Mary bought the Art Deco-inspired crown from Garrard & Co. out of her own pocket hoping it would become an heirloom worn by future queens consort. It is somewhat unusual for a British crown in that it has eight half-arches instead of the more typical four half-arches or two arches.[2]
It is 25 cm (9.8 in) tall and weighs 590 g (1.30 lb).[3] The silver-gilt crown has around 2,200 rose-cut and brilliant-cut diamonds,[3] and originally contained the 105.6-carat (21.12 g) Koh-i-Noor diamond, as well as the 94.4-carat (18.88 g) Cullinan III and 63.6-carat (12.72 g) Cullinan IV diamonds.
In 1914, those diamonds were replaced with crystal replicas, and the crown's arches were made detachable so it could be worn as an open crown.[4] Mary wore it like this after her husband, George V, died in 1936.[5] In 1937, the year of George VI's coronation, Cullinan V was added to the crown.[6] Following Queen Mary's death in 1953 the crown was put on display at the Tower of London. The crystal replicas of the Cullinan stones were replaced by the diamonds for the coronation of Queen Camilla in 2023.
Queen Camilla
Queen Camilla was crowned using Queen Mary's Crown at her coronation in May 2023.[7] Prior to the coronation the crown was partially altered. Alterations included re-setting the crown with the original Cullinan III and IV diamonds as well as adding Cullinan V diamond as a tribute to Camilla's mother-in-law, Elizabeth II, who wore the diamonds as brooches. Four of the crown's eight half-arches were removed.[8]
Gallery
Queen Mary wearing the crown in a formal coronation photograph, 1911
Queen Mary wearing the crown without arches, 1914
Queen Camilla wearing the altered crown at her coronation in 2023
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