The York Diamond Tiara

When Miss Sarah Ferguson tied the knot with Prince Andrew, Duke of York, on July 23, 1986 at Westminster Abbey, she  donned a tiara of leafy diamond scrolls and diamond collets mounted on platinum.   Compared to other royal brides who wore tiaras that had royal or aristocratic provenance (the previous royal bride before her, Diana, Princess of Wales, wore her own family tiara) , hers was a completely new sparkler.

It was originally reported that the bride had borrowed the tiara from a family friend. It was later revealed that it may have actually been purchased from Garrard by no other than Queen Elizabeth II and was given to her daughter-in-law as a wedding gift. In fact, the tiara was a part of a parure that included a necklace, earrings, and a bracelet.

Luxury non-profit Walpole describes the tiara as a stunner that “features swirls of foliate diamond scrolls, which are punctuated by round white diamonds before rising to a peak at the centre. From stone and metal come a sense of movement and grace that speak eloquently for the power of bespoke.”

The Duke and Duchess of York on their wedding day. Image screen shot from Youtube

 Unlike the tiaras in the royal vaults, the York diamond tiara is simpler in terms of its design and would fit comfortably well when worn in any formal gathering. The blogger for the Order of Royal Sartorial Splendor wrote: “I’ve always thought she got pretty lucky on the tiara front, all things considered. It has a great all-purpose type of design, simple and pretty and easy to match with just about anything else. It also suited its wearer wonderfully, nestling in her red curls with just enough height to be seen. It made for a fantastic wedding tiara, and I hope we’ll see it again someday at a York princess wedding." 

Since the tiara was a personal gift from the queen to the Duchess of York, she retained possession of it even after her divorce from Prince Andrew in 1996. She had worn it  on several white-tie occasions, such as Elton John's White Tie and Tiara Ball in 2001, although the tiara has not been seen in public in the recent years. It was speculated that Princess Eugenie would wear it on her wedding with Jack Brooksbank in October 2018, but the princess opted to wear the seldom-seen Greville emerald kokoshnik tiara.