Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie are known for their whimsical hats, but neither have worn the most glamorous type of royal headpiece there is: tiaras.
Queen-to-be Kate Middleton wears the ultimate sparkling accessory for special occasions — including the Queen’s Cartier Halo tiara on her wedding day in 2011 and the the Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot tiara for a white-tie palace party last year. And the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, stunned in the Queen Mary Diamond Bandeau at her May wedding to Prince Harry. So why can’t Queen Elizabeth’s own granddaughters try one on?
Although Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie are directly related to the monarch, there’s one big difference between them and their cousins’ wives: marriage.
It’s tradition that tiaras are reserved for married women, and most royal brides wear tiaras for the first time on their wedding day. (There are, however, exceptions: Elizabeth’s only daughter, Princess Anne, wore one at age 17 to the state opening of Parliament, and Princess Margaret wore them on and off throughout her life.)
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The good news is royal fans won’t have to wait long for Eugenie to sport her first tiara. The younger daughter of Prince Andrew is set to marry fiancé Jack Brooksbank on Oct. 12, and it’s widely expected that a stunning headpiece will be part of her bridal look.
The odd-on favorite is the York Diamond Tiara, which her mother Sarah “Fergie” Ferguson wore at her wedding to Prince Andrew. The sparkler, which was commissioned especially for Fergie as a gift from Queen Elizabeth for her wedding, would carry a special meaning for the bride.
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Of course, Eugenie can always follow in Kate and Meghan’s footsteps and borrow another accessory from her grandmother for the big day. Queen Elizabeth loaned Kate the Cartier Halo tiara on her wedding day, and Meghan also wore a tiara straight from the Queen’s jewelry vault.