Queen Elizabeth II ‘Hates’ This One Thing About Being Head Of Monarchy

Queen Elizabeth II has been doing a wonderful job as the head of the monarchy for several decades. But there is one thing that Her Majesty hates about her position.

Rachel Russell, a journalist for Express, the Queen doesn’t like the fact that she has to wear her crown because it is very heavy. While speaking with royal commentator Alastair Bruce years ago, Her Majesty joked about not being able to look down while wearing her crown because she feels as though her neck would break.

“Fortunately, my father and I have about the same amount of shaped head. But once you put it on, it stays. I mean, it just remains on. You can’t look down to read the speech, you have to take the speech up. Because if you did, your neck would break, it would fall off. So there are some disadvantages to crowns, but otherwise they’re quite important things,” she said.

The Queen’s Imperial State Crown was originally made for King George VI’s coronation in 1937. It is made up of 2,866 diamonds, hundreds of pearls, 17 sapphires, and 11 emeralds. The Black Prince’s Ruby, a type of gemstone, is also featured on the crown.

In related news, Her Majesty’s crown isn’t the only thing that’s too heavy for her. She previously said that the ceremonial robes that she wore during her coronation were also hard to bear.

“Well, I remember one moment when I was going against the pile of the carpet and I couldn’t move at all. They hadn’t thought of that,” the Queen said in one documentary (via The Guardian).

And during her coronation years ago, the Queen said that the golden carriage that transported her from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey was also horrible because they were only sprung on leather and were not comfortable. But overall, the Queen still saw her coronation day as something positive.

“It’s the sort of, I suppose, the beginning of one’s life really as a sovereign. It is sort of a pageant of chivalry and old-fashioned way of doing things,” she said.