Three of the most famous tiaras worn by Queen Elizabeth II in her lifetime are now on show in London and they add a very personal touch to the exhibition charting her life through her style. For the diadems include the one worn at her wedding and two that she helped design and which are now only to be used by queens. And the trio are made up of red, white and blue.
First chance in twenty years to see Queen Elizabeth II’s wedding tiara
For the first time in two decades, the famous all diamond tiara worn by Elizabeth II on her wedding day is in public display. The jewel, which originally belonged to Queen Mary, will sparkle alongside Elizabeth II’s celebrated wedding dress as part of the new exhibition from the Royal Collection Trust, Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style, which is on show at The King’s Gallery in London this spring and summer.
(Royal Collection Trust)
The gem has a fascinating history but is perhaps best known for breaking on the royal wedding day in November 1947. The then Princess Elizabeth had chosen to wear the tiara, which had begun life as a necklace before being transformed by Queen Mary, as a nod to her grandmother. However, it splintered in the middle ahead of the marriage ceremony at Westminster Abbey.
It was then that Queen Elizabeth showed her true spirit. Despite offers, including pleas from her mother, the bride stuck to her choice and it was hastily repaired and returned to the Palace in time for the wedding. A close look at the wedding photos shows the break in the tiara.
The gem remained a favourite of Elizabeth II throughout her long life and took on a special family significance. It was used by Princess Anne on her first wedding day in November 1973 and by Princess Beatrice when she married Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi iin 2020.
The ruby tiara made up of ‘lucky’ stones
If the Queen Mary Fringe Tiara brings the middle colour of red, white and blue then a rather unusual gem strikes the scarlet note. Also on show in Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style is the Burmese Ruby Tiara which is made up of jewels given as a good luck gift.
Queen Elizabeth II received a set of striking rubies from the people of Burma in 1947, at the time of her marriage. The stones are believed to bring protection from ill health and to give the owner good luck. As her reign approached a quarter century, Elizabeth II decided to have them made into a tiara and the very modern looking diadem that followed was first seen in 1973.
It’s made by Garrard & Co, favourite jewellers of the Royal Family, and although it looks very 70s, it’s actually packed with historic symbolism. The rubies, 96 of them, were fashioned into the shape of Tudor roses. And showing what a royal recycler she was, Elizabeth had another of her tiaras broken up for the diamonds that were needed for the new design. The gems of the Nizam of Hyderabad tiara were broken down and placed in the new diadem.
(The White House from Washington, DC, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
It became a favourite of Queen Elizabeth II and she often wore it for major events, including State Dinners. it was the tiara she chose for the last incoming State Visit of her reign when she welcomed US President, Donald Trump, to Buckingham Palace. And it’s only ever been worn by majesties. Queen Camilla has also used the tiara which is the preserve of queens only.
One of the biggest tiaras in Queen Elizabeth II’s collection
Brining the blue to this trio of tiaras is a skyscraper of a jewel. The Brazilian Aquamarine Tiara was another addition to the royal collection made by Queen Elizabeth II and, once again, it was made up of jewels presented to her as a gift.
The President of Brazil, a country rich in aquamarines, gave the new Queen Elizabeth a set of stones for her Coronation in 1953 and the Monarch originally had them made into a necklace and pendant earrings. They were, again, the work of Garrard & Co and in 1957, Elizabeth II returned to the jewellers to ask them to make more of the stones into a tiara.
The resulting jewel was striking and functional. It was made up of a bandeau of aquamarines and diamonds with a central aquamarine topper to give height and two other toppers which were placed towards the rear of the tiara. However, in 1971, another change was made as Queen Elizabeth II made good use of more aquamarines given to her. A much larger, central topper was created with four fan shaped motifs, in aquamarine and diamonds placed around it.
The result is one of the biggest tiaras in Queen Elizabeth II’s collection. The late Queen used it to make an impression and it was another favourite at State Banquets, including that given for King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain in 2017, the last time Elizabeth II was seen wearing the gem in public. It’s another queens only tiara but, as of 2026, Queen Camilla hasn’t worn it and being as it will be part of the Royal Collection Trust display until October, the chances are it won’t be used by her in this centenary year of Queen Elizabeth II.
Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style is at The King’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace, from 10 April to 18 October 2026. You can buy tickets on the Royal Collection Trust website.
