The first queen consort crowned in over 85 years chose a crown that once belonged to Queen Mary for her moment in the spotlight.
Earlier this year, it was announced that Queen Camilla would re-use Queen Mary’s Crown in a bid towards sustainability.
It was removed from the Tower of London in February and Buckingham Palace announced that it would be reset with three of the late Queen Elizabeth II’s Cullinan diamonds to replace the controversial Koh-i-Nur diamond.
Buckingham Palace shared further details on Queen Camilla’s Crown following the ceremony, noting that it’s set with 2,000 diamonds. The majority are brilliant-cut, but there are also rose-cut diamonds.
Three of Queen Elizabeth II’s Cullinan diamonds are set on the Crown. The Cullinan IV is set at the front. It is a cushion-shaped diamond and is set at the beginning of an openwork band. The
The Cullinan V diamond is set at the front cross in its brooch setting. The three other crosses that make up the band are large diamonds.
The Cullinan III diamond, a pear-shaped diamond, is set in the centre of a cross on the monde of the Crown.
Queen Mary’s Crown is set on a silver frame and lined with gold; fitted with a purple velvet cap and an ermine band.
One change Queen Camilla made was to decrease the number of arches. The original crown has eight detachable arches; Queen Camilla’s Crown features four half-arches ending in scrolls that contain brilliant diamonds.
The monde is pavé-set with diamonds and surmounted by another cross set with the pear-shaped Cullinan III diamond in the centre.
Fleurs-de-lys and crossess-pattées are set above the band; quatrefoils and rosetttes with brilliant-cut diamonds in the centre are also featured on the Crown.
Queen Mary had her Crown created by Garrard & Co for her 1911 coronation. The Royal Collection Trust cites a contemporary Daily Telegraph article that said the Crown “has no jewels but diamonds, and the diamonds cluster together as if they had no support but their own light.”
She later had the Crown refashioned for her son’s coronation in 1937, removing all of its arches to create a circlet.
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