Zara Tindall’s wedding tiara borrowed from Princess Anne has the sweetest royal story behind it

Zara Tindall’s wedding tiara is understood to have been borrowed from Princess Anne and it has the sweetest royal story behind it. 

• Zara Tindall opted for a beautiful diamond tiara featuring laurel and honeysuckle decorations for her wedding to Mike Tindall in 2011. 
• The Princess Andrew Meander Tiara is understood to have passed from her great-grandmother to the Queen and then to Princess Anne. 
• This royal news comes as King Charles’ first major move sees Princess Anne set to receive a new role in modern monarchy. 

In recent weeks Zara and her husband Mike Tindall have been in the spotlight more than ever before as the retired rugby star has been throwing himself into life in the I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! jungle. But whilst it’s certainly been intriguing to hear about Mike Tindall and Zara Tindall’s first date and Zara Tindall’s biggest worry for her husband, there’s another, even more special time that the eyes of the world were on this popular couple. Mike Tindall and the then-Zara Phillips married at Canongate Kirk, Edinburgh in July 2011, just a few months after Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding. 

Whilst Zara Tindall isn’t a Princess, her Stewart Parvin dress and diamond-encrusted tiara were the stuff of regal dreams. And Zara Tindall’s wedding tiara isn’t just beautiful, but hugely meaningful with a special royal history behind it sure to delight fans…

For her fairytale wedding, the late Queen’s granddaughter is understood to have borrowed her tiara from her mother Princess Anne. Though the royal connections don’t stop there as Zara Tindall’s wedding tiara reportedly once belonged to Princess Alice of Battenberg - also known as Princess Andrew of Greece and Denmark after her marriage in 1903.

Princess Alice was the late Prince Philip’s mother and she’s said to have received it after marrying Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark. Sometimes referred to as the Princess Andrew Meander Tiara or the Greek Key Tiara, this stunning jewelry piece is every bit as lovely as some of the most iconic of Queen Elizabeth’s tiaras. 

It’s thought to have once actually been one of them and was supposedly given as a wedding gift to the Queen before later being passed to Princess Anne. Opening up to Express.co.uk, gemmologist and jewelry expert Deborah Papas of Prestige Pawnbrokers described this as the “most glamorous” piece of Princess Anne’s jewelry. 

She said, "This is the most glamorous piece from Princess Anne’s stunning jewelry collection. 'Something borrowed’ does not escape the Royal Family. The stunning tiara which belonged to her Great Grandmother (Prince Philip’s mother, Princess Andrew of Greece and Denmark) was lent to Zara on her wedding day by her mother, Princess Anne.”

“She was never photographed wearing it as she went on to other grander pieces,” the expert added, before going on to discuss the unique meander design that gives Zara Tindall’s wedding tiara its name. Meander designs feature a geometric motif and are also known as a Greek Key and were used a lot in Ancient Greece.

Deborah explained, “There is no surprise that the bandeau is of a meander design and has a center laurel and honeysuckle decoration on either side. It is studded with diamonds set in a white precious metal more likely to be platinum because of the era it was made. It is perceived to be made by Cartier in France.”

Although it’s not known exactly how much the Princess Andrew Meander Tiara cost, Deborah estimated it to be worth over £1 million and possibly as much as £2-£4 million if it was created by Cartier. 

The decision for the Princess Royal to receive the Meander Tiara and for it to be Zara Tindall’s wedding tiara was a lovely way to pay tribute to Princess Alice and continue the tradition of passing it down the female royal line. 

This is one of the only times Zara Tindall, who is a non-working royal, has been pictured wearing a tiara. And with its fabulous diamonds, touching history and Greek Key design, this tiara couldn’t have been a more perfect choice for her wedding day!