Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Fringe Tiaras Often Mistaken as The Same

Due to its identical designs and gem, these diamond fringe tiara pieces in Her Majesty's collection, often mistaken as the same.

Other articles even mistakenly identified her 1947 wedding tiara as the Queen Alexandra Kokoshnik, the Russian Fringe tiara or the Queen Adelaide Diamond Fringe tiara.

But these head sparklers are totally different from each other. Let's identify each to avoid confusion.

1. Queen Adelaide Diamond Fringe tiara

Originally, this was not in a tiara form. this was worn as a fringe necklace and part of the jewelry collection of King George III, hence earning the name the Hanoverian or George III Diamond Fringe tiara.

 It was inherited by King William IV when he succeeded his older brother, George IV. He then commissioned Rundell and Bridge to create a tiara out of this piece for his wife, Queen Adelaide, in 1831.

Queen Mary wearing the Queen Adelaide Diamond Fringe tiara

Thus, it was known as Queen Adelaide Diamond Fringe tiara. She donned this piece of jewelry both as a necklace and tiara.

When William IV died, his niece inherited the throne as Queen Victoria, Queen Adelaide gave the Diamond Fringe tiara to the new monarch.

Sir Hugh Roberts described it as "Sixty brilliant-set graduated bars, the central bars in cushion-cut and pear-shaped stones, divided by 60 graduated brilliant-set spikes, an extra six small graduated bars and five spikes detached, tiara fittings removed".

Queen Victoria was seen wearing this tiara for the first time in 1837. She had worn it many times in the succeeding decades of her reign.

When she died in 1901, the tiara passed to the new Queen Consort, Alexandra of Denmark, wife of King Edward VII.

Queen Alexandra was apparently noted wearing this piece as a fringe necklace and was seen on her waist sewn in her gown during her and Edward VII's coronation.

After her husband died and their second son ascended as George V, Queen Alexandra handed many of the crown jewelry, including the Queen Adelaide Diamond Fringe tiara, to the new Queen Consort, Mary of Teck.

Queen Mary wore this piece most often as a tiara rather than a necklace. But later, many have thoughts the Queen was not comfortable wearing this fringe as a tiara, so she commissioned Garrard in 1919 to create her another diamond fringe tiara out of the pieces of jewelry she inherited from Queen Victoria.

The Queen Mary Diamond Fringe tiara was eventually born. Though similarly designed, the difference can be spotted in heights. 

In 1936, when Mary's second son became King George VI, the Queen Adelaide Diamond Fringe tiara was transformed back to a necklace and worn by his wife, Queen Elizabeth. Garrard added concealed snap to the fringe.

She kept it in her jewelry collection vault after becoming a Queen Mother. It was only inherited by Queen Elizabeth II when the Queen Mother died in 2002.

However, the current queen was not seen wearing the Queen Adelaide Diamond Fringe tiara or its necklace form, in public.

2. Queen Mary Diamond Fringe Tiara

This was created  in 1919 out of the pieces of diamond jewelry of Queen Victoria and had been used by Queen Mary on many occasions.

Queen Mary wearing her own Diamond Fringe Tiara often mistaken as 

Queen Adelaide Diamond Fringe tiara

The Queen Mary Diamond Fringe tiara was made of 47 brilliantly cut diamonds arranged in bars and spikes. A neater version of the Diamond Fringe tiara and more modern-looking than the Queen Adelaide Diamond fringe tiara.

Made of Diamonds set in gold and silver and was created by E.Wolff and Co for Garrard in 1919. The diamonds were part of the necklace given by Queen Victoria as a wedding gift to Mary when she married the future George V in 1893.

Queen Mary Diamond Fringe tiara is one of the Queen's favorites

Queen Mary handed over this tiara to her daughter-in-law, Queen Elizabeth, in 1936, who was seen on many occasions wearing the tiara.

In November 1947, Queen Elizabeth loaned it to her eldest daughter, Princess Elizabeth, for her wedding to the Duke of Edinburgh.

Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip on their wedding day in 1947

The young princess accidentally damaged the tiara in the morning of the wedding. Garrard quickly fixed it and Princess Elizabeth still wore the tiara to her wedding.

When she ascended the throne in 1952, some of the crown jewelry collections including this tiara remained on her mother's possession. So it was the Queen Mother, and not the current queen, who lent it to Princess Anne when she wed her first husband, Captain Mark Phillips, in 1973.

Only three royal brides worn the Queen Mary Diamond Fringe tiara

The Queen Mary Diamond Fringe tiara became one of the favorite tiaras of Queen Elizabeth II and had worn it several times, at white-tie events, portraits and state banquets, since 2002.

The first time she loaned this tiara to a royal bride is only this year, at the wedding of her granddaughter, Princess Beatrice, last July 17.

The Queen lent her wedding tiara for the first time to her granddaughter

This made Princess Beatrice very special among the royal brides.  

The fact that she also worn a vintage dress the Queen worn in 1962 world premiere of Lawrence of Arabia, and in 1967 State Opening of Parliament, speaks the close affection and support of the Queen for her.

3. Queen Alexandra Kokoshnik Diamond Fringe Tiara

This one is often mistaken as the Queen Mary Diamond Fringe tiara. One article in Hello magazine about Princess Beatrice even identified the tiara she wore, and that of the Queen in 1947, as the Kokoshnik or Russian Fringe tiara.

Which is very wrong.

The Queen wearing the Queen Alexandra kokoshnik or Russian diamond fringe tiara

This diamond fringe tiara is not the same as the Queen Adelaide Diamond Fringe tiara and Queen Mary Diamond Fringe tiara.

This is totally different.

This tiara was given to then Princess Alexandra, the Princess of Wales, as a silver wedding anniversary present in 1888 by British peeresses led by the Marchioness of Salisbury.

The aristocratic women formed a committee called "Ladies of the Society", which included Princess Diana's paternal great-grandmother, Countess Spencer, to raise money to buy the Princess of Wales a new impressive tiara.

Princess Alexandra wanted a Diamond Kokoshnik tiara similar to the one worn by her sister, Empress Marie Feodorovna of Russia.

The Russian empress was often seen wearing a grand diamond fringe tiara designed like a Kokoshnik headdress.

Queen Alexandra Kokoshnik Diamond Fringe tiara looks like walls of diamond bars

no spacing and almost oval in shape

While the Queen Mary Diamond Fringe tiara has more spaces

and the Diamond bars are spiked design

After raising considerable amount to afford a splendid tiara for the Princess of Wales, the Ladies of the Society commissioned Garrard to create a tiara similar to a Russian fringe tiara.

Garrard created a diadem of white and yellow gold set in diamonds, designed in individual pave-set bars which looked like wall of diamonds.

This Kokoshnik fringe tiara was packed with more than 400 diamonds and can be taken from its frame to be worn as necklace.

Princess Alexandra worn it to the 1893 wedding of Prince George and Princess Mary of Teck, who would become King George V and Queen Mary in 1910.

When Queen Alexandra died in 1925, Queen Mary inherited it. Then passed to Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 following the death of Queen Mary.

The Queen Alexandra Kokoshnik tiara became one of Queen Elizabeth II's most important jewels, she had worn it on many state events and public engagement.

Many times also, people and even news, mistakenly referred it as Queen Mary Diamond Fringe tiara or vice versa because of its very similar looks.