Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty ; Popperfoto via Getty ;Â Pool Photograph/Corbis via Getty
Queen Elizabethacceded to the throne in 1952 and wore several royal headpieces over the course of her reign.
The Imperial State Crown is worn at the end of a coronation to mark the beginning of a new reign. Other headpieces, such as the Brazilian Aquamarine Tiara and the Burmese Ruby Tiara, were specifically commissioned by Queen Elizabeth and fashioned with jewels from her personal collection.
While Queen Elizabeth wore a variety of royal headpieces during her reign, she had a few favorites. She was often spotted wearing the Vladimir Tiara, Girls of Great Britain & Ireland Tiara and Diamond Diadem — which she tended to favor over the Imperial State Crown for the State Opening of Parliament.
In the 2018 BBC One documentary,The Coronation, Queen Elizabeth opened up abouther 1953 coronationand the experience of wearing the nearly 3-lb. Imperial State Crown.
"You can't look down to read the speech; you have to take the speech up. Because if you did, your neck would break — it would fall off," she said. "So there are some disadvantages to crowns, but otherwisethey're quite important things."
Here's everything to know about Queen Elizabeth's crowns.
Queen Mary's Fringe Tiara
Topical Press Agency/Getty
Queen Mary commissioned this fringe tiara from Garrard in November 1919, per thecompany's website.
The headpiece was made in the Russian halo style and featured 633 brilliant-cut and 271 rose-cut diamonds. The jewels are mounted on a removable frame, so the piece can also be worn as a necklace.
Several royals have worn the fringe tiara at their weddings, including Queen Elizabethin 1947, Princess Anne in 1973 and Princess Beatricein 2020.
Girls of Great Britain & Ireland Tiara
Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty
This tiara was purchased from Garrard in 1893 by a committee of girls from Great Britain and Ireland as a wedding gift for Queen Mary, perGarrard. It originally featured a diamond band and baroque pearls.
In 1914, Queen Mary had the tiara altered to include only diamonds and to have the bandeau separated from the base so the crown could also be worn as a headband. Queen Mary later gifted it to Queen Elizabeth.
Queen Elizabeth wore the Great Britain & Ireland Tiara for her first royal portrait in 1952 and several times during her reign. She last donned the crown at a diplomatic reception at Buckingham Palace in 2018.
Burmese Ruby Tiara
Anwar Hussein/Getty
Queen Elizabeth commissioned Garrard to create theBurmese Ruby Tiarain 1973, using diamonds from the deconstructed Nizam of Hyderabad Tiara and rubies she received as a wedding gift from the people of Burma, perThe Court Jeweller. The jewels were set in rose motifs to resemble the English Tudor rose.
Queen Elizabeth often wore the tiara with a ruby necklace and earrings, including during the New Zealand stop of her Silver Jubilee tour in 1977 and for the American banquet at Buckingham Palace in 2019.
Vladimir Tiara
CENTRAL PRESS/AFP via Getty
Queen Mary purchased the Vladimir Tiara, originally owned by the Grand Duchess Vladimir of Russia, in 1921 from the duchess' daughter, the Princess Nicholas of Greece and Denmark, perThe Court Jeweller.
It features diamond interlocking circles and pendant pearls, which can be swapped for pendant emeralds.
Queen Elizabeth inherited the headpiece in 1953 upon Queen Mary's death, and it became one of her most-worn tiaras. She wore it for the Diplomatic Reception at Buckingham Palace in 2019.
Lover's Knot Tiara
NCJ - Kemsley/NCJ Archive/Mirrorpix via Getty
This tiara was commissioned by Queen Mary from Garrard in 1913, perOnly Natural Diamonds. She provided the jeweler with the Ladies of England Tiara and pearls from her personal collection to make the piece, which is a replica of a tiara owned by her grandmother, Princess Augusta of Hesse, the Duchess of Cambridge.
Advertisement
It features 19 arches of brilliant and rose-cut diamonds, 19 pendant pearls and is topped with a diamond ribbon "lover's knot" bow motif. The tiara was lined at the top with 19 extra pearls, which were later replaced with a row of brilliant-cut diamonds.
The Lover's Knot Tiara was passed down to Queen Elizabeth in 1953, and she wore it often during the remainder of the decade, including for the premiere of Dunkirk in 1958. She later loaned the crown toPrincess Diana, who wore the piece frequently.
Queen Alexandra's Kokoshnik Tiara
Bettmann Archive
Queen Alexandra had this tiara commissioned from Garrard in 1888 to resemble a diamond kokoshnik tiara owned by her sister, Empress Maria Feodorovna, perGarrard.
Her iteration of the tiara featured 61 vertical bars set with over 400 diamonds, and it could be converted into a necklace. The tiara was passed down to Queen Mary in 1925, then inherited by Queen Elizabeth in 1953, according toThe Court Jeweller.
She wore it consistently, including for her famous visit to the White House in 1976, when she danced withPresident Gerald Ford.
Brazilian Aquamarine Tiara
Tim Graham Picture Library/Getty
Queen Elizabeth commissioned this tiara from Garrard in 1957 to complement a necklace and pendant earrings she received as a coronation gift from the Brazilian president, perGarrard.
It originally featured a diamond bandeau with three aquamarine top ornaments that were surrounded with diamonds. In 1971, Queen Elizabeth had the tiara altered to include a central aquamarine ornament and four fan-shaped motifs on top of the bandeau.
She wore the tiara for every state visit from Brazil and during a 1968 trip to Brazil, which was the first time a reigning British monarch visited South America.
Queen Victoria's Oriental Circlet Tiara
POOL - Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty
Prince Albert had Garrard craft the Oriental Circlet Tiara in 1853 for his wife, Queen Victoria, perGarrard. The piece was originally set with 2,600 diamonds and a collection of opals, which were later replaced with rubies by Queen Alexandra.
The tiara was passed down from Queen Victoria to her daughter-in-law, Queen Alexandra, then inherited by theQueen Motherin 1936. Queen Elizabeth was set to inherit the crown in 1952, but she allowed her mother to keep the piece until her death in 2002.
Queen Elizabeth only wore the tiara once during her reign, for a trip to Malta in 2005. It was not worn in public again until 2025, when Princess Kate donned it for theGerman state banquet.
Diamond Diadem
Pool Photograph/Corbis/Corbis via Getty
This crown was made for the coronation of King George IV by Rundell Bridge & Rundell in 1820, per theRoyal Collection Trust.
It'sset with 169 pearlsand 1,333 diamonds, including a four-carat yellow brilliant diamond in the middle. The jewels are arranged in the form of a rose, thistle and two shamrocks.
The diadem was inherited by King George IV's sister-in-law, Queen Adelaide, and has since been passed down to every queen regnant and consort. Queen Elizabeth wore the crown on the way to her coronation in 1953 and for nearly every State Opening of Parliament during her reign.
Imperial State Crown
PA Images via Getty
The Imperial State Crown was made for the coronation of King George VI in 1937, which replaced Queen Victoria's crown from Rundell Bridge & Rundell, per theHistoric Royal Palaces website.
It is made of gold and set with 2,868 diamonds, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds, 269 pearls and four rubies.
Every monarch has worn the Imperial State Crown while leaving their coronation and during the State Opening of Parliament. Queen Elizabethhad the headpiece alteredfor her coronation in 1953 to make it lighter by lowering the arches.
Read the original article onPeople
