Kate Middleton has borrowed over £2 million worth of jewellery from Queen Elizabeth

When it comes to jewellery, Her Majesty The Queen is known for her exquisite collection. Queen Elizabeth II has a treasure chest filled with some of the most beautiful jewellery pieces, which she often lends to members of her family. Last year, Meghan Markle wore one of the Queen’s headpieces for her wedding to Prince Harry. The Duchess of Sussex was spotted wearing the Queen Mary Diamond Bandeau tiara for her big day. Kate Middleton has also been seen wearing a few pieces from Her Majesty’s collection. And looking at some of the pieces she’s worn, the Duchess of Cambridge could have already borrowed over £2 million worth of jewellery.

Here are some of the pieces she’s been pictured wearing:

Cartier Halo tiara

For her 2011 wedding to Prince William, Kate Middleton wore the Cartier Halo tiara, which was steeped in royal history, having been in the family since it was created in 1936.

Prince William’s great grandfather, the Duke of York, had originally given the headpiece to his wife before they became King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.

The lavish tiara came with a hefty price tag and gemologist and jewellery expert, Deborah Papas, told Express.co.uk how much it cost.

She said: “It is very hard to estimate the value but as a Cartier piece, I would estimate it to be worth approximately £750,000 to £1,250,000.”

Bahrain pearl drop earrings

In 1947, the ruler of Bahrain gave then-Princess Elizabeth several large pearls as a wedding present in 1947.

Two round pearls were used on the bottom of these dangling earrings that feature trios of round and baguette diamonds suspended from even more round diamonds.

The earrings were put away after the 1950s, however, they reappeared when Sophie, Countess of Wessex wore them, and then again by Kate Middleton.

Lover’s Knot tiara

Queen Mary feel in love with her mother’s tiara. So much so, she created a replica of the head piece – in which pearls swing from diamond arches capped by lover’s knots. She left the copy, which was created in 1913, to her own granddaughter Elizabeth II. The Queen then lent it to princess Diana, before passing it down to Kate – who has been spotted wearing it on numerous occasions.

The tiara originally sold at auction in May 1981 for $747,000 dollars in today’s money. This is equivalent to £607,000.

Nizam of Hyderabad necklace

This diamond necklace was made by Cartier in the 1930s. It was a wedding gift to Elizabeth on her wedding to Prince Philip from the last Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan, in 1947.

The Nizam’s entire gift set for the future Queen of the United Kingdom included a diamond tiara and matching necklace, whose design was based on English roses. The Duchess of Cambridge has also worn the necklace.

In 2014, she was pictured wearing the stunning piece when she attended the National Portrait Gallery’s annual gala.

While it’s not known how much this particular piece costs, at the time, the Nizam of Hyderabad was one of the richest men in the world.

The Jewels of Nizams are among the largest and most expensive jewels in present-day India.

In 1995 the Indian government bought the jewels for about $70 million, many years after the death of Last Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan in 1967.

Express.co.uk recently revealed how Kate’s wedding dress was kept secret.

Back in 2011, the Duchess wore a gorgeous lace gown by Sarah Burton – creative director at Alexandr McQueen.

Designer Mandy Ewing said the staff had to go to great lengths to keep the gown under wraps.

“We knew who it was for, but it was very secret – we had net curtains up and cleaners were not allowed into the room and the code on the door was changed,” she explained after Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, visited the Royal School of Needlework in November 2017.