Sarah Ferguson’s jewellery at Prince Andrew wedding revealed key detail of her royal style

Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew married at Westminster Abbey on 23 July 1986. The pair have since had two children together, Princess Beatrice, 30, and Princess Eugenie, 29.  Although the Duke and Duchess of York separated just ten years later, but they appeared to stay good friends. While Sarah was in the Royal Family, her style was far from ordinary and she used her wedding jewellery to give an insight into what kind of royal she would be, Sophie Lomax, head of design at 77Diamonds.com, told Express.co.uk.

When Sarah and Andrew got engaged, the Duchess was given an engagement ring that hinted at her unique approach to royal life.

Sophie told Express.co.uk: “The engagement ring which Prince Andrew gave to Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, was an oval Burmese ruby surrounded by 10 pear shape diamonds in yellow gold made by Garrard.

“It was said the couple chose a red ring to match Sarah Ferguson’s red hair. When they announced their engagement, Sarah Ferguson described the ring as ‘red’ and ‘stunning’ and Prince Andrew remarked that they were keen to choose something ‘unconventional’.”

The ring was believed to cost around £25,000 at the time, and they focused on picking something that would show off Sarah’s personality.

When choosing the ring, the Duke and Duchess of York also took an unorthodox approach by picking it together.

Although Sarah sometimes ditched royal tradition, she showed her commitment to the family by wearing a tiara designed by Garrard, who worked on many pieces for the royals.

“The tiara the Duchess of York wore to her wedding, the York tiara, was a gift from the Queen and Prince Philip and was specially commissioned by Garrard, making it one of many jewels created by Garrard for the British royal family,” Sophie explained.

Despite being unconventional in her style, Sarah showed she could follow tradition as she followed royal wedding protocol and hid her tiara for part of the ceremony.

Sophie said: “When Sarah Ferguson arrived at her wedding ceremony, her head was covered in a crown of white flowers and no jewelled tiara at all was visible.

“It was only when the new Duke and Duchess of York stepped away from the cameras to sign the wedding register, that the flowers and veil were removed to reveal the diamond scroll-design tiara with a large central diamond which the now newly titled Duchess had been wearing underneath.

“According to traditional royal etiquette, only married women would ever wear tiaras, so this careful timing in quite literally unveiling the York tiara, was a symbol of the very beginning of Sarah Feguson’s transition from being an independent single woman to her status as a married woman and member of the British royal family.”

However, the Duchess has ditched that tradition since by wearing the tiara after her divorce to Prince Andrew and when she was no longer a married woman.

Sophie said: “The Duchess of York has been seen wearing the York tiara numerous times since her wedding and even after her divorce, including at Sir Elton John’s White Tie and Tiara Ball in 2001.”

Some royal fans thought Sarah’s daughter, Princess Eugenie, would wear the York tiara on her own wedding day, but instead she opted for the Greville Kokoshnik tiara. 

This featured a large emerald which could have been a link to Sarah Ferguson’s Irish heritage.

Even though Sarah and Andrew have been divorced for over 20-years, they sparked rumours of a reunion at Lady Gabriella Windsor’s wedding.