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The royal family

Queen offered Meghan a choice of tiaras

380 replies

babsanderson · 16/01/2023 13:17

Below is an extract that describes Meghan being given the tiara to wear for her wedding by the Queen. Another passage describes hoe Angela Levin would not allow Meghan to get access to the tiara before her wedding to practise it with her hairdresser.

"Next came the question of a tiara. My aunts asked if Meg would like to wear my mother’s. We were both touched. Meg then spent hours and hours with her dress designer, getting the veil to match the tiara, giving it a similar scalloped edge. Shortly before the wedding, however, Granny reached out. She offered us access to her collection of tiaras. She even invited us to Buckingham Palace to try them on. Do come over, I remember her saying.
Extraordinary morning. We walked into Granny’s private dressing room, right next to her bedroom, a space I’d never been in. Along with Granny was a jewelry expert, an eminent historian who knew the lineage of each stone in the royal collection. Also present was Granny’s dresser and confidante, Angela. Five tiaras were arrayed on a table, and Granny directed Meg to try on each one before a full-length mirror. I stood behind, watching.
One was all emeralds. One was aquamarines. Each was more dazzlingly stunning than the last. Each took my breath. I wasn’t the only one. Granny said to Meg quite tenderly: Tiaras suit you.
Meg melted. Thank you, Ma’am.
One of the five, however, stood out. Everyone agreed. It was beautiful, seemingly made for Meg. Granny said it would be placed in a safe directly and she looked forward to seeing it on Meg’s head come the Big Day. Make sure, she added, that you practice putting it on. With your hairdresser. It’s tricky and you don’t want to be doing it for the first time on the wedding day."

Spare, Harry

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DaphneMorris · 16/01/2023 13:22

Angela Kelly

Primroseprimula · 16/01/2023 13:22

I don't understand why she didn't just stick with the Spencer tiara?

babsanderson · 16/01/2023 13:29

Sorry Kelly. I wish we could edit posts. I am always posting in between things.

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babsanderson · 16/01/2023 13:30

@Primroseprimula It would be a snub to the Queen to say no.

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thebellagio · 16/01/2023 14:41

I don't see how it could be seen as a snub to stick with the Spencer Tiara - after all, Harry could just say that Meghan wanted to honour my mum by wearing it.

I'm still not 100% sure I understand how the "what meg wants, meg gets" argument with Angela Kelly happened

EdithWeston · 16/01/2023 14:45

Primroseprimula · 16/01/2023 13:22

I don't understand why she didn't just stick with the Spencer tiara?

Elsewhere in the book, it says that Harry and his uncle had some sort of row about the Earl's caution about the haste in to marriage.

I suspect that might be connected to the switch away from the Spencer tiara

thebellagio · 16/01/2023 14:47

Does Harry still have much to do with the Spencer side of the family?
He also seems to have lost all of his friends as well - what's the logic behind that?

babsanderson · 16/01/2023 14:47

@thebellagio The accusation is that Meghan demanded to wear one of the Queen's tiaras.

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babsanderson · 16/01/2023 14:48

What makes you think Harry has lost all of his friends? I have only seen that said on mumsnet.

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thebellagio · 16/01/2023 14:50

babsanderson · 16/01/2023 14:48

What makes you think Harry has lost all of his friends? I have only seen that said on mumsnet.

He said something on one of the interviews/Netflix thing about "I've lost friends in this process"

Anon778833 · 16/01/2023 14:51

I think that Harry's telling of the story sounds FAR more accurate and believable than the press saying that Meghan was demanding different tiaras.

Whenever he describes the Queen in the book she is always kind, diplomatic, trying to help, trying to be a peace keeper.

Angela Kelly hasn't worked for the royal family since the Queen died.

DerangedViper · 16/01/2023 14:52

babsanderson · 16/01/2023 14:47

@thebellagio The accusation is that Meghan demanded to wear one of the Queen's tiaras.

Wasn't it more about stuff with the hairdresser, and (wrong) expectation that a tiara can be brought out of a vault on short notice to be transported elsewhere?

Anon778833 · 16/01/2023 14:55

The Queen had apparently advised Meghan that she would need to practice putting the tiara on with plenty of time before the wedding, because it was complex and would require being sewn into her veil and also plaited into her hair.

Harry's side is that AK was being deliberately difficult and provided no explanation of when the tiara would be ready, she just ignored his messages.

DerangedViper · 16/01/2023 15:00

Interesting thread - wanders off in to all sorts of tiara related info (as well as what's in the book:

www.mumsnet.com/talk/the_royal_family/4714673-tiara-gate-unveiled-shameless-pun?

HaroldsCougar · 16/01/2023 15:05

"Harry's side is that AK was being deliberately difficult and provided no explanation of when the tiara would be ready, she just ignored his messages"

Wasn't that because she was on leave, but did indeed get back to them and deal with it? Interrupting her time off.

She wasn't their staff, at their beck and call. And perhaps they didn't like being reminded of that. Being away from work (and therefore not picking up immediately) isn't being difficult. Lots of people don't take work calls OOH

StatisticallyChallenged · 16/01/2023 15:06

Anon778833 · 16/01/2023 14:51

I think that Harry's telling of the story sounds FAR more accurate and believable than the press saying that Meghan was demanding different tiaras.

Whenever he describes the Queen in the book she is always kind, diplomatic, trying to help, trying to be a peace keeper.

Angela Kelly hasn't worked for the royal family since the Queen died.

She was the Queen's personal dresser, although I think her role expanded somewhat in recent years. It's hardly surprising that she hasn't worked for them since - she's also around retirement age

babsanderson · 16/01/2023 15:09

@thebellagio Okay Harry has lost some friends, I knew that.
That is different from saying he has lost all his friends.

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babsanderson · 16/01/2023 15:11

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Anon778833 · 16/01/2023 15:12

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Quite. I just get the impression that courtiers can be snooty and spiteful. And this is not new information.

StatisticallyChallenged · 16/01/2023 15:14

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Is there any evidence to suggest she was racist? At all?

Just because she didn't jump when H&M said doesn't make her racist. We don't know how much notice was given, what else was going on, or indeed if she was (as I've seen suggested elsewhere) on annual leave at the time. But let's jump to racism.

Fizzadora · 16/01/2023 15:19

Sounds like yet another breakdown in communication. Almost every row in a family is because people don't or won't communicate with each other.
It's really not difficult but some people seem to have great trouble with it.

Anon778833 · 16/01/2023 15:22

Fizzadora · 16/01/2023 15:19

Sounds like yet another breakdown in communication. Almost every row in a family is because people don't or won't communicate with each other.
It's really not difficult but some people seem to have great trouble with it.

I agree. This is a possibility.

But what does seem to be clear is that the press version of events were made up lies, eg saying that Meghan demanded the Queen should give her a different tiara. Harry says that the tiara was agreed upon by all of them.

Georgeskitchen · 16/01/2023 15:28

The tiaras are priceless. They can't just be taken out of the cupboard at the drop of a hat. There is protocol to follow.
As for Harry's friends, I believe Meghan thought they were too "laddish" so they had to go 😉

BasiliskStare · 16/01/2023 15:29

I have never read anything which implies AK did not like doing something for a black woman. What I can believe is that M&H did not realise you have to book an appointment way in advance to have one of these tiaras brought to you - you can't just ask for it when your hairdresser is available. And if AK wasn't available then they would just have to wait a while.

I thought the Spencer tiara would have looked lovely but so did the one she wore - whether that was not wishing to snub the Queen or thinking Oh a real proper Royal tiara or just M preferred that one - who knows. I do think if they expected Ak to just drop everything and stick in her bag immediately to bring over is naive.

Is it true or myth that Catherine practiced her hair with a Claire's accessory tiara - We will never know.

babsanderson · 16/01/2023 15:32

The Queen told Meghan and Harry it had to be booked out with security. It was Angela's job to organise that. They were trying to arrange a date with Angela for this to happen. She ignored them totally.

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