What crown will Camilla wear? Who has worn it before, and why wasn’t a new one made?
Camilla, on 6 May, will be crowned as the Queen and what she wears during the ceremony is a significant symbol in the coronation.
On Saturday 6 May the eyes of millions of people worldwide will be focused on everything that is happening at Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace and across London. The reason? The coronation of Charles III as the King of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms. After more than half a century of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign, her son will officially ascend to the British throne. Likewise, Camilla will also be crowned, swapping the title of Queen Consort to simply Queen.
- King Charles III Coronation: Follow live online updates and commentary here!
In her case, there are several details to be considered. One of the most important is closely related to the crown she will wear. And it will be that of Queen Mary, the new king’s great-grandmother, which will be worn by his wife. For the first time, as announced by the British Royal Family, this crown will be reused.
Queen Camilla has chosen to use Queen Mary's Crown in the interests of sustainability, rather than having a new crown created.
— Coronation News & Updates (@Coronation2023) May 3, 2023
Queen Mary liked to reuse her crown, too. She sometimes wore it without the arches as a circlet. pic.twitter.com/WmBYCXvbuY
Queen Mary’s crown, the one chosen by Camilla
In most cases, queen consorts have chosen to wear an exclusive crown, not one that has been previously worn by someone else. This has not been the case for Camilla, who has opted to wear the one made in 1911, at the time of the coronation of both George V and Queen Mary.
It is also worth noting, that the last monarch consort to be crowned was Queen Elizabeth, the mother of Elizabeth II and grandmother of Charles III.
In honor of the coronation, we're taking a look back at all the most iconic tiara moments from Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle, and Queen Camilla! pic.twitter.com/0OeKVoWswo
— E! News (@enews) May 4, 2023
Queen Mary’s crown features more than 2,000 diamonds
This crown, which will be one of the most observed elements during Charles III’s enthronement, is made up of a large number of diamonds, 2,200, to be precise. Likewise, the Cullinan jewel will have a great presence, as there will be up to two stones inside the headpiece that Camilla will wear during the coronation.
Queen Mary's Crown will have jewel tributes to Queen Elizabeth II for the Coronation of Queen Camilla.
— Coronation News & Updates (@Coronation2023) May 4, 2023
The Crown will be set with the Cullinan III, IV and V diamonds which were often worn by Her Late Majesty as brooches. pic.twitter.com/4nt3aW6WS9
She will wear a drop-shaped diamond weighing 94.4 carats and a square-shaped stone weighing 63.6 carats. “The crown will be re-set with the Cullinan III, IV, and V diamonds, which belong to Queen Elizabeth II’s personal collection and were worn by the late monarch as brooches for many years,” announced the official statement from the British Royal Family.