The Princess Royal looked delighted to wave traditional tiara rules in May 1969, grinning from ear to ear as she posed alongside her mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, during the state visit to Austria.
For a function at the Hotel Imperial in Vienna, Princess Anne, who was just 18 at the time, was pictured in a glittering white dress featuring a fitted bodice and cut-out detailing around the neckline – a daring design that has since re-emerged as the 'naked dress' in 2026.
She accessorised with white gloves, a matching clutch and the Meander Tiara, which was nestled into her neat, voluminous, 60s-inspired updo.
© GettyWhy Princess Anne could break tiara rules
The occasion marked one of her first appearances in a tiara. For her debut appearance just weeks earlier at a formal State Banquet at Windsor Castle, Anne wore the Cartier Halo Tiara, the same piece famously worn decades later by the Princess of Wales on her wedding day.
© GettyAccording to royal etiquette, tiaras are generally reserved for married women, but Anne was an exception to this rule as she was the daughter of a reigning monarch.
© GettyShe was also past the coming of age, when she became a full-time working royal representing the family at formal white-tie events, where the dress code calls for formal evening gowns and tiaras for royal women.
Princess Anne wearing Queen Elizabeth's wedding gift
© GettyThe specific headpiece Anne wore in the throwback photo we unearthed had a rich royal history.
Featuring a classical Greek key design and a central diamond laurel wreath, the Meander Tiara was a sentimental choice for Anne, since it had direct roots to her father Prince Philip’s Greek lineage.
Originally owned by Philip's mother, Princess Alice of Battenberg, it was presented to Queen Elizabeth II as a wedding gift in 1947, before being passed down to Princess Anne.
Not only did it feature in her 1969 diplomatic debut in Austria, but the headpiece also became Princess Anne's signature tiara for state occasions. She loaned the tiara to her daughter, Zara Tindall, on her 2011 wedding day with rugby star Mike Tindall.
