Touted by its maker, Garrard, as “the most-loved royal wedding tiara in history,” this diadem has fulfilled “something borrowed” several times over.
Constructed in 1919 from diamonds sourced from pieces already in Queen Mary’s collection—including another tiara as well as a bracelet—the design mimics the Russian kokoshnik style, which is a high, wide halo silhouette that had become fashionable in Western Europe during the late 19th century.
However, it is not to be confused with Queen Alexandra’s Fringe Tiara, which Edward VII’s wife received as a silver wedding anniversary gift in 1888. Queen Mary’s version is slightly smaller, featuring 47 tapering bars of brilliant-cut and rose-cut diamonds alternating with lozenge-set diamond spikes. The tiara can also be detached from its frame and worn as a necklace.
Queen Mary gave the tiara to her daughter-in-law, Elizabeth (the future Queen Mother) in 1937, who lent it to her daughter Princess Elizabeth (seen in the photo) for her wedding to Prince Philip in November 1947. The tiara was later lent to Princess Anne for her 1973 wedding to Captain Mark Phillips. Most recently, Princess Beatrice borrowed the diadem from her grandmother for her July 2020 wedding to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi at Windsor Castle.