Yes Warren you are right. Queen Alexandra's tiara is not a fringe tiara. It is a kokoshnik in the Russian style. And I know the spiked tiara you are refering to in the jubilee photos, I am wondering what happened to that one as well.
Anway I have got out my copy of Tiaras: A History Of Splendour (aka The Bible
) and this is what it says next to the painting:
Plate 48: The First Of May, by Franz Xaver Winterhalter, 1851. At the opening of the Great Exhibition in Hyde Park, the Queen is attended by Prince Albert and the Duke of Wellington. In her arms is the infant Prince Arthur, who offers the Duke the traditional lilies of the valley.
On the Queen's head is a diamond diadem of sunray form, said to have been set by Rundell's for Queen Adelaide using family diamonds. The diadem was one of Queen Victoria's special favourites, and she wore it with Queen Charlotte's crown for the opening of the exhibition.
(The Royal Collection. Copyright 2001 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II)
Therefore it
CAN NOT be the George III Fringe Tiara since in the same book it says on page 161 about the George III Fringe Tiara: She is wearing the Russian fringe tiara made for Queen Mary (refering to the Queen Mother wearing it). It is said to contain diamonds from the collection of King George III. The jewel, which can be convereted into a necklace, was supplied to Garrard in 1919 by E. Wolff and Co.
and later
Queen Mary's Russian fringe necklace/tiara mounted in gold, the damonds set in silver. When the tension is released at the back of the frame the tiara can be dismantled to form a flexible necklace. The present Queen has worn it as both.
Therefore, we can see that the George III fringe tiara was made in 1919 for Queen Mary, so it obviously cannot be worn by Queen Victoria in 1851! They are completely different pieces and that is a fact.