Aside from Queen Consort Camilla's nuptials with King Charles, it's almost a given that a royal wedding will include a beautiful tiara.
But since many of these heirlooms are passed down the royal family, it begs the question: do the likes of Princess Kate and Meghan Markle get to keep their bridal tiaras? The Queen and Princess Anne wore the exact same headpiece, while Princess Eugenie debuted a never-before-seen piece of jewellery, and one royal was even spotted wearing her tiara years after her divorce…
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Royals who borrowed their royal wedding tiaras
For her 1947 wedding to Prince Philip, then-Princess Elizabeth accessorised her Norman Hartnell gown with Queen Mary's Fringe Tiara. As the name suggests, it consists of 47 diamond bars made up of stones from a necklace Queen Mary had been given by Queen Victoria.
The Queen Mother inherited it in 1936 and loaned it to the young Princess as her 'something borrowed'. Since then, the Queen's daughter Princess Anne was spotted wearing the timeless diamond headpiece for her wedding to Mark Phillips in 1973, and Princess Beatrice loaned it for her low-key pandemic nuptials with Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in 2020.
DISCOVER: Will Princess Eugenie ever wear a tiara again?
The Queen's bridal tiara was also worn by Princess Anne and Princess Beatrice
Princess Eugenie's choice of tiara at her 2018 wedding to Jack Brooksbank was the Greville Emerald Kokoshnik tiara, estimated to be worth a staggering £10 million. It features brilliant and rose-cut diamonds and a 93.7-carat emerald centre stone.
It was created by Boucheron jewellers for British socialite Dame Margaret Greville in 1919, who gave it to the Queen Mother in 1942. The late Queen Elizabeth II inherited it following her mother's death in 2002 and loaned it to Eugenie for her nuptials, which marked the first time this particular piece had been seen in public.
Princess Eugenie opted for a never-before-seen tiara on loan from Her Majesty
The Duchess of Sussex and the Countess of Wessex also borrowed their accessories from Her Majesty. We can assume, then, that these tiaras remained in Her Majesty's private collection and were given back to her following each event. However, it is not known who inherited them after the Queen passed away in September 2022.
It's possible they will continue to be passed down and may now belong to Princess Anne, who already loaned tiaras to her daughter Zara Tindall and former daughter-in-law Autumn Phillips.
Royals who kept their royal wedding tiaras
Sarah Ferguson recycled her bridal accessory in 2001
However, Sarah Ferguson is one of the few royals who has been able to recycle her tiara following her 1986 wedding with Prince Andrew – she even wore it in 2001, five years after their divorce!
The Duchess of York's leaf motif diamond tiara was said to have been purchased from Garrards as a gift from her new mother-in-law, the Queen.
Princess Margaret bought her diamond tiara at auction
Princess Margaret also got to keep her precious bridal accessory, as she chose not to follow tradition and borrow from the royal collection. Before her royal wedding with Anthony Armstrong-Jones, Queen Elizabeth II's little sister purchased the Poltimore Tiara, made by Garrard in the 1870s, at an auction.
Princess Diana had her own family heirloom in the form of the Spencer tiara when she married King Charles in 1981. It was thought that her niece Lady Kitty Spencer may sport it for her 2021 big day, but she chose not to.
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