Princess Beatrice made a last minute request to borrow her wedding dress

princess beatrice wedding tiara

Princess Beatrice made headlines this weekend, not only by marrying Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in a secret ceremony, but by being the first royal bride to wear an entirely recycled outfit (well, apart from the wedding ring, which she broke tradition with).

She reworked a vintage gown the Queen wore to the Lawrence of Arabia film premiere in 1962, and accessorised with the tiara her grandmother wore on her own wedding day just after the war.

Princess Beatrice even recycled some Valentino shoes she previously wore to two weddings, including that of Prince William and Kate Middleton in 2011.

But it turns out her borrowing the Queen's dress might have been a last minute affair after all.

A friend of the couple told PEOPLE that Beatrice 'made a request [to borrow one from the Queen], and that was kindly granted—and it looked amazing!' adding 'It was touching for both of them'.

Another friend told the publication, 'Beatrice talks about her grandmother often, and it’s clear there’s a strong bond there—the dress and the tiara could not have been more perfect.'

She is said to have been planning a different dress, but given the special circumstances, decided it wouldn't be right.

The couple were originally meant to wed in May, but were forced to postpone it, and decided to have an intimate day, organised in just two weeks, after certain restrictions were lifted by the government.

The bride couldn't have looked more radiant.

Penny Goldstone

Penny Goldstone is the Contributing Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK. She writes about catwalk trends and the latest high street and Instagram sartorial must-haves. She also helms the Women Who Win franchise.

She has worked in fashion for over 10 years, contributing to publications such as Cosmopolitan, Red, Good Housekeeping, and Stylist.