In pics: A brief history of Queen Elizabeth II's quintessential tiaras

Queen Elizabeth II, who is lying in peace at Westminster hall with her Imperial State Crown, was very fond of jewellery and especially her sparkling tiaras, which represented her wealth, elegance and power! If we turn the pages of history, Elizabeth's priceless tiara had very fascinating stories to tell - like her Vladimir Tiara, which was smuggled from Russia, or her The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara, which was a wedding gift to Elizabeth's grandmother Victoria. 

Today, let's take a look at Elizabeth's rare headpieces and the little history that every tiara holds. 

The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara was one of Queen Elizabeth's favourite headpieces. In her seven-decade of rule, the late monarch wore the piece very often.

The late Queen wore the diamond-studded piece in her first public appearance after her father King George VI's funeral.

Also, if you have noticed, the same tiara the Queen is wearing in the photo, which is printed on Bank of England notes.

History: 

Queen Elizabeth's grandmother passed this stunning piece down to her little Lillibet. Here's why she used to call it Granny’s Tiara.

The tiara was gifted to her granny Queen Mary of Teck by the girls of the Great Britain and Ireland committee on her wedding.

 

 

Over the years, her Fringe tiara has been worn by many Royal ladies, whether it was Queen Elizabeth II, her daughter Princess Anne or Princess Beatrice, who wore it most recently at her wedding in 2020. 

Queen wore the same diamond-encrusted piece on her wedding day in 1947.

History: The headpiece was originally a necklace that was a wedding gift from Queen Victoria to Queen Mary of Teck.

Queen Mary wore it at her wedding and later passed it to Queen Elizabeth, her daughter-in-law. Who later gave it to her daughter Elizabeth II.

 

One of the precious and oldest tiaras in the Queen's collection. She used to wear the sparkling piece on very special and official occasions.

Encrusted with thousands of diamond has a very unique design featuring four cross patte and bouquets of roses, thistles and shamrocks, which represents different parts of Great Britain. 

History: The piece was made for King George IV's coronation ceremony in 1820 by jeweller Rundell & Bridge. The piece made for King was very heavy and later different Queens removed some diamonds and resized it according to their preferences. 

The Queen wore this gorgeous piece with ruby's studded in the diamond plate at her Silver Jubilee celebration in the year 1977 and most recently during  USA's former  President Trump’s UK visit in 2019.

This is one of the few pieces that the Queen have not inherited from her family. 

The piece was made out of Queen's two wedding gifts - the rubies she got from the people of Burma and the diamond from Nizam of Hyderabad's rose tiara.

 

The Grand Duchess Vladimir Tiara is the most common tiara that many royal ladies have flaunted over the years. The piece with diamond circles interlocked and replaceable pearls in between was Queen's most favourite in her tiara collection. Sometimes, she wore it with white pearls & sometimes with precious emeralds.

History: This one has the most interesting story. The headpiece was specially engraved for Grand Duke Vladimir of Russia's wife Maria Pavlovna. The piece was made by the House of Bolin, one of the world's oldest jewellers,  in 1874 and was Maria's wedding present. 

Some reports say that it was smuggled from Russia to Britain and years later in 1921, it was sold to Queen Mary.

Belgian Sapphire tiara aka scandalous tiara is one of the most beautiful headpieces that Elizabeth owned. 

History: Encrusted with blue and silver shiny diamonds was known as a scandalous tiara because of the history it holds. The tiara was actually a necklace, owned by Princess Louise of Belgium, a scandalous royal who had multiple affairs. 

Due to her financial troubles, the princess sold her jewellery including this beautiful piece. How it landed in the British royal family's wardrobe is still a mystery. 

Another breathtaking piece of Elizabeth's tiara collection is the Brazilian Aquamarine Tiara.  

History:  Marking the special occasion of her coronation ceremony, the Queen was presented with precious gifts. From Brazil, a diamond necklace encrusted with stunning Brazilian aquamarine stones was gifted to her.
 
Queen loved the set and matching earrings so much that she asked the jeweller to make a matching tiara and a bracelet too. The tiara was resizable and the big diamond can also be used as a brooch.