Meghan Markle 'snubbed' by Princess Eugenie after being forced to settle for second choice

Meghan Markle dazzled in a £2 million Royal tiara, once owned by Queen Mary, at her wedding to on May 19, 2018. However, it's reported that the initially had her heart set on the Greville Emerald Kokoshnik, but was denied due to its untraceable origin.

Interestingly, she was "snubbed" by who later donned the £10 million Greville at her own nuptials to on October 12 the same year. Despite stepping down as working royals less than two years later, Harry and Meghan have maintained a cordial relationship with Eugenie and Jack, even amidst the Royal rift.

The couples share children of similar ages; Harry and Meghan are parents to , while Eugenie and Jack have two sons - August, three, and Ernest, one. The Queen Mary tiara worn by Meghan is still a remarkable piece, boasting a centre stone made up of 10 diamonds, originally a brooch.

Queen Mary, King George V's wife, received the brooch as a wedding gift from the County of Lincoln, which was later transformed into an Art Deco bandeau style tiara in 1932. Prior to her marriage to Harry, Meghan was invited to Buckingham Palace by the late Queen Elizabeth to select her tiara, where she initially chose one adorned with emeralds.

The late Queen reportedly turned down Meghan's first choice of tiara due to concerns about its controversial origins, as jewellery expert Maxwell Stone from Steven Stone revealed.

He commented: "Thought to have come from Russia, the headpiece is said to have found its way into the collection through undefined channels. According to reports, the tiara isn't the mystery that we once thought it was, though, as it's thought to have been the Greville Emerald Kokoshnik tiara, which Princess Eugenie borrowed from her grandmother just six months later."

Prized as the most valuable item in the Royal trove, the Greville tiara is masterfully crafted with pave-set rose-cut diamonds in platinum, distinguished by six striking emeralds. Originally asked for by the illustrious Dame Margaret Helen Greville, society grande dame, in 1919, the ornament was brought to life by Boucheron, the esteemed Parisian house of fine jewellery and watches.

For Stone, the piece de resistance of the Greville tiara is undoubtedly the 93.7-carat cabochon-cut emerald, nestled at its heart.

Bequeathed to the Queen Mother in 1942, this magnificent headpiece had not graced any Royal event until it made its debut on Princess Eugenie's wedding day.