Crown of Queen Mary

Mary bought the Art Deco-inspired crown from Garrard & Co. out of her own pocket hoping it would become an heirloom worn by future queens consort. It is somewhat unusual for a British crown in that it has eight half-arches instead of the more typical four half-arches or two arches.[2]

It is 25 cm (9.8 in) tall and weighs 590 g (1.30 lb).[3] The silver-gilt crown has around 2,200 rose-cut and brilliant-cut diamonds,[3] and originally contained the 105.6-carat (21.12 g) Koh-i-Noor diamond, as well as the 94.4-carat (18.88 g) Cullinan III and 63.6-carat (12.72 g) Cullinan IV diamonds.

In 1914, those diamonds were replaced with crystal replicas, and the crown's arches were made detachable so it could be worn as an open crown.[4] Mary wore it like this after her husband, George V, died in 1936.[5] The crystal replicas of the Cullinan stones were replaced by the diamonds for the coronation of Queen Camilla in 2023. In 1937, the year of George VI's coronation, Cullinan V was added to the crown.[6] Following Queen Mary's death in 1953 the crown was put on display at the Tower of London.

Queen Camilla was crowned using Queen Mary's Crown at her coronation with Charles III in May 2023.[7] Prior to the coronation the crown was partially altered. Alterations included re-setting the crown with the original Cullinan III, IV and V diamonds as a tribute to Camilla's mother-in-law, Elizabeth II, who wore the diamonds as brooches, and removing four of its eight half-arches.[8]

• 
  Queen Mary wearing the crown in a formal coronation photograph, 1911
• 
  Queen Mary wearing the crown without arches, 1914
• 
  The crown prior to the 2023 alterations

• Crown of Queen Adelaide
• Crown of Queen Alexandra
• Crown of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother

• "Queen Mary's Crown". Royal Collection Trust. Inventory no. 31704.