George IV State Diadem
The George IV State Diadem, officially the Diamond Diadem, was made in 1820 by the firm Rundell & Bridge for the coronation of George IV.[1] Originally set with hired jewels, it was designed for the king to wear over his velvet cap of maintenance in the procession to Westminster Abbey,[2] and is now a part of the Royal Collection held in trust by Queen Elizabeth II.
The gold and silver frame is decorated with 1,333 diamonds weighing 320 carats (64 g), including a four-carat yellow diamond in the front cross, and 169 pearls along its base.[3] Its design features roses, thistles and shamrocks, the symbols of England, Scotland and Ireland respectively.[4] When not in use, the diadem is on display at the Queen's Gallery in Buckingham Palace.[5]
It has been worn by every queen regnant and consort from Queen Adelaide onwards. The diadem was reset with jewels from the royal collection for Queen Victoria.[6] Queen Elizabeth II wore the diadem in the procession to her coronation in 1953,[7] and she also wears it in the procession to the annual State Opening of Parliament.[8]
The iconic piece of jewellery has featured in many portraits of the Queen, including one painted by Lucian Freud in 2001[9] and one by Raphael Maklouf in 1984 that appears on Commonwealth coinage and Machin series stamps.[10] It has also featured on the banknotes of most Commonwealth realms, and those of Anguilla, Bermuda, British Guyana, British Honduras, British Virgin Islands, Cyprus, Dominica, Fiji, Hong Kong, Malaya, Malta, Mauritius, North Borneo, Rhodesia and Nyasaland, Saba, Southern Rhodesia, St Kitts and Nevis and Trinidad and Tobago.
References
- ↑ The Diamond Diadem at the Royal Collection.
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External links
Media related to Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. at Wikimedia Commons- The Diamond Diadem at the Royal Collection.
