8 Difference Between King And Queen Crown

The word ‘’ Crown” is derived from the Latin word “Corona” meaning Wreath. The crown is believed to have originated from Asia and Egypt before being adopted in Europe, where it has been used for a very long time (several thousand years) as a symbol of power and majesty.

Kings and queens of England have stored crowns, robes and other items of their ceremonial regalia at the tower of London for over 600 years. Upon the death of a monarch, the crown is placed on the casket during the funeral service.

A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch’s government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, particularly in Commonwealth countries, as an abstract name for the monarchy itself, as distinct from the individual who inhabits it (that is, The Crown).

King’s or Queen’s Crown can be:

The Coronation Crown: which is a crown worn by monarchs during their crowing.
State Crown: whivh is usually set to be worn by monarchs whenever they are attending to or appearing for state occasions.
The Consort Crowns: which are worn by the queen’s consorts. A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king and wears this type of crown to signify the rank she is granted as a constitutional courtesy protocol.

Even though many people have some clues on what monarchy is about and it’s symbolic significance, most people do not have an idea that there exists a king’s crown, different from the queen’s. Most of them will assume it is just a normal crown for the royal family or a kingdom leader.

The queen crown, also called the royal crown, is the crown adorned by the queen of the kingdom. The queen crown is made of silver with gold gildings and has 153 pearls along with the linings of the loops formed by the crown. They also have eight loops starting at the base of a purple velvety material that meets at the top. The centre stone of the queen crown is a large amethyst. They form depressed arches and have a unique curved top instead of the dome-like structure of the king crown. The queen crown is also adorned with various gemstones like emerald and topaz.

The king crown, also called as the imperial crown, is the crown adorned by the king of a kingdom to symbolize the monarchial power that he holds over a certain territory. They are made from purple velvety cloth and 20-carat gold with 50 pearls along with other assorted gemstones like amethyst and topaz lining the crown. The arches of a king crown are seen to be rising to the Centre as they are formed by eight loops rising from the base of the crown. At the top, the king crown has a single rounded dome shape at the place where the eight loops meet. The center is adorned with blue enamel and gold stars.

The King’s Crown

Design

The king’s crown also referred to as Imperial crown, is designed with eight hoops rising up from the crown ring and joining in the middle under an orb of blue enamel with gold stars and a band of pearls. At the top, there is a cross of six amethysts. Four of the hoops are flat and shaped like oak leaves. The four other hoops are filigreed and shaped like bay leaves. In the middle of the crown ring is a large, green tourmaline. The cap of purple velvet is decorated with small crowns and 50 pearls.

Materials

The crown is made of 20-carat gold, pearls and assorted gemstones such as amethysts, opals, peridots, chrysophrases, topazes, tourmalines, sapphires and emeralds.

Dimensions

Height: averagely 26.5 cm

Diameter: Averagely 20cm

Weight: Averagely 1500 grams

The Queen’s Crown

Design

Just like the King’s crown, the queen’s crown also referred to as the Royal crown, consists of eight hoops that join at the top underneath an orb of blue enamel and a band and a cross of pearls. Another band of pearls, 153 in all, line the upper edge of the crown.

The cap is sewn of purple velvet and is embellished with stylized flames embroidered with tiny pearls. The central gemstone in the crown is large amethyst.

Material

The crown is made of silver with gold gilding and settings, and decorated with amethysts, citrines, chrysophrases, topazes and numerous pearls.

Dimensions

Height: Averagely 17.5 cm

Diameter: Averagely 14.5 cm

Weight: Averagely 550 grams

Classification of Crowns

A crown being a symbol of power and majesty can be classified into three distinct types, which include:

The coronation crown: This is a type of crown worn by monarchs during their crowing (during coronation ceremony).
State Crown: This type of crown is usually worn by the monarchs whenever or wherever they are attending to or appearing for state functions and protocols.
The Consort Crowns: This type of crown is worn by the queen’s consorts. A queen’s consort is the wife of a reigning king and wears this type of crown to signify the rank she is granted as a constitutional courtesy protocol.

Queen’s vs King’s Crown

Points of Comparison	King’s Crown	Queen’s Crown
Name	A king’s crown is called the Imperial Crown.	A queen’s crown is called the Royal Crown.
Pearls	Has 50 pearls lining around it.	Has 153 pearls lining around it.
Top	The king’s crown has a single rounded dome shape at the top where the eight loops meet.	Queen’s crown has a unique curved top instead because of the depressed arches.
Arches	The arches of a king’s crown rise to the center.	The arches of a queen’s crown do not risen but are depressed.
Center Stone	The centre stone for a king crown is the green tourmaline	A large Amethyst tends to be the central stone in a queen’s crown.
Design	A king’s crown is made majorly from 20-karat gold, with 50 pearls along with other assorted gemstones	A queen’s crown is made from silver with gold gildings.
Weight	A king’s crown is heavy and can weigh around 1.5 kilograms.	A queen’s crown weighs around 0.5 kilograms.
Size	A king’s crown is larger in terms of height and diameter.	A queen’s crown is smaller in diameter and shorter.

Also Read: Difference Between Maroon And Burgundy

Similarities Between King And Queen Crown

Both king and queen crowns have a purple velvet material as the main fabric on the cap.
The purple velvet fabric on both the crowns is embroidered with real pearls.
Both the crowns have eight loops at the base of the crown rising upwards.
Both the crowns are studded with assorted gemstones.

Key Takeaways

Name: A king crown is called an imperial crown where the queen crown is known as a royal crown.
Top of the crown: The king crown has a single rounded dome shape at the top where the eight loops meet. But the queen crown has a unique curved top instead because of the depressed arches.
Design: The arches of a king crown are seen to be rising to the centre as they are formed by eight loops rising from the base of the crown. Even though the queen crown also has eight loops rising from the base, the arches formed are depressed and not risen.
Velvet Material: They are both made of purple velvety material but the centre stone for a king crown is the green tourmaline whereas the one for queen crown is a large amethyst.
Precious Materials: A king crown is made with 20-carat gold with 50 pearls along with other assorted gemstones like amethyst and topaz lining the crown. A queen crown on the other hand is made of silver with gold gildings. Though the queen crown also has pearls, they have 153 pearls lining the crown unlike the 50 on a king crown. They are also designed with various assorted gemstones.