Queen Elizabeth ascended the throne in 1952 and wore several royal headdresses during her reign.
The imperial crown is worn at the end of the coronation ceremony to mark the beginning of a new reign. Other headpieces, such as the Brazilian Aquamarine Tiara and the Burmese Ruby Tiara, were specially commissioned by Queen Elizabeth and made with gemstones from her personal collection.
Queen Elizabeth wore a variety of royal headpieces during her reign, but she had a few favorites. She was often seen wearing the Vladimir Tiara, the Great Britain and Ireland Girls’ Tiara, and the Diamond Diadem, although she tended to prefer these to the Imperial Crown at the opening ceremonies of the State Parliament.
In the 2018 BBC One documentary Coronation, Queen Elizabeth spoke about her coronation in 1953 and her experience wearing shoes that weighed around 3 pounds. Imperial State Crown.
“You can’t look down and read the speech. You have to look up. Because if you did that, your neck would break and your neck would fall off,” she said. “So the crown has some drawbacks, but other than that it’s very important.”
Here’s everything you need to know about Queen Elizabeth’s crown.
queen mary fringe tiara
Popular news organizations/Getty
According to Garrard’s website, Queen Mary commissioned the fringe tiara from Garrard in November 1919.
The headpiece was made in the Russian halo style and featured 633 brilliant-cut diamonds and 271 rose-cut diamonds. The jewels are attached to a removable frame, so it can also be used as a necklace.
Several royals have worn fringe tiaras at their weddings, including Queen Elizabeth in 1947, Princess Anne in 1973, and Princess Beatrice in 2020.
british and irish girls tiara
Tim Graham Photo Library (via Getty)
According to Garrard, the tiara was purchased from Garrard in 1893 by the British and Irish Girls’ Committee as a wedding gift to Queen Mary. Initially, it featured a diamond band and baroque pearls.
In 1914, Queen Mary modified the tiara to use only diamonds and the bandeau was separated from the base so that the crown could also be worn as a headband. Queen Mary later gave it to Queen Elizabeth.
Queen Elizabeth wore the Great Britain & Ireland Tiara in her first royal portrait in 1952 and wore it several times during her reign. The last time she wore the crown was at a diplomatic reception at Buckingham Palace in 2018.
bilmar beet tiara
Anwar Hussain/Getty
According to Court Jeweler, Queen Elizabeth commissioned Garrard to create the Burmese Ruby Tiara in 1973, using diamonds from the dismantled Nizam of Hyderabad and rubies she had received as a wedding gift from the people of Burma. The jewelry is set in a rose motif inspired by the English Tudor rose.
Queen Elizabeth frequently wore a tiara with a ruby necklace and earrings, including during her 1977 Silver Jubilee Tour stop in New Zealand and at the American Dinner at Buckingham Palace in 2019.
vladimir tiara
Central Press/AFP via Getty
According to Court Jeweler, Queen Mary purchased the Vladimir Tiara, which originally belonged to Grand Duchess Vladimir of Russia, in 1921 from the duchess’ daughter, Princess Nicholas of Greece and Denmark.
It features interlocking circles of diamonds and a pendant pearl, which can be exchanged for the emerald pendant.
After Queen Mary’s death in 1953, Queen Elizabeth inherited this headpiece and it became one of her most commonly worn tiaras. She wore it to a diplomatic reception at Buckingham Palace in 2019.
Lover’s Knot Tiara
NCJ – Kemsley/NCJ Archive/Mirrorpix (via Getty)
According to Only Natural Diamonds, this tiara was commissioned by Queen Mary from Garrard in 1913. She provided the jeweler with the Ladies of England tiara and pearls from her personal collection to create this piece. This is a replica of the tiara that belonged to her grandmother, the Duchess of Cambridge and Princess Augusta of Hesse.
It features an arch of 19 brilliant rose-cut diamonds, 19 pendant pearls, topped with a ribbon motif of the diamond ribbon “Lover’s Knot.” The top of the tiara was lined with 19 additional pearls, which were later replaced by a series of brilliant-cut diamonds.
The Lover’s Knot tiara was passed on to Queen Elizabeth in 1953, who often wore it for the remainder of the decade, including during the premiere of Dunkirk in 1958. Queen Elizabeth then lent the crown to Princess Diana, who frequently wore the tiara.
Queen Alexandra’s Kokoshnik Tiara
Bettman Archive
According to Garrard, Queen Alexandra commissioned the tiara from Garrard in 1888 to resemble the diamond kokoshnik tiara that belonged to her sister Empress Maria Feodorovna.
Her iteration of the tiara featured 61 vertical bars set with more than 400 diamonds and could be turned into a necklace. According to Court Jeweler, the tiara was passed down to Queen Mary in 1925 and then to Queen Elizabeth in 1953.
She wore it consistently, including her famous visit to the White House in 1976, where she danced with President Gerald Ford.
brazilian aquamarine tiara
Tim Graham Image Library/Getty
According to Garrard, Queen Elizabeth commissioned the tiara from Garrard in 1957 to complement the necklace and pendant earrings she received as a coronation gift from the president of Brazil.
It originally featured a diamond bandeau with three aquamarine top decorations surrounded by diamonds. In 1971, Queen Elizabeth had the tiara modified to include an aquamarine embellishment in the center and a four-fan motif above the bandeau.
She wore the tiara on every state visit from Brazil, and also during the current British monarch’s first visit to South America in 1968.
Queen Victoria’s Oriental Circlet Tiara
Pool – Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty
According to Garrard, Prince Albert had Garrard create the Oriental Circlet Tiara for his wife Queen Victoria in 1853. The piece was originally set with a collection of 2,600 diamonds and opals, which were later replaced by rubies by Queen Alexandra.
The tiara was passed down from Queen Victoria to her daughter-in-law, Queen Alexandra, and then to the Queen Mother in 1936. Queen Elizabeth was due to inherit the crown in 1952, but she allowed her mother to keep the tiara until her death in 2002.
Queen Elizabeth II only wore the tiara once during her reign, during a trip to Malta in 2005, and it was not worn in public again until 2025, when Kate, Duchess of Cambridge wore it to a state dinner in Germany.
diamond diadem
Pool photo/Corbis/Corbis via Getty
The crown was made by Rundell Bridge & Rundell in 1820 for the coronation of George IV, according to the Royal Collection Trust.
It is set with 169 pearls and 1,333 diamonds, including a 4-carat yellow brilliant diamond in the center. The gems are arranged in the shape of a rose, thistle, and two shamrocks.
The crown passed to George IV’s sister-in-law, Queen Adelaide, and has passed to every reigning queen and consort ever since. Queen Elizabeth wore the crown on her way to her coronation in 1953 and at nearly every state legislative session during her reign.
imperial state crown
Image of PA (via Getty)
According to the Historic Royal Palaces website, the Imperial State Crown was created for the coronation of King George VI in 1937 and replaced Queen Victoria’s crown at Randell Bridge & Randell.
Made of gold, it is set with 2,868 diamonds, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds, 269 pearls and 4 rubies.
All monarchs have worn the imperial crown at some point, either at the end of their coronation or during the opening of state parliaments. Queen Elizabeth’s headpiece was modified for her coronation in 1953 to lower the arch and make it lighter.
