Actually, the Queen has never worn a crown on Canadian coins or currency. She has worn a tiara; but that is not legally a crown. The last to do so was George V. The models for Edward VIII (on display at the National Currency Museum in Ottawa) show him bareheaded; and the George VI coinage shows a bareheaded king. Newfoundland showed a crowned King George VI; but that's because it was still a colony up through 1949.

If you want to see, for yourself, that the present Queen has never worn a crown on Canadian currency, check out the Bank of Canada's official web site (www.bankofcanada.ca) and see for yourself. In fact, since the demise of the $2 bill, the only Canadian banknote on which the Queen appears is the $20 -- the others show Canadian Prime Ministers (Laurier, MacDonald, King and Borden). In fact, here's a quick link: http://www.bankofcanada.ca/banknotes/image-gallery/.

The recent changes in the banknotes have one purpose only: to deter counterfeiting. The series which just got replaced was supposed to be almost counterfeit-proof; but printers are getting to be extremely good and the phonies were getting better and better. The shifting of the devices and wording here and there is intended to provide space for the see-through portions of the design, the holograms and so on. The placement of the portraits is simply made to achieve artistic balance over the note.