princess eugenie wedding dress

How Princess Eugenie reimagined one of the Queen's most treasured pieces of jewellery for her royal wedding

Genius.

Acting Fashion and Beauty Editor
October 15, 2018

Princess Eugenie was certainly one of the most modern royal brides we've seen during her recent celebrations – blending her family's traditional custom with more unique details such as her fun fairground-themed Saturday reception and her very glamorous second wedding gown. And, she chose to give a nod to her heritage with a contemporary twist in another way, too – since she wore one of the Queen's treasured brooches as a hairslide for Friday evening's private wedding dinner.

euegnie second wedding dress

Eugenie looked stunning for her formal evening reception

According to the royal family's official website, Eugenie opted for the sparkling Wheat-Ear Brooch, of which Her Majesty owns six – they have been passed down through the royal family for years. Though the accessory can't be seen in the official photographs that have been released, the Queen has worn them on a select few occasions in the past – and was actually known to wear them as hair pins in her younger days, too, so perhaps Eugenie's choice was a sweet nod to her grandmother's long reign.

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The palace website reads: "Queen Victoria’s Wheat-Ear Brooches were originally commissioned by William IV in 1830 for Queen Adelaide. They were passed down to Queen Victoria in 1837, and eventually to The Queen in 1952. Her Majesty has worn them as both hair slides and brooches." The Windsor collection possesses six of the pretty pieces, which resemble ears of wheat encrusted with diamonds set in silver and gold.

The Queen wore the brooches during a 2010 visit to Oman

It is thought that the Queen most recently wore the brooches during a state visit to Oman in 2010 – where she chose to pin two of the pretty leaf-like designs to her lemon yellow outfit. Having only worn them on two other public occasions, they are clearly special to Her Majesty and so even more significant to her granddaughter Eugenie.

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It was recently revealed that Friday's royal bride commissioned a third outfit for her celebrations, which continued on Saturday with a fun festival-like party. Couture designer Sam Dougal - of design house Gainsbourg - has shared a video on Instagram, showinga rose-pink biker jacket with a sparkly handwritten 'Mrs Brooksbank' emblazoned on the back. What a weekend!

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