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.
The Queen Mary Fringe Tiara
took a starring role in the most famous royal wedding of the 20th
century
(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.
Royal Collection
Trust
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.
Royal Collection
Trust
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.
Queen Elizabeth II wore the
Burmese Ruby Tiara at the State Banquet for Donald Trump in
2019
(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.
Royal Collection
Trust
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.