Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin is now in Westminster Hall after being escorted from Buckingham Palace by King Charles III, Princes William and Harry and other royals.
On top of the coffin is the Imperial State Crown, perhaps the best-known item in the Crown Jewels — a priceless collection of tens of thousands of gemstones gathered over centuries by British kings and queens.
The crown glitters with nearly 3,000 stones — including 2,868 diamonds, 273 pearls, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds and 5 rubies. “It can be difficult to look at because of the light emanating from them. It’s literally stunning. Visually overwhelming,” says historian Anna Keay, author of “The Crown Jewels.”
She says that historically, since the Middle Ages, crowns were seen as a display of wealth and status. “It means majesty, it means sovereignty.”
Made in 1937 for the coronation of the Queen’s father, King George Sixth, the Imperial State Crown was designed to be lighter and fit better than the crown it replaced — which dated back to Queen Victoria. But even so, the Imperial Crown still weighs 1.06 kg.
During her reign, Elizabeth II wore it annually at the opening ceremony of Parliament — as she sat on a golden throne reading the government’s major legislative plans for the coming year.
In 2018, the Queen joked about how heavy the crown was. “You can’t look down to read the speech, you have to lift the speech, because if you did, your neck would break,” the queen explained.
“There are some downsides to crowns, but other than that they are very important.”
In 2019, when Elizabeth was in her 90s, a lighter crown was worn — and in 2021, the last time she attended the ceremony, she wore none.
The Imperial State Crown includes the 317-carat Cullinan 2 diamond — sometimes called the Second Star of Africa. Cut from the largest diamond ever found, it was given to Edward VII on his 66th birthday by the government of the Transvaal – a former British Crown colony – in present-day South Africa.
It also includes the oldest jewel in the royal collection — a sapphire that would have been worn in a ring by the 11th-century King of England, St. Edward the Confessor. The stone has now been placed in the center of the cross which is on top of the crown.
The queen was particularly interested in a large red gemstone in the crown—known as the black prince’s ruby. It is believed to have been used in 1415 during the Hundred Years’ War by Henry the 5th at the Battle of Agincourt — when English forces defeated the French south of Calais.
Legend has it that the king placed a feather in a hole drilled in the ruby. “It’s fun to see,” the queen told the BBC in 2018, “the idea that her plume was placed in the stone on her helmet — it was a little reckless, but that’s the sort of thing they did, I suppose, in those days. “
BBC presenter Clive Myrie – who gained unprecedented access to the crown earlier this year for a BBC documentary – described her vision as “almost surreal”.
“The brilliance of diamonds is absolutely unbelievable.”
But saying how much the Imperial State Crown is worth—and all the Crown Jewels—is next to impossible. Royal expert Alastair Bruce told the BBC documentary that the collection was beyond monetary value.
“Calling it priceless is sensible, but you can add as many zeros as diamonds to the collection.”
When not in use, the Imperial State Crown is displayed to the public in the Tower of London’s Jewel House – which has housed the Crown Jewels for more than 600 years.
Following tradition, King Charles III will wear the Crown of St. Edward at his coronation, but will put on the Imperial State Crown to leave Westminster Abbey at the end of the ceremony.
Afterwards, as his mother did, he will wear the Imperial State Crown at the opening session of Parliament, as well as other official occasions.
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