The Queen breaks tradition during State Opening of Parliament by wearing George IV tiara

Traditionally, Her Majesty The Queen would wear the Imperial Crown, but she opted for the lighter George IV diadem instead.

• Today, The Queen gave a speech during the State Opening of Parliament.
• But she wasn’t wearing the traditional Imperial Crown; instead, it was placed next to her.
• This follows royal news (opens in new tab) that Princess Eugenie reveals unseen footage of wedding day in sweet anniversary video. (opens in new tab)

During the ceremony, The Queen wore her full dress and regalia, including her cloak, but did not wear the Imperial Crown. This marks the first time she has worn this outfit without it.

Instead, she wore the George IV diadem, which dates back to 1821 and features 1,333 diamonds. It features four crosses which represent different parts of the UK; shamrocks for Ireland, thistles for Scotland and roses for England.

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The Imperial Crown is even more regal, containing 2,868 diamonds, 273 pearls, 17 sapphires and 17 emeralds. It weighs an impressive two pounds and 13 ounces.

This has led some royal fans to believe that the Imperial Crown is too heavy for the Queen to wear for a long period of time, especially now that she is older.

The Palace has not confirmed the official reason, so this is currently only speculation from the public.

Despite the fact the Imperial Crown was not worn during this ceremony, it was carried into parliament as a symbol of The Queen’s authority and placed next to her as she delivered her speech.

Today’s speech is her 65th Queen’s speech, and her first under new UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

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Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, joined her Majesty for the ceremony. Her eldest son accompanied her as she spoke to the house, and walked her into Parliament.

The Prince of Wales' accompanying The Queen is because Prince Philip has retired from formal duties since 2017.

In her speech, The Queen told the public, "My Government's priority has always been to secure the United Kingdom's departure from the European Union on 31 October."