48 Real Diamonds Adorn Diminutive Crown Of Queen Elizabeth's Lego Incarnation

By: Kelly York

A Lego model of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, complete with a real diamond-encrusted crown, has gone on display in time for her Diamond Jubilee. It's not clear whether the diminutive crown will be destined for the Jewel House in the Tower of London, where the rest of the British Crown Jewels have been protected since 1303. The four-inch-tall mini-monarch was officially unveiled on Thursday at the Legoland theme park in Windsor, England, not far from the Queen's Windsor Palace residence. The plastic queen is the centerpiece of a Lego model of Buckingham Palace, where she stands on the balcony with the rest of the royal family. According to the International Business Times, the 1/2-inch-tall crown was designed by jeweler Dinny Hall, who has created baubles for the likes of actress Kate Winslet and Samantha Cameron, wife of British Prime Minister David Cameron. The crown is made from rhodium-plated sterling silver and features 48 round diamonds. Due to the value of the crown, the theme park employed a security guard to protect the teeny queen and crown during viewing hours. At night, the crown will be locked away. The Lego monarch is joined on the Lego Buckingham Palace balcony by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (right), the Duke of Edinburgh (center right) and the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall (left). A series of celebrations for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee will take place from June 2-5 in London. Those festivities will include a festival of boats on the River Thames, the lighting of more than 4,000 beacons across the U.K. and a concert at (the real) Buckingham Palace. The Lego queen can be viewed by the public until June 10, when she will put up for bid at a charity auction. Visit Ben David Jewelers on Facebook Visit BenDavidJewelers.com