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Monaco's royal jewels: a look back at the stunning tiaras

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Andrea Casiraghi and his fiancée Tatiana Santo Domingo may be set on having an intimate, private ceremony for their imminent wedding, but the couple will still have all the glitz and glamour expected of a Monaco royal wedding.

One aspect of the ceremony royal watchers will focus on is Tatiana's choice of jewellery. While the Monegasque royal family do not have an official crown, its leading ladies Grace Kelly, Princess Caroline and Princess Charlene have been known to have an impressive jewellery collection.

The royal family's brides have had a tendency to don their tiaras before or after the church ceremony, which Tatiana may well choose to do so.

Charlene chose a diamond tiara designed by Paris-based jeweller Lorenz Bäumer for the evening ball on her wedding day. The beautiful headpiece was made of 60 carats of diamond in a white gold setting, and the larger diamonds at the end of the arcs resembled the crashing of ocean waves, a fitting design given Charlene's history as an Olympic swimmer.

The night before, after the couple's civil wedding ceremony, Charlene attended a concert with Prince Albert and their guests, and flaunted an "infinite cascade" necklace made by acclaimed jewellery house Tabbah. The stunning rose gold piece, which was embellished with diamonds and pearls, was made especially for Charlene.

Like Charlene, Princess Grace did not wear a tiara at her church ceremony to Prince Rainier III, but owned at least three in her lifetime. Grace wore a stunning tiara at the concert she hosted with Rainier on the eve of their religious wedding, and donned the headpieces on several state visits.

The Hollywood star's tiaras have often been the focus of exhibitions in the past, including ones at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and at Sotheby's in New York.

Grace was a well-known lover of Cartier, and had a string of pieces from the Parisian jewellers. When Rainier proposed to the glamorous actress, eight months after they first met, it was with a 10.47 carat Emerald-cut diamond Cartier ring. Grace received more Cartier jewels as gifts from her husband throughout their marriage, and even some as wedding presents.

Her daughters Princesses Caroline and Stephanie borrowed their mother's tiaras, with Princess Caroline in particular wearing them often. Perhaps the most historic and certainly favoured by Princess Caroline was one originally made for her grandmother, Princess Charlotte of Monaco.

The pearl and diamond tiara features hanging pear-shaped pearls set in platinum and white gold. Since her marriage to Prince Ernst August of Hanover, Princess Caroline has mostly worn tiaras from the Hanover family.

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