Etiquette dictates that the first tiara moment in a royal’s life is when they get married. But did the late Queen Elizabeth II secretly get away with bending the rules aged 11?
Ten years before she married Prince Philip, the then-Princess looked proud as punch as she joined her family for photos on the Buckingham Palace balcony following the coronation of her father, King George VI, in 1937.
George – previously called Prince Albert, Duke of York – ascended the throne following the abdication of his older brother, Edward VIII, who chose to shun royal life in order to marry American divorcee, Wallis Simpson.
Following the ceremony, George was pictured in his ceremonial robes alongside his wife Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (later the Queen Mother), and their two daughters, Princess Elizabeth, born in 1926, and Princess Margaret, born in 1930.
While George sported St Edward’s Crown, Elizabeth couldn’t hide her excitement, waving and grinning to crowds in her own headpiece. Created by Garrard & Co, the silver-gilt coronet cost just £29, and paired perfectly with her cream silk satin and cotton Chantilly dress by Smith & Co. and ermine-trimmed robe by Ede & Ravenscroft.
While not technically a tiara, the coronet had a close resemblance to one. Unfortunately, fans had to wait until her 1947 wedding to witness her first official tiara moment.
Wedding tiara
© AFP via Getty ImagesThe royal bride wore Queen Mary’s Fringe Tiara, featuring 47 bars of diamonds, which underwent last-minute repairs hours before she walked down the aisle.
While adding the finishing touches to her white satin dress by Sir Norman Hartnell, inspired by Botticelli’s famous painting Primavera, the tiara snapped and was taken to the royal jewellery house, Garrard, via police escort to be welded back together.
© PA Images via Getty ImagesRecalling the “alarming” memory at an exhibition of Kate’s wedding dress in 2011, the late monarch explained: “The catch, which I didn’t know existed, it suddenly went. And I didn’t know it was a necklace, you see… I thought I’d broken it… We stuck it all together again, but I was rather alarmed.”
Queen Elizabeth went on to loan the tiara to her daughter Princess Anne in 1973, and granddaughter Princess Beatrice in 2020 for their respective weddings.
Changing history
© Getty ImagesElizabeth was reportedly blindsided by her uncle’s abdication. The documentary Elizabeth: Our Queen tells how a young Princess Elizabeth, aged ten, had started her day with her usual swimming lesson, before returning home to write up her notes from her class, when she heard cries of ‘God Save the King’ from outside.
When she asked the footman what was happening, he explained that her father was set to be the new King. After breaking the news to her younger sister, Princess Margaret, she replied: “Well, does that mean you’re going to be Queen now? Poor you!”
It was only just over a decade later that she was informed of her father King George’s passing while on a royal tour in Kenya, and she was later crowned shortly afterwards in June 1953 at age 27.
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