Queen Elizabeth may be the longest-standing monarch, but even she isn’t afraid to admit that wearing the crown isn’t all fun and games.
In an interview for the upcoming documentary The Coronation, Her Majesty revealed that—much to our dismay—there are “some disadvantages” to the diamond-encrusted Imperial State Crown she first wore during her 1953 coronation. In fact, the slightest wrong movement could result in a serious injury due to the weight of the headpiece.
She said, “You have to take the speech up because if you did [look down], your neck would break. It would fall off.”
The queen went on to reveal that the crown was “very unwieldy” when her father, King George VI, wore it, so it underwent a few modifications over the years to make it less problematic.