Kate's £6.50 tiara

For Kate Middleton choosing 'something borrowed' for her wedding day was a simple choice: a tiara fit for a queen. The head of the Windsor family, Queen Elizabeth II, loaned Kate her Cartier 'halo' tiara. The tiara was made in 1936. It was originally purchased by the Duke of York for his Duchess, who would become King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, the Queen mother, a few weeks later. It is estimated to be worth millions. In 1946, she passed the crown to her daughter, the current Queen, for her 18th birthday. Kate opted to wear her hair mostly down on her wedding day with the tiara holding her veil in place. If Kate is lucky she may be calling the tiara her own someday soon. In 1981, Queen Elizabeth gave Princess Diana the beautiful Cambridge lovers knot tiara as a wedding present. Sadly after she and Prince Charles divorced she returned it.

The Cartier 'halo'' tiara, worn by the Queen Mother

Kate's hairdresser did not have the luxury of using the tiara when creating the Duchess of Cambridge's style for the big day. Instead he used a £6.50 plastic tiara from Claire's, a high street jewellery shop. Claire's tiara could not have been more different than the Cartier 'halo'. Made in china, It is less than an ounce heavy. However, it worked sufficiently and Kate's hair was styled into a demi chignon flawlessly.  
Richard Ward, whose salon was responsible for styling all the Middleton family admitted to using the cheap tiara as the team practiced tirelessly. 'Kate was amazing, keeping us calm if anything. And she cared how we were coping, constantly giving us confidence. It was fantastic.' They back-combed the top to create a foundation for the tiara to sit around, then added a tiny plait in the middle and sewed it on. Since the wedding Claire's tiara's have sold out in record time.