Sarah Duchess of York's FORGOTTEN COLLECTION.

The youngest son of the Queen of the United Kingdom, Prince Andrew, and his wife, Sarah Ferguson, officially divorced nearly a quarter of a century ago, in 1996. Their separation was deemed just as scandalous as that of Prince Charles and Princess Diana. However, unlike the latter, the Duke and Duchess of York did not appear to be unhappy at the time of their split. They refer to themselves as the happiest divorced couple in the world, and ironically seem the least like former spouses. The future wife of Prince Andrew was born on October 15, 1959, in London, as the younger daughter of Major Ronald Ferguson and his wife, Susan Mary Wright. When Sarah was 12 years old, her parents' marriage ended and her mother, leaving the children behind, moved to Argentina to live with her lover. Sarah could never comprehend or forgive Susan for this monstrous act. Later, her father remarried. As Ronald Ferguson was also the coach of the young Prince Charles, Sarah often had the chance to play with the Queen's children. At that time, no one could have imagined that this red-haired, freckled tomboy would one day become the wife of a prince. At 14, Sarah befriended Diana Spencer, a friendship that lasted until Diana's tragic death. The beginning of Sarah's serious relationship with Prince Andrew was initiated by none other than Diana herself, who by then had already become the wife of Prince Charles. Wanting her friend to be closer, Diana included Sarah on the guest list for a party at Windsor Castle during the Royal Ascot races. It was at this event that Prince Andrew began to see Sarah in a new light as a grown woman. The prince's family was not thrilled with the relationship. A girl without a title, lacking refined manners, and trailing a string of romantic liaisons while frequenting dubious establishments, did not seem a suitable match for a prince. Yet, the smitten Andrew displayed remarkable persistence and eventually secured the royal family's consent to marry. On July 23, 1986, the wedding took place at Westminster Abbey in London. The bride received the coveted ring adorned with a red Burmese ruby surrounded by diamonds. The newlyweds were granted the titles of Duke and Duchess of York. From that moment, she gained access to extraordinarily beautiful jewels. Let's take a closer look at them. Let's start with the York Diamond Tiara. As an active member of the royal family for 10 years, she attended numerous glittering events, always wearing this diamond tiara by Gerard, which was a wedding gift from the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. The Duchess first wore her tiara at her wedding at Westminster Abbey, but with a twist. Upon arrival, the bride wore a wreath of flowers over her veil, which she removed along with the veil when signing the register, revealing the tiara beneath. The symbolism was that she wanted to enter the Abbey as a commoner and leave as a Duchess. In the 1980s, royal tours included many dazzling occasions. The 1987 Royal Tour of Canada featured at least three events where she could showcase her stunning tiara. The tiara was also worn at banquets and official dinners both at home and during other royal tours in the 1980s and 1990s. After the divorce in 1996, the tiara remained with the Duchess. The last time the York Diamond Tiara was publicly seen was at Elton John's 2001 White Tie and Tiara Ball. The Duchess reportedly keeps it in her bedside table, but it was not worn by Princess Beatrice or Princess Eugenie at their weddings. In 2023, Princess Beatrice wore the tiara to a grand banquet celebrating the wedding of Crown Prince Al Hussein and Princess Rajwa at Al Husseiniya Palace in Amman. Another remarkable piece of jewelry is the York Diamond Demi Perure. To mark her wedding to the Duke of York in 1986, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh gifted their new daughter-in-law this Diamond Demi Perure, along with the previously mentioned York Diamond Tiara. The Demi Perure consists of modern diamond earrings, a necklace, and a bracelet, all purchased from Garrard for approximately £250,000. As a member of the royal family, the Duchess of York frequently wore this Diamond Demi Perure to various events, including the 1987 Royal Tour of Canada and a banquet celebrating the return to Saudi Arabia at Claridges in 1988, where the bracelet was woven into her hair. The Duchess continued to wear her Diamond Demi Perure in the 1990s, while she still attended events in a semi-official capacity. Just a few months before the divorce was finalized, Sarah traveled to the United States for a reception at the White House, bringing the Diamond Demi Perure with her. While passing through security at Kennedy Airport, the unlocked bag containing the diamonds was mistakenly, according to Sarah, placed in checked baggage instead of carry-on luggage. You can probably guess what happened next. An airport baggage handler, a teenager, opened the bag, found the jewels, and pocketed the necklace and bracelet. He took the necklace home to his family. Five stones were removed from the necklace and then hidden in a tool shed behind the house. The bracelet was left in his locker at the airport. Sarah didn't realize the jewels were missing until she returned home to Britain. Ultimately, the FBI recovered the jewelry and arrested the baggage handler, but the assistant director of the New York Bureau questioned why Sarah had left such valuable items in such a vulnerable position, remarking, I don't think it was very wise. I certainly wouldn't have done it. But then again, I wouldn't be wearing half a million dollars worth of jewelry. Interestingly, Sarah claimed that it was her lady-in-waiting, Jane Andrews, who ultimately decided to check the bag. The Duchess continued to wear the Diamond Demi Perure to events even after the divorce, including in 2011 and 2012 when she donned the set at the Diamond Butterfly Ball. Many expected to see it during Princess Eugenie's recent wedding celebrations, but that did not happen. Another remarkable piece in the Duchess of York's collection is the Ruby Suite. In 1986, she received a ruby and diamond set featuring a snake-like necklace with matching earrings, reportedly as a wedding gift from the Saudi royal family. The Duchess notably paired the suite with her diamond tiara at an official dinner during her first royal tour of Canada in 1987. She also wore the Saudi Ruby Suite to the gala performance at the Royal Opera House in 1987 and at a Royal Medical Service dinner in Australia in 1990. It's believed that like her tiara and diamond suite, this set remains with the Duchess following the divorce, although unlike other pieces, it hasn't been seen in public for decades. There was another piece of jewelry that didn't belong to Sarah, lent to her by Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Victoria Bow Brooches. After losing many family jewels in 1858 due to the King of Hanover, Queen Victoria commissioned these three Diamond Bow Brooches, two large and one slightly smaller, from Gerard, using over 500 diamonds from her collection. Although not depicted wearing them, Queen Victoria declared the Bow Brooches as part of the crown jewels upon her death in 1901, meaning they would pass from Queen to Queen as a right. Queen Alexandra and Queen Mary creatively added diamonds as pendants to the Bow Brooches, using them as corsage ornaments and skirt decorations, often wearing all three together. Later, Queen Elizabeth, known as the Queen Mother, wore just one brooch in a more traditional manner, although she sometimes pinned them to her hat. The Queen Victoria Bow Brooches were passed to Queen Elizabeth II in 1952 and have been worn regularly since, usually as a single brooch. Early in her reign, the Queen used the brooch to fasten the front of her belt at the state opening of the New Zealand Parliament and the Australian Parliament during her six-month Commonwealth tour. However, she typically wore them on the lapel for daytime events or on the back of her belt, where they weren't photographed. In 1986, the Queen lent one of Queen Victoria's Bow Brooches to the newly-wed Duchess of York for the Braemar Games. This was quite an unusual gesture, but it was greatly appreciated by the Duchess, who is known to be an admirer of Queen Victoria. The Queen Victoria Bow Brooches remained some of the Queen's most frequently worn jewels, especially in 2015, the year she surpassed Queen Victoria to become Britain's longest-reigning monarch. Which of these pieces impressed you the most? Let us know in the comments!