This week it has been discovered which crown Queen Camilla will wear at her ascension to the throne, ceremony scheduled for next May 6, 2023.
Buckingham Palace has confirmed that the Queen consort will not wear is controversial Koh-i-noor diamond, but she will wear the crown of Mary of Teck and some modifications will be made to pay homage to Queen Elizabeth II. What is the story behind Queen Mary’s crown?
Queen Mary’s Crown
The crown that Camilla will wear was designed for Queen consort Mary of Teck, wife of King George V and great-grandmother of Charles III, more than 100 years ago. This particular piece from the historic jewelry collection of the British royal family conceals a tragic love story.
Mary would not have reached the British throne had it not been for the death of her first love, Prince Albert Victor, brother of King George V, who in addition to marrying her also replaced to his brother on the throne.
Princess Mary was Queen Victoria’s second cousin, while Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence, was her grandson and heir, eldest son of the then Princes of Wales, Edward and Alexandra.
Queen Victoria appreciated her cousin and convinced her grandson to choose her as his bride-to-be, a decision he finally made.
A month before the wedding, on January 14, 1892, Prince Albert Victor died at Sandringham, of pneumonia he had developed during the pandemic of Russian flu.
Princess Mary bade farewell to her fiancé by placing on his coffin the wreath she had intended to wear at their wedding. The princess did not yet know what her new destiny would be.
Mourning the death of Prince Albert Victor united her with her future brother-in-law, Prince George, who like her had been deeply depressed by the death of his beloved brother. The couple became engaged in May 1893 and two months later, they were married.
After the death of King Edward VII, the then Prince of Wales ascended the throne as George VI. Mary of Teck became queen consort with the crown that next May will be used for the coronation ceremony of Camilla, a queen who like her entered the royal family in an unexpected way.