princess anne queen wedding tiara© Photo: Getty Images

The secret behind Princess Anne's wedding day tiara from the Queen

Her Majesty loaned the piece to her daughter

Homes Editor
July 7, 2021

When Princess Anne married Captain Mark Phillips in 1973, she was loaned a very special tiara from the Queen, the same one Her Majesty wore for her own nuptials! The Queen Mary's Russian Fringe tiara is magical for many reasons, but most of all for its unique ability to be transformed into a necklace.

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The Royal Collection Trust website explains: "A diamond fringe tiara in the style of a Russian headdress or kokoshnik; it can also be worn as a necklace."

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The rows of gems can be removed from the frame to completely transform it into a different piece of jewellery. 

The dazzling piece contains 47 separate diamond bars as well as smaller diamond spikes and it was made by Garrard, the official royal jeweller.

© Photo: Rex

Princess Anne was loaned a tiara from her mother

It was originally made for Queen Mary from a diamond necklace gifted by Queen Victoria for her own wedding in 1893.

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© Photo: Rex

The couple's wedding was watched by 500 million people

The Queen has since worn the tiara in an official portrait, and you may also remember that Princess Beatrice was loaned this precious piece of headwear by Her Majesty in 2020 – what a beautiful 'something borrowed'!

It was 14 November when Princess Anne and Mark Phillips tied the knot at Westminster Abbey, and the breathtaking ceremony was watched by an audience of approximately 500 million viewers around the world, and hundreds of royal enthusiasts also took to the streets of London to celebrate the momentous occasion.

© Photo: Rex

The Princess Royal got married at Westminster Abbey

The Queen's daughter arrived at the venue in a horse-drawn carriage and she was escorted by her father, the late Duke of Edinburgh. Her bridesmaid was nine-year-old Lady Armstrong Jones, the daughter of her aunt, Princess Margaret, while Anne's youngest brother, nine-year-old Prince Edward acted as pageboy.

Princess Beatrice has also worn this precious piece

The Princess Royal's wedding dress was unapologetically different, featuring a Tudor-style cut with a high collar and medieval sleeves, designed by Maureen Baker.

Princess Anne announced her separation from Mark in August 1989, before divorcing in 1992, and going on to marry naval officer Commander Timothy Laurence in the same year the divorce was sanctioned.

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