Kings And Queens

Kings And Queens

Kings And Queens

The Crown Jewels is a collection of precious royal treasures that are housed in the Jewel House at the Tower of London. The collection contains the Coronation regalia used to crown a new sovereign. The collection has been added to over the centuries, but just how old are the Crown Jewels? Many of the pieces …

How Old Are The Crown Jewels? Full Guide To The Main Pieces

The Crown Jewels is a collection of precious royal treasures that are housed in the Jewel House at the Tower of London. The collection contains the Coronation regalia used to crown a new sovereign. The collection has been added to over the centuries, but just how old are the Crown Jewels?

Many of the pieces within the Crown Jewels date back to the coronation of King Charles II in 1661. The Coronation regalia needed replacing having been mostly destroyed during the interregnum. One of the oldest surviving items is the Coronation Spoon which dates back to the 12th century.

Seeing the Crown Jewels is one of the biggest attractions for visitors to the Tower of London. In this article, I shall explore the timeline of the collection and when some of the most famous pieces were made.

The Jewel House in the Tower of London that houses the Crown Jewels

What Are the Crown Jewels?

The Crown Jewels are made up of over 100 items and over 23,000 gemstones. It is a priceless collection of royal treasures that are held in trust by the Crown for the nation.

The collection is passed on from monarch to monarch and is the most complete royal regalia still in existence.

The best-known elements of the Crown Jewels are the Coronation Regalia. This includes the crowns, scepters, and orb presented to a new monarch at the moment of their coronation.

They symbolize the responsibilities of the monarch.

However, the Crown Jewels is a collection that has been added to over the centuries. As well as the more obvious trappings of royalty such as crowns, the collection also contains precious jewels, robes, banqueting plate, christening fonts, state swords, and altar plate.

The Original Crown Jewels

The ceremonial aspect of crowning a new king or queen stretches way back into history.

However, it was Edward the Confessor who started to keep the royal treasures together as royal regalia in the 11th century. These could be seen as the original Crown Jewels.

The treasures were kept at Westminster Abbey before being relocated to the security of the Tower of London in the 14th century. The Tower was better placed to look after this precious and growing collection of royal crowns, jewels, and assorted treasures.

However, with one or two exceptions, the Crown Jewels guarded in the Tower in the 14th century are not the ones we see today. The first Lord Protector, Oliver Cromwell, saw to that.

Lost to History

The period of the interregnum after the English civil war was the low point in the history of the Crown Jewels. They’d had some shaky moments before then.

King John managed to lose some of the jewels while fleeing rebels in 1216. This happened as he tried to cross the Wash, a tidal estuary in East Anglia.

However, after the Royalist defeat in the civil war in the 17th century, the victorious Parliamentarians were on a mission to dispose of anything with royal connections. This included the Crown Jewels which were melted down or sold off.

Five hundred years of royal treasures were gone, including those made for Henry III to replace the jewels lost in the Wash by his father, King John.

It would take the restoration of the monarchy in 1660 before a new collection of Crown Jewels could begin.

The Coronation Spoon

However, one item sacred to the Coronation ceremony did survive Cromwell’s purge of the Crown Jewels. This is the Coronation Spoon, used in the ceremony to anoint the new sovereign with holy oil.

The spoon dates back to the 12th century and is one of the oldest surviving treasures in the royal collection. The first record of the spoon was in 1349 when it was listed in the regalia held at Westminster Abbey.

Even then it was recorded as an item of ‘antique form’ (source).

The reason the Coronation Spoon survived was it avoided the melting pot. The spoon was bought by Clement Kynnersley, who was a member of the royal wardrobe staff for Charles I before the king was deposed and executed.

It is Kynnersley who we must thank for saving this precious antique and returning it to Charles II following the restoration of the monarchy.

A New Set of Crown Jewels

The local goldsmiths and jewelers were put into overdrive to create a new set of Coronation regalia after the restoration of the monarchy in 1660. Robert Vyner was appointed the Royal Goldsmith and was in charge of overseeing the replacement of the lost Crown Jewels.

Much of the Crown Jewels on display at the Tower of London today date from this time.

The following are examples of important pieces made for the coronation of King Charles II in 1661 and still used today.

1. St Edward’s Crown

This crown is only ever worn at the moment a new sovereign is crowned. It is the centerpiece of the coronation ceremony.

The crown weighs a hefty 5lbs (source) and was built to replace the Medieval original melted down following the English civil war. Encrusted with jewels in a gold frame and with a velvet cap, the crown is an iconic representation of monarchy.

2. Sovereign’s Scepter With Cross

Also used at every coronation since 1661, the Scepter With Cross represents temporal power. The Scepter With Cross was given an upgrade in 1911 when the Cullinan I diamond was mounted into the cross.

The additional weight imposed by the 530.2-carat diamond required the scepter to be reinforced to cope.

3. Sovereign’s Orb

The orb is another key symbol at the Coronation. The simple design of the orb surmounted by a jewel-encrusted cross represents the Christian world and a Sovereign’s power derived from God.

The orb weighs 2.9 lbs and is placed in the sovereign’s right hand at the time of investiture.

4. The Ampulla

The Ampulla holds the oil used to anoint the sovereign. Its striking design in the shape of an eagle is based on a 14th-century legend of a similar vessel given to Saint Thomas Beckett by the Virgin Mary.

An opening in the beak of the eagle allows the oil to be poured onto the 12th-century Coronation spoon.

This video explains the anointment of a sovereign.

5. The Spurs

The gold Spurs provide more historical symbolism, representing knighthood.

Although made in 1661 under the watchful eye of Robert Vyner, they were altered in 1820 for the coronation of George IV.

This saw modern textiles and fabrics used to replace the straps and buckles on the spurs.

An Expanding Collection

Ever since Charles II replaced the Crown Jewels lost in the interregnum, succeeding monarchs have added to the collection. New crowns, jewels, plate, and robes would be commissioned for special occasions according to the taste of the monarch of the day.

Below is a table summarizing when significant pieces were made for Royal occasions before being added to the Crown Jewels collection. We shall then look at the dates in more detail.

Crown Jewel PieceDate MadeRoyal Occasion
Mary of Modena’s diadem1685Coronation of James II
Mary II Orb1689Coronation of William III and Mary II
Sword of Offering1820Coronation of George IV
Queen Mary’s Crown1911Coronation of George V
Imperial Crown of India1911Imperial Durbar in India attended by George V
Imperial State Crown1937Coronation of George VI
Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother’s Crown1937Coronation of George VI
Queen Elizabth II armills1953Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II

1685

Early additions were made to the Crown Jewels during the 17th century.

Charles II was not married at the time of his Coronation. Therefore when James II came to the throne in 1685, new Coronation regalia was required for his wife, Mary of Modena. Some poor soul was given just six weeks to prepare Mary of Modena’s diadem in time for the coronation of her husband.

1689

The stakes were raised higher after the Glorious Revolution in 1689 saw the departure of James II. The new joint monarchs were William III and Mary II. Therefore Mary was Queen in her own right and not a Queen Consort.

Her coronation regalia needed to be on par with her husband’s.

While she wore the state crown used by Mary of Modena, Mary II needed a new scepter and orb made for the occasion.

1820

Swords have always played a role in the Coronation ceremony. Three swords survived destruction during the interregnum. The Sword of Offering was added to the Coronation regalia by George IV in 1820.

It forms part of the monarch’s investiture, presented after the anointment. Made by Rundell Bridge & Rundell, the sword is encrusted with diamonds, rubies, and emeralds.

1911

This year saw two notable additions to the Crown Jewels. This commemorated the coronation of George V. A crown was made for the new Queen Mary and featured 2,200 diamonds. She would also wear just the circlet of the crown for the coronation of her son, George VI, in 1937.

Not to be outdone, the King also had a new crown designed for his inauguration ceremony in India in December 1911. This confirmed the king as Emperor of India.

The Imperial Crown of India was made for the occasion and upped the diamond ante by incorporating over 6,000 into the frame of the crown.

1937

The coronation of King George VI saw a replacement Imperial State Crown commissioned. This crown has a heavy workload compared to others.

As well as the crown worn when leaving Westminster Abbey at the end of a coronation, it is also worn for other ceremonies including the State Opening of Parliament.

Take a peek at the Imperial State Crown with Queen Elizabeth II.

Previous versions of the crown remain in the Crown Jewels collection. The 1937 model replaced the one made for Queen Victoria in 1838 and contains some of the most famous jewels in the world.

This includes the St Edward’s sapphire and the Black Prince’s Ruby.

The coronation of George VI also saw the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother’s crown added to the royal regalia. The crown made by the royal goldsmiths Garrard & Co is bejeweled with 2,800 diamonds.

It was worn again at the coronation of the Queen Mother’s daughter, Elizabeth, in 1953.

1953

Talking of which, this is the coronation where we see one of the most recent additions to the Crown Jewels. Armills have been a part of the Coronation ceremony for centuries.

These gold bracelets represent sincerity and wisdom. Queen Elizabeth was presented with new ones for her coronation as a gift from the Commonwealth.

The Gemstones of the Crown Jewels

A lot of focus on the Crown Jewels falls understandably on the crowns and the Coronation regalia. However, the royal collection contains important gemstones. Some of these are mounted on pieces used in royal ceremonies.

Cullinan Diamond

This huge diamond was found in South Africa in 1905. It was cut into 9 major diamonds and 96 smaller stones. The Cullinan I diamond is the second largest in the world and was set into the Sovereigns Scepter with Cross in 1910.

The smaller but no less impressive Cullinan II diamond was incorporated into the Imperial State Crown made in 1937.

St. Edward’s Sapphire

This jewel can also be found on the Imperial State Crown, positioned within the topmost cross. This could be the oldest gem in the collection, as legend has it that the sapphire was in a ring worn by Edward the Confessor.

The gemstone with its lovely blue hue was said to be buried alongside the 12th-century king, before being removed in the following century.

The Black Prince’s Ruby

The importance of the Imperial State Crown will be coming more apparent, as this ruby is also set into the crown. The Black Prince is one of England’s most famous knights and the son of King Edward III.

It is a spinel rather than a ruby, but before 1783, all red gemstones were identified as rubies. Henry V is said to have worn this gemstone in his helmet on his way to victory at Agincourt.

Stuart Sapphire

The Stuart Sapphire is another gemstone fitted into the Imperial State Crown. The 104-carat sapphire is found on the back band of the crown.

The sapphire is thought to belong to Charles II before venturing on quite the journey around Europe. James II fled the country along with the Stuart Sapphire. It was eventually brought back to England by George III in 1807.

Koh-i-Noor

The most controversial of the Crown Jewel gemstones. It was presented to Queen Victoria by the East India Trading Company after they nabbed it as part of the Treaty of Lahore.

It was last set into the 1937 designed Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother’s crown having previously featured on Queen Mary’s crown in 1911.

Prince’s Crown Vs King’s Crown – 15 Differences

In Great Britain, each high-ranking role in the monarchy has its own crown.

The two big jobs are:

The Queen or King (the Monarch)

The Prince of Wales (the next male in line to the throne).

There are a huge number of differences between the King’s (or Queen’s) crown, and the Prince’s crown.

In this post, I’ll take a look at the 15 biggest differences, including age, design, value, history, and many more!

Prince crown - worn by Prince Charles
Prince Charles wears the prince’s coronet at his investiture in 1969

1. Prince Crown Vs King Crown – Number of Crowns

The first thing is that although the Prince of Wales has just one crown, the monarch has several.

Just so you’re clear, the crown Prince (the Prince of Wales) is the next in line to the throne in Britain. He has just one crown, the Prince Charles Coronet.

However, the Monarch has several crowns they will wear on different occasions.

In this post, I’ll be particularly mentioning the two most important ones:

  • The St Edward’s Crown
  • The Imperial State Crown

2. Prince Crown Vs King Crown Age

The ages of the crowns range between about 300 years.

The Prince Crown is relatively modern. It was created for the investiture of Prince Charles when he was 21, in 1969.

Here is a youtube video featuring the crown at his investiture:

However, the two crowns for the monarch are older.

The St Edward’s Crown was created in 1661. It has a long and convoluted history and has actually been de-commissioned for more than a century (more on that later).

In contrast, the Imperial State Crown is also relatively modern. It was made in 1937 for the coronation of George VI.

3. Prince Crown Vs King Crown Value

The contrast between the values of the respective crowns made my jaw floor quite literally on the floor.

Let’s start in ascending order.

In third place (possibly no surprise), is the Prince Charles Coronet. This has been valued at around $12 million.

On the other hand, the St Edward’s Crown is said to be worth around $57million. This is taking into consideration the price of the gold and the array of diamonds and gems in it. It is the price of the raw materials if you like. (Source)

It could be argued that the price of the crown would actually be significantly higher, due to the history surrounding it. This is, though, merely hypothetical talk, as the odds of it ever being sold are pretty minimal.

Let’s now come to the Imperial State Crown, and I was absolutely staggered to find out the cost of this.

In a nutshell, the Imperial State Crown is valued at somewhere between $3.4 to $5.3 billion. (Source) This is mainly due to the range of diamonds that it contains, which are amongst the world’s most expensive, including the Cullinan II. The Cullinan II diamond is a staggering 317.40 carats and would cost more than $100 million alone.

4. Prince Crown Vs King Crown Use

The three respective crowns each have a pre-ordained role.

The St Edward’s Crown is used to crown the Monarch at the coronation. It has been used to crown six monarchs.

The State Imperial Crown has more uses.

It is also worn at the coronation, following the actual crowning that is done with the St Edward’s Crown.

It is also used at the state opening of Parliament. Here is a video of the Queen wearing it at the state opening of parliament:

It was the crown placed on the coffin during Elizabeth II’s funeral.

5. Prince Crown Vs King Crown – Design

The Prince’s coronet has been described as quite modern in its form while maintaining some level of tradition.

It was created by the designer Louis Osman and has a futurist look that was popular around the time of its creation.

The centerpiece of the design is a golden ball at the top of the crown, that is mounted at the center of a single arch. It is engraved with the Prince of Wales insignia.

The Imperial State Crown is a majestic sight to behold!

It has the traditional ermine trim and a velvet cap. The frame is made of three metals – gold, silver, and platinum. It is decorated with over 3000 gemstones.

The St Edward’s crown is made of gold and embellished with over 400 gemstones.

It also has an ermine trim and a velvet cap.

It has a heavy gold base and Baroque arches.

6. Prince Crown Vs King Crown – Weight

When it comes to weight, St Edward’s Crown is significantly heavier than the other two.

The Prince of Wales Coronet is around 3lbs (1. 36kg).

The Imperial State Crown is the lightest, weighing 2.3lb (1.06kg).

The St Edward’s Crown weighs 4.9lbs (2.23kg). It is famously heavy.

Queen Elizabeth II remarked that you cannot wear the crown and look down at a speech as you will break your neck. You must raise your speech up towards your face. Here she is wearing it during her coronation:

The extreme weight of the crown contributed to its abandonment over a long period from the coronation. For example, it took no part in the coronation of Victoria.

7. Prince Crown Vs King Crown – History

The St Edward’s Crown is the one with the richest history attached to it.

Created in 1661, the crown was used until 1689 to crown all monarchs.

Following that, and largely because of its weight, all monarchs for the next 200 years chose to be crowned with a lighter coronation crown. The St Edward’s Crown for most of these ceremonies would be present on the High Alter.

However, the crown made a comeback at the coronation of George V in 1911, and it has been used ever since.

On the other hand, the Prince coronet, and the Imperial State Crown, have had an unbroken period of service thus far.

The Imperial State Crown has existed in older forms throughout the last many centuries. It was first used (in another form) in the 15th Century. (Source)

The Prince Coronet, on the other hand, is very modern in terms of history.

8. Prince Crown Vs King Crown – Size Of Diamonds

The Prince Of Wales Coronet has thirteen (unlucky for some!) square diamonds. These mimic the thirteen brightest stars in the constellation of Scorpio (which is Charles’ star-sign).

There are seven diamonds orbiting the base, that are said to represent the seven deadly sins.

The coronet contains 75 diamonds in total, and 12 emeralds. The emeralds are representative of Wales, with white (of the diamonds) and green being two of the Welsh colors (the other being red).

The Imperial State Crown has just over 3000 gemstones!

In total, it contains 2,862 diamonds, 273 pearls, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds, and 5 rubies.

Some of the jewels are amongst the most expensive and treasured in the world. These include:

  • The Cullinan II diamond
  • The Black Prince’s Ruby
  • St Edward’s Sapphire
  • The Stuart Sapphire

There is a rumor (that is probably untrue) that the four large pearls that line the crown belonged to Elizabeth I.

St Edward’s Crown has 44 stones, including:

  • Sapphires
  • Amethysts
  • Zircons
  • Tourmalines
  • Topazes
  • Rubies
  • Peridots
  • Garnets

9. Prince Crown Vs King Crown – Arches

There is history and a sense of hierarchy in the arches that you can see on each crown.

The Prince’s coronet has just one arch. This is to show that the Prince is inferior to the Monarch, as their crowns always have either two or four arches.

10. Continual Vs Intermittent Use

There was a break in the usage of the St Edward’s Crown. From 1689 is was not used to crown a monarch again for over 200 years. It took no place in the coronations of Queen Victoria or George III, for example.

The Imperial State Crown and the Prince Coronet have had a seamless run of usage in contrast. Arguably, the variations of the State Crown have been used continually over hundreds of years.

11. Prince Crown Vs King Crown – Use In Heraldry

It is the Imperial State Crown that is used the most predominantly in heraldry, coats or arms and other royal insignia.

This followed the coronation of Elizabeth II.

The Imperial State Crown is used on all official badges to do with the Commonwealth.

12. Prince Crown Vs King Crown – Storage

The Prince’s coronet is stored on public display at the Jewel House at the Tower of London.

In the present day, the Imperial State Crown and the St Edward’s Crown are also stored there. However, that has not always been the case.

The St Edward’s Crown spent many years in Westminster Abbey, and rarely left there – only being taken to coronations.

13. Prince Crown Vs King Crown – Gender Of Wearer

The King’s crown is for use by both Queens and Kings.

Up until recently, the eldest male child of a monarch would become the King (even if they had an older sister). However, now that is not the case any longer.

In the future, there should theoretically be an equal number of kings and Queens of Britain.

In the past, both the St Edward’s Crown and the Imperial State Crown have been worn by both Kings and Queens.

On the other hand, the role of the Prince of Wales is strictly limited to males. There has never been a Princess of Wales in line to the throne in 700 years. Therefore, the coronet is limited to males.

The queen was the Duchess of Edinburgh before becoming the Queen, following her father’s death. This is why her husband, Prince Philip, was called the Duke of Edinburgh.

14. Prince Crown Vs King Crown – Holy Relic

The St Edward’s Crown was actually considered a holy relic in times gone by and was kept for a long time at Westminster Abbey.

15. Adjustments

The Imperial State Crown was adjusted for Queen Elizabeth’s coronation.

The arches were lowered slightly, and also the head size was reduced to fit her head. The arch-lowering was to give the crown a slightly more feminine appearance.

There have never been any changes made to the Prince of Wales Coronet.

Whether the St Edward’s Crown has been altered or not is up for debate. There is a possibility that it was first constructed in 1660 and then revised for the coronation of 1661. This was due to an increase in budget ascribed to the occasion.

(Plus One Bonus Difference) Ping-Pong Ball Vs No Ping-Pong Ball!

Here’s a bizarre fact to end with!

Apparently, the golden ball that features at the top of the Prince’s coronet actually contains a real ping-pong ball that was covered in plated gold. This information has been verified by an eyewitness who was employed at the workshop where it was created.

There are no ping-pong balls contained in either the St Edward’s Crown or the Imperial State Crown (needless to say!)