Sarah Ferguson was gifted a stunning tiara by Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip for her wedding to Prince Andrew in 1986, but her daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie chose not to wear it
When Sarah Ferguson tied the knot with Prince Andrew in 1986, her wedding gift from Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip was a beautiful sparkler – the York Tiara. Unlike other brides, Sarah didn’t have to give back this stunning piece of history and showed it off on numerous occasions over the decades.
The grand reveal of the York Tiara took place at the couple’s Westminster Abbey wedding where it had been cleverly hidden beneath a floral crown.
Jeremy Hinds, Sales Director of F Hinds, commented: “Sarah Ferguson debuted the York Tiara to the world following her wedding ceremony, a move seen to symbolise her new status as a Princess.”
Not just for weddings, Fergie continued to wear the tiara throughout her time in the Royal Family, and it even made some appearances post-divorce.
“The York Tiara’s final public appearance was in 2001, and the piece has not been publicly seen since,” Mr Hinds told the Express.
It’s customary for a Royal bride to borrow a piece from The Queen’s personal collection for her big day, but Sarah Ferguson went against tradition by holding onto her tiara.
“It’s thought that the tiara was a personal gift from her mother-in-law, Queen Elizabeth II,” he added.
In 2018, as Princess Eugenie planned her own walk down the aisle, there had been speculation that she might choose to wear her mum’s York Tiara. However, Eugenie chose a relatively unknown tiara from her grandmother, Queen Elizabeth’s collection, for her wedding day.
The Greville Emerald Kokoshnik Tiara, which features a central cabochon emerald weighing a reported 93.7 carats, was her headpiece of choice. The tiara is adorned with an array of rose-cut pave diamonds and additional emeralds, which perfectly matched Eugenie’s green eyes.
On her big day, the bride also wore a pair of diamond and emerald drop earrings; a gift from her husband Jack Brooksbank.
Maxwell Stone, a fine jewellery expert at Steven Stone, commented on Eugenie’s wedding jewels: “Though Princess Eugenie kept her jewellery fairly simple on her wedding day, it’s clear that a lot of thought went into each piece as they all have a family connection – from her wedding ring that was made from a piece of Welsh gold given by Queen Elizabeth II, to a pair of diamond and cabochon emerald drop earrings that were a gift from her new husband.
“The Princess surprised us all by not wearing her mother’s tiara – instead opting to borrow the Greville Emerald Kokoshnik Tiara from her grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth II. Featuring a 93.7-carat cabochon-cut emerald, it’s the most valuable royal tiara and worth a staggering £1million.”
“Eugenie’s engagement ring was visible on her right hand – featuring an incredibly rare pink padparadscha sapphire, surrounded by a halo of sparkling diamonds, Eugenie’s engagement ring is by far the rarest royal engagement ring. Padparadscha sapphires are so rare in fact that many people haven’t heard of them – they’re strikingly beautiful with unique shades of pink and orange that often resemble the colours of a sunset.”
Princess Beatrice, who tied the knot with Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in 2020, also shunned the York Tiara, but chose a different diamond-studded headpiece.
She donned Queen Mary’s Fringe Tiara, the same eye-catching spiked tiara Queen Elizabeth wore at her own wedding to Prince Philip back in 1947. This historic piece has graced the head of only one other Royal bride Princess Anne, the Queen’s daughter.
To add to her special day, the Queen provided Beatrice with a vintage Norman Hartnell gown from the Royal collection for her intimate lockdown nuptials.
