But one thing was missing from
her elaborate outfit: the jewel-encrusted Imperial State Crown.
Instead, she wore the diamond
diadem recognizable from her profile on British stamps and coins, while the
crown rested on a table beside her. The decision didn’t go unnoticed on social
media.
The choice was a matter of
personal preference for the 93-year-old monarch. The diadem is much
lighter than the crown. The tiara is traditionally worn for the journey to and
from Parliament.
The crown, which was
commissioned for the Queen’s father, George VI’s, coronation in 1937, boasts
nearly 3,000 diamonds, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds and around 270 pearls – in
addition to the large diamond, ruby and sapphire that adorn the back and front.
The rim of the George IV State
Diadem, however, is about a quarter of the width and set with around 1,300
diamonds and 170 pearls.
Royal commentator Richard
Fitzwilliams said the decision not to wear the crown was a “practical
alteration” to the Queen’s schedule that was “part and parcel of the
monarch growing older”.
“There’s no question that
it’s just a matter of accommodating advancing age in as dignified a way as
possible,” he said.
