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Queen Camilla brought out one of the finest tiaras from the royal jewelry collection for the State Opening of Parliament on Wednesday. The special headpiece has a few different names, going by the Diamond Diadem, the George IV State Diadem, or simply the State Diadem.
According to the Royal Collection Trust, the State Diadem was commissioned from the royal jewelers Rundell & Bridge in 1820 and completed in May of that year, at a cost of £8,216, equivalent to roughly $1.1 million today. The design, attributed to Rundell’s chief designer Philip Liebart, was inspired by plans originally considered for George IV’s Imperial State Crown.
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Queen Camilla arrives at the Sovereign’s Entrance for the State Opening of Parliament.
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King Charles and Queen Camilla arriving at the State Opening.
The diadem is set with 1,333 diamonds, including a four-carat pale yellow brilliant at the center of the front cross, with a narrow band fitted with pearls. Its openwork frame is surmounted by four crosses-pattée and four sprays representing the national emblems of England, Scotland, and Ireland—roses, thistles, and shamrocks—rendered in a delicate transparent setting style considered fashionable at the time. King George IV wore it at his coronation procession, and it has since been worn by every queen regnant and queen consort from Queen Adelaide, wife of George’s successor William IV, to Queen Camilla.
Queen Camilla has worn the State Diadem twice before, to the State Openings of Parliament in 2023 and 2024. There was no State Opening in the UK in 2025, with the parliamentary session continuing from the 2024 opening.
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Queen Camilla, in the Irish State Coach while wearing the State Diadem, on the way to Parliament in 2023.
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Queen Camilla in the House of Lords in 2024.
The State Opening is a major ceremonial event dating back to the 16th century that brings together the Sovereign, House of Lords, and House of Commons. The ceremony includes a carriage procession from Buckingham Palace to the Houses of Parliament. As his consort, Queen Camilla traditionally accompanies King Charles to this event. The occasion marks the formal opening of a new parliamentary session and centers around the King’s Speech, in which the monarch reads out the government’s legislative agenda and policy priorities for the year ahead. Though delivered by the King in the House of Lords, the speech is written entirely by the government of the day.
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Rachel King (she/her) is a news writer at Town & Country. Before joining T&C, she spent nearly a decade as an editor at Fortune. Her work covering travel and lifestyle has appeared in Forbes, Observer, Robb Report, Cruise Critic, and Cool Hunting, among others. Originally from San Francisco, she lives in New York with her wife, their daughter, and a precocious labradoodle. Follow her on Instagram at @rk.passport.