Queen Camilla still wears tiara from ‘society wedding’ in 1973 despite divorce

The Cubitt-Shand Tiara, sometimes referred to as the Cubitt Tiara, was worn by Queen Camilla at her first wedding to Andrew Parker Bowles exactly 50 years ago on July 4, 1973.

This predated her time as a member of the Royal Family, let alone being the Queen.

The diamond sparkler was added to Camilla’s family collection by her grandmother, Sonia Keppel Cubitt, which was then passed down through her daughter Rosalind Shand (Camilla’s mother).

Interestingly, Sonia Keppel was the daughter of Alice Keppel, a mistress of King Edward VII, who was King Charles III’s great-great-grandfather.

At their wedding, Camilla and Andrew exchanged vows at the Guards’ Chapel, Wellington Barracks.

At the time, Andrew was 33 years old, while Camilla was only 25. The bride wore a white dress with a pie-crust neck, long sleeves, and a ruffled hem.

Camilla’s beautiful wedding gown was designed by the British fashion brand Bellville Sassoon.

With 800 guests, it was dubbed the “society wedding of the year”. Princess Anne, Princess Margaret, and the Queen Mother were among the royals in attendance during the ceremony.

The Cubitt-Shand tiara has been worn at other weddings, including that of Laura Parker Bowles when she married Harry Lopes in 2006.

Laura, who is Queen Camilla’s only daughter with Andrew Parker Bowles, paired her tiara with a stunning Anna Valentine wedding dress that included a v-neck and fluted sleeves.

Camilla and Andrew also had a son, Tom Parker Bowles, before the couple divorced in 1995.

Since she married into the Royal Family in 2005, Queen Camilla has continued to wear the Cubitt-Shand tiara.

A ceremonial reception held at the Royal Academy of the Arts in June 2015 was one of its most significant outings.

On this occasion, Camilla chose a white evening gown with subtly sparkly accents to wear with her symbolic tiara.

She further accessorised with the sash, star, and yellow ribbon of the late Queen’s Royal Family Order as well as the Royal Victorian Order.

Along with her favourite diamond and pearl drop earrings and four-strand pearl choker necklace with an oval-shaped diamond clasp, Camilla used a bar brooch to fasten her order sash.

On her left hand, she added a geometric diamond bracelet to complete the ensemble. Camilla additionally wore her gold wedding band and diamond engagement ring, both of which were gifts from the late Queen Mother.