When Princess Eugenie marries Jack Brooksbank on 12th October, it’ll mark the first time that we’ve seen the young royal wearing a tiara: it’s tradition, after all, that only married women can don an embellished headpiece. And when she walks down the aisle, it’s very likely that she will be wearing a special family heirloom – one which made its debut at the wedding of her parents, Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, in 1986.
Unlike most pieces of jewellery worn by royal brides, the York tiara was an entirely new design. The platinum scroll style with floral embellishments was reportedly commissioned especially for the new Duchess of York by her future in-laws, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, from Garrard, the London jeweler also responsible for Sarah’s engagement ring, and for Princess Diana’s sapphire ring, too, the iconic style that is now worn by the Duchess of Cambridge. However, its provenance has never been fully confirmed by the palace: on Sarah and Andrew’s wedding day, the palace said that the tiara had been lent by ‘a family friend.’ Hmm.
The tiara features a number of diamond collets, with a larger five carat diamond as its centrepiece, and came as part of a demi-parure, a jewellery set including other three pieces: a necklace, earrings and bracelet.
The Duchess of York initially covered up her tiara with a crown of white gardenias, a favourite flower of her husband-to-be, when she walked down the aisle, but took off the garland after she had signed the marriage register and appeared wearing her new tiara on the balcony at Buckingham Palace. It’s thought that she wished to symbolize her transition from ‘commoner’ stock to royalty.
Look back at royal wedding tiaras through history in the gallery below...
Grazia Royal Wedding Tiaras
1 of 18Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, 2011
On her wedding day, Kate Middleton wore the Cartier 'halo' tiara. It was lent to her by the Queen and was originally bought by The Duke of York for Th Queen Mother and handed down to the Queen for her 18th birthday.
2 of 18Meghan Markle, 2018
All eyes were on Meghan Markle, as she approached St George's Chapel wearing Oueen Mary's tiara from 1932. It was last worn by Princess Margaret in 1965. Only a 53 year wait before this tiara had its time to shine again.
3 of 18Princess Eugenie Of York, 2018
Princess Eugenie did not follow suit when it came to her tiara. Everyone was certain she would wear the York family tiara, however she opted for the gorgeous Greville Emerald Kokoshnik Tiara, her something borrowed from the Queen.
4 of 18Lady Gabriella Windsor, 2019
Lady Gabriella Windsor kept it in the family when choosing her tiara. The Kent City of London Fringe tiara, was also worn by her mother, Princess Michael of Kent, her auntie, Princess Alexandra of Kent, and her grandmother, Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent.
5 of 18Zara Philips, 2011
Zara Philips, grand-daughter to the queen, married England rugby captain Mike Tindall a little after Kate Middleton and Prince William's ceremony. She wore The Meander tiara which originally belonged to Princess Andrew of Greece.
6 of 18Lady Rose Windsor, 2008
For her wedding to George Gilman, Lady Rose Windsor wore the Iveagh tiara, also sometimes known as the Gloucester Leafage.
7 of 18Autumn Kelly, 2008
Autumn married Princess Anne's son, Peter Philips, wearing the Festoon tiara. Anne, who was given the tiara by the World Wide Shipping Group back in the 70s, lent the tiara to Autumn especially for the wedding.
8 of 18Sophie Rhys Jones, 1999
Sophie wore a newly modeled tiara for her wedding to Prince Edward. It was a gift from the Queen and was apparently made from four pieces of a crown that was once owned by Queen Victoria.
9 of 18Lady Sarah Chatto, 1994
The three brooches that Princess Margaret was given as wedding gifts in 1960 were turned into a tiara - the Snowdon Floral Tiara - for her daughter's wedding to Daniel Chatto.
10 of 18Lady Helen Taylor, 1992
The Kent Diamond and Pearl Fringe Tiara was the item of choice for Lady Helen's wedding to Timothy Verner Taylor.
11 of 18Sarah Ferguson, 1986
When Sarah married Prince Andrew, she wore the tiara often known as the York Diamond tiara. It's a combination of platinum and diamond that also comprises parts of a necklace, bracelet and earring trio that was given to her as a wedding gift from the Queen.
12 of 18Princess Diana, 1981
Of all the royal tiaras, you're probably most familiar with the iconic Spencer tiara that Diana (formerly Diana Spencer) wore on her wedding day. It was a family heirloom that had been passed down between the Spencers since the 1930s.
13 of 18Princess Michael of Kent, 1978
Marie Christie only actually wore a tiara for the ball that followed her wedding to Prince Michael, and went without for the ceremony. The tiara she did eventually wear was the Kent City of London Fringe tiara which was given to her by her mother in law, Princess Marina.
14 of 18Princess Anne, 1973
The Queen's only daughter Princess Anne had the honor of wearing the Russian Fringe tiara - a particularly special piece that her mother, Queen Elizabeth, wore on her wedding day.
15 of 18Princess Alexandra of Kent, 1963
The Kent City of London Fringe tiara was also worn by Princess Alexandra of Kent on her wedding day. It was borrowed from her mother Princess Marina before Princess Alexandra passed it down to Princess Micheal of Kent for her wedding 15 years later.
16 of 18Katherine Worsley, 1961
The Kent Diamond and Pearl Fringe Tiara was Katharine's tiara of choice for her wedding to Prince Edward, Duke of Kent.
17 of 18Princess Margaret, 1960
The tall and floral inspired Poltimore tiara was worn by Princess Margaret on for her wedding. Apparently it can be broken dow into eleven individual brooches as well as a tiara. After Margaret's death in 2002 the tiara was later auctioned at Christies for $1.7million.
18 of 18Queen Elizabeth II, 1947
The big story around Queen Elizabeth's famed Russian Fringe tiara is that it snapped only hours before her wedding to Prince Philip. Evidently it was swiftly mended by a court jeweler leaving a slight gap between the middle spike and the one to it's right.
Fergie wore the treasured piece for a number of occasions both during her marriage and after her divorce (it’s thought that her divorce settlement allowed her to keep the heirloom), but it has not been seen in public since the Duchess attended Elton John’s White Tie and Tiara Ball back in 2001. So, if Eugenie does choose to wear the piece as predicted, it’ll be the first time in over 15 years that the York tiara is given a public outing. And what better occasion than a royal wedding?
However, this certainly isn’t the only option for Eugenie when she walks down the aisle. It is traditional for the Queen to lend a piece from her personal collection to royal brides when they get married: most recently, the Duchess of Sussex borrowed Queen Mary’s diamond bandeau tiara; before that, the Duchess of Cambridge famously wore the Cartier Halo scroll tiara on her wedding day. Other potential contenders include the Strathmore Rose tiara, a floral headpiece given to the Queen Mother as a wedding present and passed on to the Queen, or even the Queen Mary fringe tiara, the diamond-spiked design worn by the Queen herself on her wedding day and by Princess Anne on hers.