Tiara for a 21st Century Princess

Which tiara will Kate wear when she walks the aisle of Westminster Abbey tomorrow?

Will she don the Cambridge tiara? Or, perhaps she’ll wear the diadem known as the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland? Or, maybe even -- as a tribute to her mother-in-law, the late Diana, Princess of Wales -- the Spencer family tiara?

Most likely, she’ll wear The Fringe Tiara.

Also known as the Russian Fringe Tiara, the King George Fringe Tiara and the Princess Elizabeth wedding tiara, the dramatic headpiece is a powerful style statement. And, for all its modern, clean lines, it’s nearly two centuries old.

This impressive circlet of diamonds – a gradually increasing line of vertical rows of diamonds -- was made in 1830 of brilliant cut stones belonging to King George III. It first gained fame the evening it was worn by George III’s niece, Queen Victoria, on a visit to the Royal Opera in 1839.

The tiara was inherited by Queen Victoria’s daughter-in-law, Queen Alexandra, who, in turn, gave it to Queen Mary when she became Queen Consort in 1910. Queen Mary gifted it to her daughter in law, Queen Elizabeth, (you know her as the Queen Mother and mother of the present queen) in 1937.

The Queen Mother loaned it to her daughter Princess Elizabeth as “something borrowed” for her wedding in 1947. The Queen Mother also loaned it to her granddaughter, Princess Anne, in 1973 for her marriage to Captain Mark Phillips.

It is now part of Queen Elizabeth II's collection.

There are a bevy of tiaras from which Kate could have chosen. But smart money is on the Fringe Tiara. I think the grapevine is right on this one – and here is why:

Catherine is a very modern lady with very conservative tastes. The sleek lines of the Fringe Tiara complement both her forward-thinking ways and her Jane Austen sensibilities. And, as such, it will complete what is rumored to be a Renaissance-inspired wedding dress, which the bride herself designed.

We’ll know for sure in a few hours.