Kate and the hand-me-down crown

The tiara has now adorned the heads of members of the Royal Family from four generations. Photo / Getty

The Duchess of Cambridge gave a nod to royal history by wearing the Queen Mother's fan-motif tiara at the state banquet for China's president on Tuesday night.

The tiara has now adorned the heads of members of the Royal Family from four generations.

Kate and the Chinese President Xi Jinping attend a state banquet at Buckingham Palace. Photo / Getty

Also known as the Lotus Flower, it was originally a necklace given as a wedding present in 1923 to Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, who became Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, by her husband, the future George VI.

Garrard of Mayfair, the then Crown Jeweller, turned it into a tiara. The Queen Mother brought some 1920s flair to the piece by wearing it across her forehead in a bandeau style.

Her daughter Princess Margaret, the Queen's late sister, was fond of the tiara and often wore it.

It was then given a new lease of life when Serena Stanhope wore it for her wedding to Margaret's son Viscount Linley in 1993.

Leslie Field, author of the Queen's Jewels, said: "It's very much in the Twenties style and probably quite lightweight and comfortable to wear."

- Daily Mail