Queen Elizabeth’s most expensive wedding tiaras – Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle didn’t marry in the British crown’s most expensive royal headpiece, so who did?

Aug 15 , 2021

Princess Beatrice, Zara Tindall, Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton all got to delve into the royal jewellery box for their big day. Photo: Reuters, AP, @people/Pinterest

Princess Beatrice donned the same piece Queen Elizabeth wore at her own wedding, while Princess Eugenie sported the US$14 million Greville Emerald Kokoshnik Tiara

Zara Tindall and Kate Middleton’s tiaras were both Cartier designs, while Meghan Markle chose a unique bandeau design and a diamond centre brooch

Being the grandchild of the British queen has its perks, and that includes feeling like (and often being) an actual princess on your wedding day. How about a sparkly tiara with a hefty price tag and oodles of history? In fact, even in-laws like Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle get to dip into the royal jewellery box on their big day.

Some estimates place the British wedding tiara collection’s combined worth to clock in at US$31 million. So the big question, which of Queen Elizabeth’s grandchildren scored the most expensive wedding tiara? We scoured the best estimates out there to bring you the below …

Princess Eugenie – Greville Emerald Kokoshnik Tiara (US$6.9-13.8 million estimated value)

Britain’s Princess Eugenie of York and her husband Jack Brooksbank leave in a carriage after their wedding ceremony at Windsor Castle in October 2018. Photo: Reuters

Princess Eugenie wore the 93.7-carat Greville Emerald Kokoshnik Tiara for her October 2018 wedding to Jack Brooksbank. It includes a brilliant and rose cut diamonds pavé set in platinum, with six emeralds on either side – and Meghan Markle reportedly wanted to wear it on her wedding day months earlier.

Britain’s Princess Eugenie of York and Jack Brooksbank are photographed in the White Drawing Room, Windsor Castle, with (from left, back row) Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Theodora Williams, Isla Phillips, Louis De Givenchy; and (front row), Mia Tindall Savannah Phillips and Maud Windsor; following their wedding on October 12, 2018. Photo: AP

The Boucheron creation was made for the queen mother’s friend Margaret Greville in 1919 and fashioned after the “kokoshnik” style popularised in the Imperial Russian Court. It was passed onto the queen mother when Greville died in 1942 and Queen Elizabeth inherited it when her mother died in 2002. The Mirror estimates it could be worth up to US$13.8 million today.

Princess Beatrice – Queen Mary Fringe Tiara (US$9 million)

Britain’s Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi are seen in the grounds of the royal lodge after their wedding, in Windsor, Britain. Photo: Reuters

Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson’s daughter Princess Beatrice wore the Queen Mary Fringe Tiara (also dubbed the Russian Fringe Tiara) when she married Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in July 2020. It’s made up of 47 diamond bars separated by metal spikes, and was originally commissioned from Garrard by the queen’s grandmother, Queen Mary, in 1919.

Queen Elizabeth also wore Queen Mary’s tiara on her wedding day in November 1947. The item, which can be worn as a necklace too, broke on the queen’s wedding day, but it was rushed to the court jeweller’s workroom under police escort and repaired in time for the nuptials.