Hours before Queen Elizabeth II's 1947 wedding to Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, the fastening on Queen Mary's Fringe Tiara broke as her veil was being secured.
The Royal Collection Trust said her gown, designed by Sir Norman Hartnell, cost about $42,000 — about $1.6 million today — and women across Britain donated ration coupons for the dress during postwar austerity.
The ivory duchesse satin dress featured a 15-foot embroidered train and thousands of hand-sewn pearls. Today, both the gown and the repaired tiara remain central to royal fashion history.
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A National Undertaking In Silk And Pearls
Hartnell, the Queen's court dressmaker and a leading royal couturier, drew inspiration from Italian Renaissance painter Sandro Botticelli's "Primavera." According to the Royal Collection Trust, he used floral motifs to symbolize growth and renewal.
Thousands of imported seed pearls, crystals, and satin appliqués were hand-stitched by a team of embroiderers. The project became a collective endeavor, as ration coupons donated by women across the country allowed additional silk to be sourced. Despite austerity, the gown embodied craftsmanship and optimism in the aftermath of World War II.
A Tiara Mishap Hours Before The Ceremony
Queen Mary's Fringe Tiara was commissioned in 1919 by Queen Mary using diamonds repurposed from a necklace given to her by Queen Victoria in 1893. It was crafted by Garrard & Co. — the Crown Jeweller at the time — and was designed to be worn both as a tiara and as a necklace.
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"The catch—which I didn't know existed—suddenly went," the Queen later said at a 2018 Buckingham Palace exhibition. Garrard confirmed its workshop completed the repair in time for the ceremony, preserving her walk down the aisle at Westminster Abbey.
An Heirloom With A Royal Legacy
Steven Stone, a U.K. jeweler, valued the tiara at 5 million British pounds ($6.7 million). Garrard's records say it contains 633 brilliant-cut and 271 rose-cut diamonds in 47 tapering bars, forming a kokoshnik-style silhouette.
The tiara's legacy continued across generations: Princess Anne wore it in 1973, and Princess Beatrice selected it in 2020. After the Queen Mother's death in 2002, Elizabeth inherited the heirloom and later wore it for her Diamond Jubilee portrait in 2012, highlighting its importance across her reign.
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Royal Fashion Still In The Spotlight
The Royal Collection Trust announced that "Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style" will be held at The King's Gallery, Buckingham Palace, from next spring to autumn. The exhibition will feature about 200 items, many displayed publicly for the first time, including her 1947 wedding gown and 1953 coronation dress.
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