A gambler stands to win £72,000 after betting that Kate Middleton will become the first 'commoner' to wear the Queen's diamond tiara on her wedding day.
The bet that she will wear the George III Tiara was placed by a well-spoken middle-aged woman in Egham, Berkshire, yesterday.
The Russian fringe tiara is part of the Crown Jewels and was made in 1919 for Queen Mary. It has since been worn by the Queen Mother, the Queen and Princess Anne at their weddings.
Miss Middleton had previously been heavily tipped to wear flowers on her head as she marries on Friday - but the large bet has strengthened suspicions that she will don the George III tiara.
One bookmaker in Ascot yesterday refused to take the woman's £6,000 bet, convinced that she had inside information.
But she drove to a Ladbrokes in Egham where she was offered odds of 12-1.
Her gamble, thought to be the largest on the Royal Wedding so far, has driven Ladbrokes to stop taking bets on what Miss Middleton will wear on her head on Friday.
A spokesman for Ladbrokes said: 'When someone walks in off the street and places a bet like that alarm bells start ringing. We have very strong suspicions that this is what she will be wearing on Friday.
'It was a lady, not the kind of person you'd see in a betting shop on any day of the week let alone a bank holiday .
'Asking for a bet in this market is very unusual, asking for a bet of £6,000 is unheard of.'
The George III tiara was made in 1830 as a necklace with diamonds belonging to King George III.
It was inherited by Queen Mary, for whom it was turned into a tiara and in turn given to the Queen Mother.
There was a minor drama when she snapped the tiara in Buckingham Palace, hours before her wedding.
But the court jeweller, under police guard, was able to repair it in time.
She loaned it to the Queen as 'something borrowed' for her wedding to Prince Phillip in 1947.
The Queen Mother loaned it again to Princess Anne for her 1973 marriage to Captain Mark Phillips.
Queen Victoria first wore the George III diamonds on a visit to the Royal Opera in 1839.
The bet that she will wear the George III Tiara was placed by a well-spoken middle-aged woman in Egham, Berkshire, yesterday.
The Russian fringe tiara is part of the Crown Jewels and was made in 1919 for Queen Mary. It has since been worn by the Queen Mother, the Queen and Princess Anne at their weddings.
Miss Middleton had previously been heavily tipped to wear flowers on her head as she marries on Friday - but the large bet has strengthened suspicions that she will don the George III tiara.
One bookmaker in Ascot yesterday refused to take the woman's £6,000 bet, convinced that she had inside information.
But she drove to a Ladbrokes in Egham where she was offered odds of 12-1.
Her gamble, thought to be the largest on the Royal Wedding so far, has driven Ladbrokes to stop taking bets on what Miss Middleton will wear on her head on Friday.
A spokesman for Ladbrokes said: 'When someone walks in off the street and places a bet like that alarm bells start ringing. We have very strong suspicions that this is what she will be wearing on Friday.
'It was a lady, not the kind of person you'd see in a betting shop on any day of the week let alone a bank holiday .
'Asking for a bet in this market is very unusual, asking for a bet of £6,000 is unheard of.'
The George III tiara was made in 1830 as a necklace with diamonds belonging to King George III.
It was inherited by Queen Mary, for whom it was turned into a tiara and in turn given to the Queen Mother.
But the court jeweller, under police guard, was able to repair it in time.
She loaned it to the Queen as 'something borrowed' for her wedding to Prince Phillip in 1947.
The Queen Mother loaned it again to Princess Anne for her 1973 marriage to Captain Mark Phillips.
Queen Victoria first wore the George III diamonds on a visit to the Royal Opera in 1839.
