The Duchess of Edinburgh made a romantic gesture ahead of her wedding anniversary as she joined the royal party for the procession at Ascot.
Sophie, taking part in the carriage procession for the first time this year and wore a very special piece of jeweller for the event.
The Duchess was wearing the necklace she used on her wedding day and which was designed by her husband. Prince Edward.
The gem features a cross of black and clear stones suspended on a string of pearls.
The unusual look matched the theme the couple chose for their wedding where their bridesmaids and pageboys wore outfits which carried a medieval inspiration. The girls were in white dresses with dark cape like jackets over them while the boys wore dark trousers and jackets with white shirts.
On her wedding day, Sophie carried a cascading bouquet of white flowers, including lilies, with deep green foliage to tie in with the light and dark theme.
As her 27th wedding anniversary approached, the Duchess of Edinburgh brought out the necklace again, wearing it this time with a dark navy dress. Her choice of colour stood out from the rest of the royal party with Queen Camilla in white and Princess Anne in orange. Also in the carriage procession on day three were Zara Tindall, who chose cream, and Isabelle de la Bruyere, partner of the Earl of Snowdon who also wore white.
The King and Queen were in the first carriage for the royal procession where they were joined by the Earl of Snowdon and Isabelle de la Bruyere. The prominent place given to the earl and his new partner was noticeable – last year, Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling were given similar treatment and announced their engagement several weeks later.
Princess Anne was with her husband, Sir Tim Laurence, and they joined the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh in the second carriage for the procession.
Zara Tindall was also included and travelled alongside Willie Mullins in a carriage with Princess Zahra Aga Khan.
There was a celebrity touch to the final carriage with Hollywood star, Stanley Tucci, joined by his partner, Felicity Blunt.
Edward and Sophie married on June 19 1999 at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor with the Royal Family in attendance. It was the last big wedding of the 20th centuryy for the House of Windsor. Sophie’s famous wedding dress was designed by Samantha Shaw and was covered in over 325, 000 crystals.
June 19th is a popular wedding date for royalty. In 2010, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and Prince Daniel married on June 19th in Stockholm. They chose the date to share the same anniversary as Victoria’s parents, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia. On June 19th 2026, they celebrate 50 years of marriage.
