This is the tiara worn by Elizabeth II on the pound sterling banknotes and is therefore the most recognizable and most reproduced of all her jewels. On Wednesday night, Queen Camilla debuted what is said to have been the previous monarch’s favorite tiara, the one known as the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara because it was a gift from the fundraising committee for a wedding present to Queen Mary. of Teck at the time of her wedding to George V in 1893.
This tiara was also the one chosen by Isabel II on October 17, 1988 for the State dinner at the Royal Palace of Madrid held on the occasion of her first visit to Spain, which marks the 35th anniversary this week.
On the arm of Charles III, the current queen premiered it yesterday to attend a ceremony at the Mansion House in the City of London that British monarchs have traditionally held in the year of their coronation since the 17th century. Camilla is the third queen to wear this tiara and the jewel’s connection to the country’s currency made it ideal for this historic appointment of the new royal couple in London’s financial district.
Elizabeth II’s grandmother, Maria de Teck, gave this jewel to her granddaughter, the then Princess Elizabeth, on the occasion of her marriage to Prince Philip of Greece in 1947. The original Garrard design was decorated with pearls. , but later they were replaced by diamonds. Queen Elizabeth II was said to refer to it as “grandmother’s tiara.”
