While the young royals like the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex tend to dominate the news cycle for their fashion choices, there is one royal who often goes unnoticed.
Sophie, Countess of Wessex is the wife of the Queen’s youngest son Prince Edward, and at the recent state banquet for President Trump and his wife Melania, she joined her royal family members dressed in her finery. But it’s her tiara that had a very sentimental story behind it.
Dressed in a purple gown designed by Bruce Oldfield, the same designer of Duchess Camilla’s dress, the Countess of Wessex accessorised her look with a silver Anya Hindmarch clutch and a diamond necklace and earrings.
Perched on top of her blonde locks was the Anthemion Tiara and eagle-eyed royal fans were quick to notice that the sparkling headpiece has been worn by HRH on numerous occasions, including her wedding day back in 1999 when she first became a royal.
The Anthemion Tiara was commissioned especially for Sophie’s big day and is known to be made up of a number of antique pieces from the Queen’s collection.
READ MORE: Duchess Catherine’s best tiara moments of all time.
The Countess of Wessex also wore another notable accessory in the form of her Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order.
This prestigious award for services to the Sovreign has only been granted to three other people during the Queen’s reign including Princess Anne, Duchess Camilla and most recently, Duchess Catherine to mark her and Prince William’s eighth wedding anniversary.
WATCH: The royals arrive at the state banquet for President Trump. Post continues after video…
The Queen and her daughter-in-law have a solid relationship, with Countess Sophie even revealing in the documentary The Queen at 90 a little known fact about Her Majesty’s wardrobe.
“She needs to stand out for people to be able to say ‘I saw the queen’. Don’t forget that when she turns up somewhere, the crowds are two, three, four, 10, 15 deep, and someone wants to be able to say they saw a bit of the queen’s hat as she went past.”
READ MORE: Surprising Royal BFFs you had no idea existed.
Born Sophie Rhys-Jones, the royal formerly worked in public relations and met her husband at a real tennis event in 1993. They dated for a few years before announcing their engagement in January 1999.
“I was slightly stunned for a minute and then I suddenly realised I should actually answer the question so then I said yes. I said ‘Yes please!'” she told the press during their engagement interview.
The couple married in June later that year and have two children, Lady Louise, 15, and James, Viscount Severn, 11.