belongs to the Spencer family. It was loaned to Diana for her wedding to Charles by her father, John, who continued to let her borrow the piece in the years that followed.

In 1989, it was used for another grand wedding; when Diana’s younger brother Charles married his first wife, Victoria Lockwood. Following John’s death in March 1992, Charles inherited the Spencer estate and assets – including the Spencer tiara. It went on display in London in 2022, at which time Charlotte’s inheritance was also confirmed.