{"id":365920,"date":"2026-10-06T15:18:53","date_gmt":"2026-10-06T15:18:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/365920\/"},"modified":"2026-10-06T15:18:53","modified_gmt":"2026-10-06T15:18:53","slug":"queen-elizabeth-once-borrowed-a-friends-tiara-for-an-unexpected-reason","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/365920\/","title":{"rendered":"Queen Elizabeth once borrowed a friend\u2019s tiara for an unexpected reason"},"content":{"rendered":"

Queen Elizabeth II\u00a0had an extraordinary collection of royal jewels, but on one memorable evening, the tiara she wore belonged to a friend. A last-minute mishap reportedly left the monarch needing a replacement, and a trusted courtier came to her rescue.<\/p>\n

You may also likeContinue reading<\/p>\n

\"Pictured\u00a9 Fox PhotosPictured with Prime Minister Edward Heath, the queen reportedly borrowed a friend\u2019s family tiara after her own broke on the way to the event.<\/p>\n

On January 3, 1973, Elizabeth attended the Fanfare for Europe Gala at the Royal Opera House in London\u2019s Covent Garden, wearing the Plunket Tiara. The unfamiliar jewel was borrowed from Patrick Plunket, 7th Baron Plunket, a close friend who served in her royal household.\u00a0<\/p>\n

According to multiple accounts, the queen\u2019s own tiara broke while she was traveling to the event. With little time to arrange a repair or retrieve another piece from the palace, Lord Plunket offered a practical solution. His family\u2019s tiara. He lived nearby and was able to fetch it for her to wear that evening.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"The\u00a9 MirrorpixThe Royal Ballet performed at the Covent Garden gala celebrating Britain\u2019s entry into the European Economic Community.
\nA jewel outside the royal collection:<\/p>\n

The borrowed diamond tiara gave Elizabeth\u2019s appearance an unusual distinction. While she regularly wore pieces inherited from earlier generations of royal women, this jewel came from outside her family\u2019s collection.<\/p>\n

The gala was described as apparently the only occasion on which Elizabeth was photographed wearing a tiara that did not belong to the royal family. The diamond floral design offered an elegant substitute for the evening, with its unexpected history hidden behind the formal appearance.<\/p>\n

\"Queen\u00a9 MirrorpixQueen Elizabeth II wore the borrowed Plunket Tiara to the Fanfare for Europe gala in London on January 3, 1973.<\/p>\n

Plunket was more than an acquaintance with a conveniently located jewelry box. He served as the queen\u2019s equerry and deputy master of the household, making him a familiar presence in her working life. His loan added a personal story to an evening marking Britain\u2019s entry into the European Economic Community.<\/p>\n

Although some accounts suggest Elizabeth had originally intended to wear the Vladimir Tiara, its identity remains uncertain. The better-established part of the reported story is the replacement. She appeared at the gala in the Plunket family\u2019s jewel.<\/p>\n

\"On\u00a9 PA ImagesOn January 3, 1973, Elizabeth attended the Fanfare for Europe Gala at the Royal Opera House in London\u2019s Covent Garden, wearing the Plunket Tiara.
\nAnother memorable tiara mishap:<\/p>\n

The episode also recalls an earlier complication involving Elizabeth\u2019s wedding jewelry. On November 20, 1947, the future queen wore Queen Mary\u2019s Fringe Tiara, borrowed from her mother, for her marriage to Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Queen\u00a9 CAMERA PRESS\/BaronQueen Elizabeth II wore the Queen Mary Fringe Tiara on her 1947 wedding day after the historic jewel was repaired just hours before the ceremony.<\/p>\n

The royal family\u2019s official website confirms that its frame broke as she was putting it on and required a quick repair before the ceremony. On her wedding day, the solution was to repair the borrowed heirloom.\u00a0<\/p>\n

At the 1973 gala, it was reportedly to borrow an entirely different jewel. Both episodes reveal the unexpected preparations behind two otherwise polished royal appearances.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Queen Elizabeth II\u00a0had an extraordinary collection of royal jewels, but on one memorable evening, the tiara she wore…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":365921,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[1432,9,24,63,1315,122,124,123,4259],"class_list":["post-365920","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-queens","tag-british-royals","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-queen-elizabeth","tag-queens","tag-queens-headlines","tag-queens-news","tag-royals"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/365920","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=365920"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/365920\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/365921"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=365920"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=365920"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=365920"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}