Duchess Sophie slips into satin corset wedding guest dress and £1m bridal jewels

Nichola Murphy
·2 min read
Duchess Sophie in a blue dress and a tiara
(UK Press via Getty Images)

In the years after she married Prince Edward, the Duchess of Edinburgh took several opportunities to turn her tiara moments into a trip down memory lane by recycling her bridal headpiece.

Look no further than her outfit at Crown Prince Haakon of Norway's wedding with Mette-Marit in August 2001 for proof. Sophie (née Rhys-Jones) was the picture of elegance as she arrived at Oslo Cathedral in a corset wedding guest dress with liquid blue satin draped across the top, gathering for the cowl neckline before falling into a structured A-line skirt.

She accessorised with a bridal white shawl draped across her arms, elbow-length gloves in the same angelic colour and a pearl choker.

Sophie in royal blue dress with edward in formal dress
Sophie wore royal blue for Crown Prince Haakon of Norway's wedding in 2002 (Getty)

On top of her flicky brunette pixie cut – which she has since swapped for much blonder and longer hair – sat her diamond wedding tiara, which she had worn to make her tiara debut two years earlier.

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Sophie's wedding tiara

Edward and Sophie married 12 years before Kate and William
Sophie's Anthemion bridal tiara is estimated to be worth £1 million (Getty)

For her big day on 19 June 1999, Prince Edward's wife and the former PR boss paired her bespoke crystal-studded Samantha Show coat dress – which was hiding a near-identical structured second wedding dress underneath – with the Anthemion tiara which was gifted to her by her late mother-in-law Queen Elizabeth II.

Expert jeweller at F. Hinds, Jeremy Hinds told HELLO!: "Whilst there aren’t many confirmed details about the Anthemion tiara, it is speculated that its diamonds originated from Queen Victoria’s Regal Circlet crown, and have been swapped out and rearranged in a daintier fashion." He estimating the tiara is worth around £1 million.

Duchess Sophie in a strapless dress with Prince Edward at Princess Martha Louise's wedding
The Duchess of Edinburgh has recycled her bridal tiara on several occasions (Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)

According to the Court Jeweller, the circlet was made with a set of detachable fleur-de-lis, a Maltese cross, and anthemion elements that could all be swapped out and rearranged.

Sophie has re-worn the piece at several royal weddings since then, including Princess Martha Louise of Norway and her late first husband Ari Behn's in 2002, King Frederik and Queen Mary of Denmark's in 2004, Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel of Sweden's in 2010.

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