Queen Elizabeth II opted to attend the 2019 state opening of Parliament without wearing the Imperial State Crown.
WATCH: The moment Queen Elizabeth SNAPS after being told not to wear the crown
Instead, her majesty wore the George IV State Diadem (which is significantly lighter than the 1kg traditional crown).
The Imperial State Crown was placed on a red velvet cushion to the right of the Queen’s Throne in the House of Lords in Westminster Palace.
It is believed that the Queen may have made the swap because of the large weight of the traditional crown.
In last year’s BBC documentary, The Coronation, the 93-year-old joked that the crown can be difficult to wear, particularly during the Queen’s speech.
“You can’t look down to read the speech,” she explained. “Because if you did, your neck would break — it would fall off.”
According to People, the crown jewels – which was made for the coronation of King George VI in 1937 – feature 2,868 diamonds, including the 317-carat (no, that’s not a typo) Cullinan II diamond, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds and 269 pearls.
The Queen has worn the Imperial State Crown at almost every opening of Parliament since she began her reign.
The exceptions include 1974 (when there were two general elections) and in 2017 (when the Queen unusually wore day dress following a snap election).
People reported that Queen Elizabeth wore the George IV State Diadem in 1952 (the year before she became Queen of the Commonwealth).
WATCH: Queen looks FURIOUS as she prepares for speech to parliament
This year, the Queen was accompanied to the House of Lords by her oldest son and heir, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, who wore her usual Greville tiara for the occasion.
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