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The Queen's most glittering tiaras in her personal jewellery collection

Her Majesty has inherited some stunning headpieces

queens tiaras
Danielle Stacey
Online Royal CorrespondentLondon
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queen wedding tiara© Photo: Getty Images

The Queen has an impressive collection of personal jewellery, some of which has been passed down to her from the Queen Mother and her grandmother, Queen Mary of Teck. The 94-year-old monarch's tiaras are among the most extravagant in the world and Her Majesty still wears them for state visits, the Diplomatic Corps reception and for the state opening of Parliament.

READ: Every time Kate Middleton and other royals have borrowed the Queen's jewellery

Queen Mary's Fringe Tiara

The then Princess Elizabeth wore a tiara for the first time on her wedding day to Prince Philip in 1947 – Queen Mary's Fringe tiara. The diamond headpiece was made by Garrard for the monarch's grandmother in 1919, who then passed it down to her daughter-in-law, Elizabeth (the future Queen Mother), in 1936. The tiara was then loaned to both Princess Elizabeth and Princess Anne on their wedding days.

There was a brief mishap with the headpiece on the morning of the current Queen's wedding day when the frame of the tiara snapped. Luckily a court jeweller was on hand to fix it, but if you look closely at the photo, you can see that the repair left a slight gap between the diamonds.

Take a look at the monarch's other magnificent tiaras.

queen aquamarine tiara© Photo: Getty Images

Brazilian Aquamarine Parure

The Queen was gifted a diamond and aquamarine necklace and earrings set from the people of Brazil for her coronation in 1953. She is said to have asked Garrards to make her a matching tiara in 1957.

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WATCH: Royal jewels: a look at the British royal family's tiara collection

queen burmese ruby tiara© Photo: Getty Images

Burmese Ruby Tiara

This is one of the Queen's newest tiaras in her personal collection and was created in 1973 by Garrard, using gemstones from the Nizam of Hyderabad tiara (which was originally a wedding gift from the 7th Nizam of Hyderabad), and rubies gifted to Her Majesty from the people of Burma. 

MORE: 14 times the Countess of Wessex has dazzled in a tiara

queen nizam tiara© Photo: Getty Images

Nizam of Hyderabad Tiara

A rare photo of the Queen wearing the Nizam of Hyderabad in its original form as a tiara at the Royal Variety Performance in 1952.

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queen girls tiara© Photo: Getty Images

Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara

The Queen was given the diamond tiara as a wedding present from her grandmother, Queen Mary, in 1947. Originally it was one of Queen Mary's gifts when she tied the knot with George V in 1893. The monarch has worn the distinctive headpiece for a number of state banquets and is depicted wearing it on certain British and Commonwealth banknotes and coinage.

MORE: Inside Camilla Parker Bowles's jaw-dropping royal jewelry collection

queen alexandra tiara© Photo: Getty Images

Queen Alexandra's Kokoshnik Tiara

This stunning tiara originally belonged to Queen Alexandra, when she was known as the Princess of Wales, on her 25th wedding anniversary to Edward VII in 1888. It was passed down to her daughter-in-law Queen Mary, who then passed it down to the Queen. This style of tiara is based on the traditional Russian headdress called a "kokoshnik" and can also be worn as a necklace.

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queen lovers knot tiara© Photo: Getty Images

Queen Mary's Lover's Knot Tiara

The diamond and pearl headpiece was originally made for Queen Mary as a replica of a tiara owned by her grandmother, Princess Augusta of Hesse-Kassel. The tiara was inherited by the Queen in 1953 when Mary died. Although it has since become synonymous with Princess Diana and the Duchess of Cambridge, who frequently wears jewels to state banquets, the Queen was pictured wearing the tiara during the early years of her reign. She wore the Lover's Knot tiara for a film premiere of Dunkirk in 1958.

queen diadem© Photo: Getty Images

The George IV State Diadem

This is one of the Queen's most iconic tiaras as she traditionally wears it for the state opening of Parliament. The Royal Collection Trust says: "The Diamond Diadem, designed for George IV’s coronation by the jewellers Rundell Bridge & Rundell, is set with 1,333 diamonds, including a four-carat pale yellow brilliant. The Diamond Diadem has been regularly worn by queens regnant and consorts ever since."

MORE: Why the Queen didn't wear the Imperial State Crown at the State Opening of Parliament

queen vladimir tiara© Photo: Getty Images

The Grand Duchess Vladimir Tiara

Made for Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna as a wedding gift in 1874, the diamond and pearl tiara was sold by her daughter, Princess Nicholas of Greece, to Queen Mary in 1921. Mary had the tiara altered so that she could remove the pearl droplets and wear the headpiece with the Cambridge cabochon emeralds. The current Queen has been pictured wearing the tiara both ways, as well as without its removable jewels. 

MORE: All the times Sarah Ferguson dazzled in the York tiara after her wedding

queen sapphire tiara© Photo: Getty Images

George VI Victorian Suite

This tiara is another one of the Queen's newest pieces in her collection and was commissioned by Her Majesty in 1963 to match a sapphire necklace and earrings set given to Elizabeth from her father George VI on her wedding day in 1947.

queen oriental circlet tiara© Photo: Getty Images

The Oriental Circlet

The tiara was originally made for Queen Victoria as a gift from Prince Albert in 1853. Her granddaughter Queen Alexandra inherited the headpiece, which originally contained opals, but she replaced them with rubies. The Queen Mother wore it on numerous occasions, and it was passed down to the Queen after her death. Her Majesty has only sported the tiara once during a visit to Malta in 2005. 

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