Pictures of Princess Beatrice’s socially distanced wedding to real estate developer Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi were released over the weekend. The intimate Windsor ceremony was a stark contrast to her cousins and sister’s royal weddings for many reasons, but one of the most notable was how she paid tribute to her grandmother with her choice of gown and tiara.
While her decision to wear a vintage Norman Hartnell gown once worn by her grandmother was praised for its sustainable credentials, the wedding tiara Princess Beatrice borrowed from the Queen has a story of its own.
The Queen Mary Diamond Fringe broke just hours before Queen Elizabeth’s wedding ceremony in 1947.
The tiara, which is formed of 47 diamond bars alternated with smaller diamond spikes, was originally a necklace and transformed into a tiara in 1919 by court jewellers Garrard & Co for Queen Mary. (The necklace itself was a wedding gift from Queen Mary’s mother-in-law, Queen Victoria.)
Then-Princess Elizabeth was loaned the tiara for her 1947 wedding to Prince Phillip by the Queen Mother, as her traditional “something borrowed.”
However, things went wrong when a hairdresser reportedly snapped the tiara in two as they were setting it in her hair.
Luckily, a Garrard jeweller was on standby for the big day and the broken tiara was dashed off via police escort to the brand’s workshop.
According to the jeweller’s website: “A police escort rushed the tiara away to the Garrard workshop, where it was promptly repaired and returned just in time for the ceremony.”
A number of royal women have fallen in love with the Queen Mary Diamond Fringe. Beyond the Queen Mother and Queen Elizabeth, Princess Anne also wore the striking piece on her wedding day to Mark Phillips in 1973.
Princess Beatrice’s choice of a vintage Norman Hartnell gown also appears to have meaningful resonance, as both Queen Elizabeth and her late sister Princess Margaret wore gowns by the designer on their wedding days.
The dress Princess Beatrice specifically chose was one worn a number of times by Queen Elizabeth over her reign, including at a 1967 state opening of parliament alongside the cumbersome Imperial State Crown.
It was tweaked with the addition of puff sleeves and tailored to fit Princess Beatrice by the Queen’s close friend and dresser Angela Kelly and dressmaker Stewart Parvin.
