Queen Camilla’s choice of headwear for the State Opening of Parliament today (November 7) is likely to “please her husband” King Charles as she will be paying tribute to his late mother, Queen Elizabeth.
Camilla will be donning the late monarch’s iconic diamond diadem, her most recognisable headpiece worth £6 million, which she wore at her Coronation in 1953 and at every State Opening she attended.
The royal jewellery will be known to almost every Brit, as it is also the crown that Elizabeth wore on postage stamps, coins and banknotes.
It was made in 1821 and is set with 1,333 diamonds in silver and gold, with a four-carat yellow diamond at the front and the national emblems of the thistle, shamrock and rose incorporated into the design.
Sources say Camilla’s decision to wear the diadem is significant, after the word Consort was dropped by Buckingham Palace from her official title following the Coronation in May.
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Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine, told The Sun: “I think Camilla is always reticent to take on any mantle of the late Queen, including the title.
“But everything she does is to please her husband. I honestly don’t think she has a scrap of royal ambition but just happy to keep the King happy.
“She does everything for him and if he wants her to wear the Diamond Diadem then that is what she will do. I’m sure the public will recognise it because of the stamps.”
The State Opening will be the first time that Camilla wears the Queen’s diadem in public, as back in May she was crowned with the 1911 St Mary’s Crown, which was reconfigured especially for the day.
The Sun’s photographer Arthur Edwards said: “It is a great tribute for the late Queen and following wonderful traditions.”
In her Platinum Jubilee year the late Queen let it be known that she wanted Charles’s wife to be known as Queen Consort, stating: “When, in the fullness of time, my son Charles becomes King, I know you will give him and his wife Camilla the same support that you have given me; and it is my sincere wish that, when that time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort as she continues her own loyal service.”
