The Queen's advice on wearing a crown - BBC News

[Staccato string music]

[Woman's voice]
The most important items

used in a coronation

are the monarch's two crowns.

[Staccato string music]

If the Queen has only worn

St. Edward's gold crown once,

she is much more familiar
with this.

The diamond encrusted
Imperial State Crown.

She wore it
at the end of her coronation,

and, for most state openings
of Parliament, since.

[Queen] You see,

it's much smaller, isn't it.

I mean, it was --

it was the same height.

You know, it would have been

up to about there,

when my father wore it.

[Alastair Bruce] I mean,
it was huge, then.

[Queen] Yes.

Very un...unwieldy.

[Mr. Bruce] It's difficult...

to always remember that
diamonds are stones. [Laughs]

So, very heavy.

[Queen] Yes.

Fortunately, my father and I

have about the same
shaped head.

Once you put it on, it stays.

I mean, it just remains...still.

[Mr. Bruce] You have to keep
your head very still.

[Queen] Yes.

And, you can't look down

to read the speech.

You have to
take the speech up.

Because, if you did,
your neck would break,

and it would fall off.

So, there are some
[Clears throat]

disadvantages to crowns.

But, otherwise...

they're quite important things.