New Tiaras Coming to The Crown

Netflix

The fourth season of The Crown is coming to Netflix in November, and the production has recently released several teaser photos from upcoming episodes. We’ve got some tiaras on our hands, so it’s time for some replica vs. real life comparisons!

Olivia Colman wears a replica of the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara in season four of The Crown; the Queen wears the real tiara at a banquet in Beijing in 1986 (YOSHIKAZU MIKAMI/AFP via Getty Images)

First up, we’ve got Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth II, wearing a replica version of the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara. Even though the tiara would have been in the Queen’s jewelry box since the very first episode, we’ve not yet seen it in action on the show. (A replica version was included in a Crown costume exhibition in 2016 — I’m not sure if it’s the same one worn by Colman in season four.) As always, the problem with the replica tiara is the scale. The tiara’s elements are simply too big, which makes the replica item look cartoonish when compared with the original.

Emma Corrin wears a replica of the Spencer Tiara in season four of The Crown; Lady Diana Spencer wears the real tiara on her wedding day in St. Paul’s Cathedral, 1981 (STR/AFP via Getty Images)

Speaking of tiaras that are too big — hold on to your horses! Emma Corrin makes her debut as Lady Diana Spencer in season four, and of course, that means the big royal wedding is a major part of the storyline. Netflix gave us a sneak peek of “Diana” wearing her wedding ensemble, and people are already talking about the comically-large scale of the replica of the Spencer Tiara. (The earrings, interestingly enough, are pretty close versions of the real things.)

Emma Corrin wears a replica of the Spencer Tiara in season four of The Crown; Diana wears the real tiara after her wedding, 1981 (AFP via Getty Images)

The photo has proved confusing for many. Other than the tiara size problem, I think I’ve pinpointed the issue. I don’t believe we ever saw photographs of Diana pushing the blusher from her veil back and over the tiara. She arrived for the wedding wearing the blusher, and kept it down throughout the ceremony. During the signing of the register, Diana’s make-up artist apparently snipped the blusher away entirely. I’ve never seen a photograph from the wedding day that shows the tiara covered by the veil.

Emma Corrin wears a replica of the Spencer Tiara in season four of The Crown; Diana wears the real tiara for a reception in Tasmania, 1983 (Trinity Mirror/Mirrorpix/Alamy)

We’ve also got one more sneak peek of Emma Corrin wearing the replica tiara in an upcoming episode. Here, she wears it for a scene depicting a gala event, along with replicas of some of Diana’s pearl drop earrings and the Prince of Wales feather necklace. This angle really emphasizes the problem of the tiara’s scale — though, given some of the jewels we’ve seen on the show, at least it mostly looks like the real thing!