From the first time she became a subject of the public eye to her rise to Princess-dom Kate Middleton has become an epitome of classic taste and elegance, it is very rare  to see her in something as glamorous and sensational as a tiara. But wear a tiara she did at a white-tie diplomatic reception at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday.

More formally known as Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Middleton was seen wearing a light colored Alexander McQueen gown with the heirloom tiara which showcased an intricate arrangement of diamonds and pearls. The Daily Mail reports that Kensington Palace has officially confirmed that the bejeweled beauty belonged to Princess Margaret, the sister of Queen Elizabeth II.

Historically, the Lotus Flower Tiara was once owned by the Queen Mother herself. A wedding gift from her husband, King George VI, it was originally a necklace until it was dismantled and repurposed into a tiara by jeweler Garrard in the 1920's.

For the prevailing duchess, this is only the second time that she has been seen publicly with such an iconic head gear. The first time was, of course, on her wedding to Prince William in 2011, when the reigning Queen Elizabeth II loaned her a Cartier piece. The Lotus Flower Tiara, is also a loan as it is part of the Queen's private collection and is said to be lent to Middleton especially for the occasion.

The Royal Post reports that the tiara is a  precious heirloom unlike any other in that it is "one of the prettiest of Queen Elizabeth's tiaras ... arranged as a band of stylized lotus flowers and overreaching arches, with the graduated pinnacles surmounted by a single pearl" as said by Geoffrey C. Munn in his book, Tiaras, A History of Splendour.

If the pictures are to be believed, Middleton has certainly proven that she has the grace and poise to wear a tiara just like a real princess.