When can we expect to see Princess Charlotte wear her first tiara? It's sooner than you think...

And it won't just be for playing dress up at home

• Princess Charlotte is yet to wear her first real tiara but it looks like the time could come sooner than we expect.
• The young royal has previously been pictured wearing flower headbands at the Duke and Duchess of Sussexes wedding.
• The special occasions we might see her swap flowers for jewels comes as Prince George is aware ‘he’s different’ to siblings Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis

Princess Charlotte can be expected to wear her first royal tiara when the youngster reaches this milestone.

Most members of the royal family have to wait until they're married before they can be seen to wear a royal tiara but Princess Charlotte is expected to don one sooner.

'There's no rule book', said Marlene Koenig, an expert on British and European royalty. 'Princess Anne certainly wore a tiara as a teenager - she wore a tiara for her 21st birthday picture, all before she got married.'

It's understood that Princess Charlotte could be expected to wear one if she hosts a gala for her 18th or 21st birthday. Alternatively she could also wear one in a portrait commissioned for such momentous birthday milestones or by attending state events when she reaches adulthood.

READ MORE: The lockdown activity Prince George and Princess Charlotte have been loving

The expert added, 'Because the royal family is becoming increasingly small, Charlotte will likely begin representing her grandfather and father at royal events, including state banquets, when she's a young woman.'

But if Charlotte attends university like her parents Kate and William, she could wait until after graduation to wear one.

READ MORE: Prince Harry wanted Archie to be ‘best friends’ with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis

There is one factor which makes her wearing a tiara more likely, the expert explained to Town and Country Magazine, 'We're more likely to see her wearing tiaras as a younger woman if her father has already become King.'

Nevertheless, her first tiara is likely to be a Cartier Halo one, like the one her mother wore to her wedding to Prince William in 2011.