Think you’ve seen Queen Camilla’s crown before? It’s on our banknotes and coins. And was made for the scandal-ridden George IV – who hated his wife so much that he excluded her from the coronation…

It is more than known from our coins and banknotes: the beautiful George IV diadem that was once worn by the late Queen Elizabeth.

This morning we saw it again, but this time on the head of Queen Camilla at the State Opening of Parliament – the first to be led by a king since the days of George VI.

The Diamond Diadem, to use its proper name, has a colorful history of its own dating back to the days of the scandal-ridden Prince Regent, or George IV as he became.

It is a monument to both his taste and vanity and played a brilliant role in one of the most infamous episodes in British monarchical history – when George IV locked out his estranged wife at his coronation in 1821 and she was forced on the doors of the abbey to pound. a vain attempt to be admitted.

It is actually a story about not one, but two crowns.

On the death of George III in January 1820, his son George (who had been regent for nine years and who liked to think that it was thanks to him that Britain defeated France at the Battle of Waterloo – rather than Wellington) decided that his The coronation should be a wonderful affair.

He also wanted a brand new state crown and commissioned the then crown jeweler, Philip Liebart of Rundell, Bridge and Rundell, to design one worthy of him.

The frame of the new state crown was made with an open back (allowing light to shine through the stones) and more than 12,000 diamonds were hired and inserted. The St. Edward’s Sapphire, which now sits atop the cross of the Imperial State Crown, was placed at the back in the band around the bottom.

George planned to keep the crown once the coronation was over, but there was a problem. Parliament refused to pay for it.

This was not the only frustration. George IV had specific ideas about the design of the new crown and wanted the traditional fleur-de-lis motif replaced with a more patriotic representation of the rose, thistle and shamrock.

This time it was the College of Arms that refused permission.

So the spendthrift monarch turned a new leaf. If he could not design or keep the new state crown, he would have an alternative designed more to his liking, not for the coronation, but for the journey from the parliament buildings to the abbey.

The journey would give him enough time to relent. Besides, he would later own it.

So in 1820, Philip Liebart created what we now call the Diamond Diadem

The coronation was planned that same year, but was ultimately postponed for twelve months while the king took legal action in an attempt to strip his wife, Caroline of Brunswick, of her title as queen, alleging adultery.

The diadem is set with 1333 diamonds and 169 pearls. The narrow band is lined on either side with pearls and is crowned by four cross pattées; the front cross is set with a four carat pale yellow brilliant cut diamond from Brazil.

Between each cross are the diamond-set national emblems of England, Ireland and Scotland: roses, shamrocks and thistles.

The bill for making the crown and setting the gems was £290, the cost of hiring it was £800 (a total of about £90,000 in today’s currency). The bill became even higher when the coronation was postponed.

Then came the moment, on July 19, 1821, when George IV left the Houses of Parliament and went to the Abbey, wearing his specially made and dazzling diadem.

Unfortunately no one could see it.

The king had also decided to commission an enormous state cap, extravagantly made of black velvet, with a diamond-encrusted hat loop from which rose copious ostrich plumes, completely camouflaging the diamonds and pearls.

In the meantime, George IV failed to prove his case against Caroline, and she remained queen.

Still, it ended badly for her. After spending the coronation outside the abbey, Caroline fell ill later that day and died less than a month later.

After the coronation, the gems in the diadem remained intact and a bill of £8,216 was eventually paid by the king.

As for the new state crown used for the coronation itself, it was broken up and the diamonds returned to their owner. However, at the king’s request, Rundells made a gilt bronze cast and a replica can still be seen in the Tower of London.

The Diamond Diadem was later worn by Queen Adelaide, the consort of William IV (brother of George IV).

His niece and successor, Queen Victoria, also wore the diadem and was depicted with it on the Penny Black stamps first issued during her reign.

It was later passed to Queen Alexandra (wife of Edward VII), Queen Mary (wife of George V), Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, and then to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, who wore it on the journey to her own coronation in 1953. .

Her Majesty Queen Camilla is the fifth queen consort to wear a crown originally made for a king.

• Josie Goodbody, is a jewelry historian and author of mystery novels