Why Princess Eugenie's £10m wedding day tiara was a total surprise
Who can forget Princess Eugenie's striking emerald tiara, worn at her 2018 wedding to Jack Brooksbank at Windsor Castle? The moment marked a major first for Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson's daughter as she had never worn a tiara before, but also because it was the first time this particular piece had been seen in public.
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The 32-year-old royal, now a proud mother to young son August, borrowed the Greville Emerald Kokoshnik tiara from her grandmother Queen Elizabeth II for her wedding day, pairing it with a beautiful gown designed by Peter Pilotto and Christopher De Vos. The striking headpiece, estimated to be worth a staggering £10 million, was perfectly offset by a pair of matching diamond and emerald drop earrings, a wedding present from her husband.
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The Greville Emerald Kokoshnik tiara is made of brilliant and rose-cut diamonds pavé set in platinum, with six emeralds on either side of a 93.7-carat emerald centre stone.
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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 added it to her private collection of royal wedding tiaras.
The precious piece was rarely seen and had never been worn in public by a member of the royal family until Eugenie's wedding day.
Princess Eugenie was the first royal to wear the Queen's emerald tiara in public
Princess Eugenie was expected to wear the York Diamond Tiara, the very same one her mother wore on her own wedding day back in 1986, but instead opted for a sentimental "something borrowed" from her grandmother the Queen.
Speaking about her exquisite headpiece in 2019, Eugenie said: "It was the most incredible thing to wear such a piece of history that my grandmother had lent me, very proud moment and the beautiful earrings were a gift from my husband."
The Greville Emerald Kokoshnik tiara is worth an estimated £10 million
The bride's gown also featured symbols that held significant importance to Eugenie, including the White Rose of York interwoven with ivy to represent the couple's marriage and future together.
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Prince Andrew and Sarah, Duchess of York's daughter then changed into a blush-coloured silk chiffon gown with a cape, designed by Zac Posen, for her evening reception.
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