Zara's something borrowed... great-grandmother's tiara

By Daily Mail Reporter


Zara kept up the wedding tradition of having something borrowed by earing a spectacular diamond tiara that has been passed down through four generations of the Royal Family - and was last worn by her mother two months ago.

The bride's short silk veil was set off by the Meander tiara, once owned by Prince Philip's mother and loaned to Zara by Princess Anne, who wore it in May for a state banquet at Buckingham Palace to welcome President Obama and his wife Michele.

The tiara is based around a classical Greek 'key pattern' design and boasts a magnificent cut diamond at its centre, which is set off by a laurel wreath pattern picked out in diamonds with honeysuckle motifs on either side.

Royal gift: Princess Alice's tiara, worn by Princess Anne and her daughter Zara on her wedding day


The silver headpiece made its way into the Windsor family in 1947 when it was given as a wedding gift to the Queen, then Princess Elizabeth, from her mother-in-law, Princess Alice of Batternberg.

Its Greek style was inspired by her marriage to Prince Andrew of Greece, the father of the present Duke of Edinburgh.

The Queen never wore the tiara in public and it was next seen on Princess Anne, who was given the tiara by her mother in 1972.

The Princess Royal, now 61 and famous for recycling her outfits for high-profile occasions, wore the tiara during her engagement to her first husband, Zara's father Captain Mark Phillips, and has been pictured sporting it at least four times, notably in 2000 for an official portrait to mark her 50th birthday.

Romantic: Veil and tiara complement Zara's sleek blonde hair


source:dailymail