To celebrate the new arrival of the nation’s favourite small car, Ford teamed up with royal milliner Rosie Olivia to crown the brand-new Fiesta (Mk VII)

Rosie Olivia, milliner to Pippa Middleton and Zara Phillips, crafted a crown from Fiesta parts and worked with 3D scanning experts to recreate the Ford Fiesta sized crown

Patriotic Brits favour union jack red, white and blue when purchasing the best-seller 

To celebrate the arrival of new Fiesta (Mk VII)and its continued status of the nation’s favourite small car, Ford teamed up with royal milliner Rosie Olivia to physically crown the new model and celebrate its eight-year reign in style fit for a royal.

Since its arrival in 1976, over 4.5 million Brits have purchased a Fiesta and so it seemed only fitting that this accolade was given recognition by royal milliner Rosie Olivia, through the creation of its own crown. 

This is not the first-time Fiesta has given a nod to patriotism, with Brits favouring red, white and blue coloured Fiestas over others. Around 22 per cent of mark 8 Fiestas are sold in blue, 16 per cent in white and 15 per cent in red. For the latest line-up, the blue Fiesta (pictured) is one of the top choices of colour to make an appearance on UK roads.

With years of experience designing hats for royalty - including Pippa Middleton and Zara Phillips - crafting a crown alongside Ford Fiesta posed an exciting challenge for Rosie. She began creating the car's crown by designing a human size model using real Fiesta car parts - including a gear stick centre piece with seat belt arches connecting the sections together. The final details were inspired by the new Fiesta; a quilted leather headband and royal blue crown jewels. Once the miniature crown was complete, Rosie worked with a talented team of designers and 3D scanners and carpenters to scale up her creation to Fiesta size. 

3D scanning experts created an exact replica of the Fiesta gear knob which was then finished by a spray painting artist to give a leather effect. The giant crown weighs in at 90kg, features 200 hand painted crystals and uses 800m of seat belts.  

Rosie Olivia, royal milliner said: ‘I’ve designed hats for royalty, but it was a real honour to help celebrate the arrival of the new Fiesta by designing its first ever crown. My first car was a Fiesta and I have driven one ever since - if anyone thinks it deserves a tribute it’s me. It was essential that the crown reflected the detail and craftsmanship of the car, whilst also meeting the rules and guidelines that I use when designing hats for my clients. I’m thrilled with the result – seeing it parade down Tower Bridge was a crowning moment’.

Ford product affairs manager Oliver Rowe said: “The Ford Fiesta has been a favourite purchase for many years and remains Britain’s favourite car in 2017. We’re thrilled about the arrival of the new range. Seeing the much-loved Fiesta driving with its very own crown on its roof is an exciting way to kick-off the arrival of the new car and fills us with confidence that it will remain a top seller.”