[Albion Wilde]

The crown we are seeing at the funeral is the Imperial State Crown, which is the secondary British crown.

I have been wondering about this-- the crown shown in old newsreels of George Vi's coronation seems bigger and the four "spines" are more curved.

My question for you is, why was Elizabeth given a smaller crown?

[naturalman1975]

George VI’s Imperial State Crown was modified and reshaped for Elizabeth II. Metal was removed to make it lighter and the arches were lowered because that is seen as a more feminine shape. But the same gems were used and it is considered to be the same crown.

So, yes, what you are seeing in the old newsreel footage makes sense.

[naturalman1975]

As to why it was done - partly, as I’ve said, because the flatter crown is seen as more feminine. Partly it was just to make it lighter - the Imperial State Crown is the one the Monarch will wear throughout their reign on appropriate occasions (like the State Opening of Parliament) and the lighter it is, the easier it is to wear. And partly it was to give it a better fit to the Queen’s head.

It is likely to be modified for Charles, if it is not replaced completely.

[naturalman1975]

You will also see both George VI and Elizabeth II wearing Saint Edward's Crown in some coronation photographs - it is nearly twice the weight of the Imperial State Crown and also looks bigger. It is only used at coronations, for the actual crowning (and not always then) mostly because it is considered a sacred relic of Saint Edward the Confessor, but partly because of its age (the current Saint Edward's Crown dates to 1661, but it is believed to incorporate the gemstones and probably the same metal of the older crown from 1040 - it's hard to know for certain as the location of the original crown after the English Civil War is uncertain, but the individual stone weights and descriptions match and if the stones were reused, it is likely the metal was also available).