Egyptian Princess Fawzia Fuad

Status of royal women is evident in Egyptian art. One of the oldest royal insignia worn by queens is the vulture headdress. The vulture’s wings and body were spread over a tightly fitted cap, and the head jutted out at the front. The uraeus (cobra) head could be substituted for the vulture head. Both the vulture and the cobra served to protect the wearer from harm. They were the most characteristic marks of kingship and may have also been, by association, a symbol of divine queenship.