Queen Elizabeth, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Princess Royal attended the State Opening of Parliament at the House of Westminster today. As she does each year, the Queen arrived wearing the incredible diamond and pearl George IV Diadem (read more about it over at The Order of Sartorial Splendor or The Court Jeweller and peruse great photos over at The Royal Collection). I adore the patriotic floral bouquets between the crosses (thistle for Scotland, rose for England and shamrock for Ireland) which add both feminine and nationalistic notes to this piece. With her lace gown, fur stole and jaw dropping diamond jewels, the Queen looked most regal.
For the ceremony, the Queen wore the greatest piece of royal headgear in existence today, the Imperial State Crown.
You can see more detailed photos of this famous piece here at the Royal Collection and I encourage you to watch the short documentary on it below, presented by the Queen herself.
The Duchess of Cornwall wore the Greville tiara (see an excellent history of this tiara here). The honeycomb design of this piece suits Camilla very well and its pairing with her magnificent white embroidered gown was absolutely stunning.
Princess Anne wore her uniform as Colonel of the Blues and Royals. While it sadly, was not a gown or tiara, it is a uniform that Anne wears so very well.
It was a rather glittering day in London for the British Royals today. Any day where royal tiaras see the light of day is a good day, don’t you agree?!
Photos from Getty as indicated
Royal Hats 
This all makes my heart happy. The queen looks lovely, from all the sparkle to…are those silver shoes? I may jump for joy over silver shoes! Camilla–well, spectacular is the only word I’ve got. The Greville will never be my favorite tiara, but Camilla wears it so well that it keeps inching up the list. Her dress is simply gorgeous…. And who can’t appreciate Princess Anne in uniform? Few women can look so well in uniform as she does. Yay!
Thank you for posting the video link, absolutely fascinating.
This was a great article HatQueen. The Queen looked so beautiful. This diadem is magnificent, and I wish we could see it worn more often. I liked the Duchess’s coat-dress, but I am not a fan of this Greville Boucheron honeycomb tiara, because it reminds me of a waste paper basket, though a diamond-studded one! My word, Princess Anne, the Princess Royal, rocks a uniform!
Oh yes Camilla looks like a future
Queen.
The Queen looks wonderful.
Thanks for some great photos, links, and the video. Wonderful outfits and jewels. The Princess Royal looks so good in uniform. I was hoping to see the Duchess of Cornwall bring out the Delhi Durbar Tiara again.
The Queen looks great as always. Love Prince Philip holding her hand. So cute.
I have one word for Camilla: WOW. WOW. WOW. WOW. WOW.
Camilla does look wonderful.
Quite the Queen in waiting
Her Majesty looks amazing, Ninety next year and doesn’t look it
When I was five, I called the George IV diadem the queen hat. To this day, I love seeing her majesty wearing it. She looks very regal and every inch the queen, and Prince Phillip looks magnificent. Camilla is absolutely breathtaking in these photos. Everything about her is sublime. The jewels, the tiara, the dress, her hair. No one could possibly look better than she does. They all look amazing, but for me, Camilla is the clear winner. Double wow.
Everyone looked first rate! The Princess Royal does know how to rock a uniform.
MrFitzoy’s favorite photograph is the “Train bearer’s view” of HM and the Imperial State Crown from behind….a lesser seen side. My the Queen’s hairdo is perfect considering she had just switched headgear from the Diadem to the Crown!
Where do you find these intriguing videos that add so much to the post? The Queen’s introduction to the Imperial State Crown was fascinating.
In agreement that Camilla’s coat/gown is exquisite and she looked wonderful.
The Queen looks fabulous as always..but Camilla has just totally knocked it out the park. The coat dress is stunning and reminds me of her wedding outfit in style and her hair has been done perfectly for the tiara ( which I do like but isn’t my favourite of hers) . She looks like a Queen in waiting. I used to be anti her but now have changed my mind totally. Lovely photos you have chosen for the article thank you. Has whet my appetite for Trooping and Garter Day (which I have tickets for again this year to see in the flesh!)
I hope you’ll share your experience at Windsor Castle on June 15! I’m positively green with envy!
Yes of course 😊😊
You took the words out of my mouth! Camilla has never looked better. That gown is gorgeous and the tiara looks so good on her. I don’t like the tiara by itself but it works on her. Maybe due to her hairstyle.
I also have changed my tune when it comes to Camilla.
The Duchess of Cornwall’s coat is magnificent!
LOVE all the jewels.
Camilla looks absolutely gorgeous. That is the most beautiful coat gown I have ever seen.