Meghan Markle and Prince Harry tied the knot on May 19, 2018 but Markle’s wedding day ensemble, specifically her choice of tiara, almost looked very different.
The Duchess of Sussex was angelic on her big day, donning her memorable Givenchy gown by designer Clare Waight Keller, with a cascading veil, and Queen Mary’s glistening Diamond Bandeau tiara. However, the historic piece of royal regalia may not have been Markle’s first choice.
According to royal biographer Robert Lacy, Queen Elizabeth II allegedly denied Markle’s first selection, as the piece had “scandal attached.” In his book Battle of Brothers, the author claims the Duchess requested to wear “a beautiful emerald headdress that was said ‘to have come from Russia.’”
Lacy explained that pieces sourced from Russia come from “a sensitive origin.” The unknown headpiece “was one of those that found its way into Windsor hands through ‘undefined’ not to say dodgy channels – and for an undisclosed price – in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution.”
In 1918, Russia’s Imperial family, the Romanov’s (including Tsar Nicholas II) were murdered. Some of the family jewels found their way to the British royal family. “It would suit neither the palace nor Meghan herself that spring if newspapers started speculating about which Tsarist princess had worn the tiara and how she had been assassinated,” said Lacy.
Not the only piece with Russian ties in the Buckingham Palace vaults, Queen Elizabeth’s beloved Grand Duchess Vladimir Tiara was bought by Her Royal Highness’ grandmother Mary of Teck in 1921. The diamond and pearl looped tiara was reportedly smuggled out of Russia by British antiques dealers following the assassination of the Tsar. It belonged to the wife of the Tsar’s uncle, Grand Duchess Vladimir, who was one of the last Romanovs to escape Russia. After making its way to the U.K., the tiara was purchased by England’s Queen Mary.
The tiara Meghan Markle wore on her wedding day has historic roots reaching back to 1893. When Queen Mary was still Princess Victoria Mary of Teck, she received a group of glittering jewels as a wedding gift when she tied the knot with King George V. Among her presents was an immaculate diamond cluster brooch.
Leading UK jeweler Steven Stone told Page Six Style, “the center stone featured in the tiara is actually a brooch, comprised of 10 diamonds which Mary of Teck received as a wedding gift from the County of Lincoln in 1893.”
According to The Court Jeweler, Queen Mary commissioned Garrard in 1932 to create a new diamond and platinum bandeau-style tiara, with the County of Lincoln Brooch in the center. The Royal Collection has detailed the tiara as, “a flexible band of eleven sections, pavé set with large and small, brilliant diamonds in a geometric design.”
The tiara was handed down to Queen Elizabeth from her grandmother in 1953.
In the months following her wedding day, the Duchess told Harper’s Bazaar, “When it came to the tiara on the day, I was very fortunate to be able to choose this gorgeous art deco style bandeau tiara.”
She continued, “Harry and I had gone to Buckingham Palace to meet with her Majesty the Queen to select one of the options that were there which was an incredibly surreal day as you can imagine.”
