Wikipedia

Imperial State Crown

TheImperial State Crownis thestate crownof theBritish monarch.Based on the design ofQueen Victoria's Crown of 1838, which had fallen into disrepair, it was made in 1937 for thecoronation of King George VI.The crown remains in use today at coronations andState Openings of Parliament.It is adorned with 3,170 precious stones, including the 317-carat (63 g)Cullinan IIdiamond,St Edward's Sapphire,theStuart Sapphire,and theBlack Prince's Ruby(a large redspinel).

Imperial State Crown
Hand-coloured photograph, published in 1919, digitally altered to resemble the crown's current shorter appearance
Details
CountryUnited Kingdom
Made1937
OwnerKingCharles IIIin right ofthe Crown[1]
Weight1.06 kg (2.3 lb)
Arches2 (four half-arches)
MaterialGold, silver, platinum
CapVelvet trimmed with ermine
Notable stonesCullinan II,St Edward's Sapphire,Black Prince's Ruby,Stuart Sapphire
PredecessorsCoronation Crown of George IV

History

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Origins

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St Edward's Crown,used to crown English monarchs, was considered to be aholy relic,[2]kept in the saint's shrine atWestminster Abbeyand therefore not worn by monarchs at any other time. Instead, a "great crown" with crosses andfleurs-de-lis,but without arches (an open crown), was a king's usual headgear at state occasions until the time ofHenry V,who is depicted wearing animperial crownof state with gold arches (a closed crown).[3]Arches were a symbol of sovereignty, and by this point in history, the king of England was being celebrated asrex in regno suo est imperator– an emperor of his own domain – subservient to no one but God, unlike some continental rulers, who owedfealtyto more powerful kings or to theHoly Roman Emperor.[4]

Henry VIIor his son and successorHenry VIIIcommissioned a more elaboratestate crown,now known as theTudor Crown,which is first described in detail in an inventory of royal jewels in 1521, and again in 1532, 1550, 1574, and 1597, and wasincluded in a paintingbyDaniel MytensofCharles Iin 1631.[5]The Tudor Crown had more pearls and jewels than its medieval predecessor, and the centre petals of each of the fleurs-de-lis had images ofChrist,theVirgin Mary,andSt George.[6]The crown weighed 2.8 kg (7 lb 6 oz troy) and was set with 168 pearls, 58 rubies, 28 diamonds, 19 sapphires, and 2 emeralds.[7][8]Following the abolition of the monarchy and the execution ofCharles Iin 1649, the Tudor Crown was broken up by order ofOliver Cromwellduring theInterregnum,[9]and its valuable components were sold for £1,100.[7]

Upon theRestorationof the monarchy in 1660, anew state crownwas made forCharles IIbySir Robert Vyner.About 10 versions of the state crown have existed since the Restoration,[10]including theState Crown of George I,made in 1714.[11]George IV had wishedhis own coronation crownof 1821 to be purchased by parliament and used for state occasions but it was judged too expensive.[12]

Imperial State Crown of Queen Victoria

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Imperial State Crown, 1904

For theCoronation of Queen Victoriain 1838, a new and lighter imperial state crown was created, and this is the basis for today's crown. Made byRundell and Bridgeusing old and new jewels, it had a crimson velvet cap with ermine border and a lining of white silk. It weighed 39.25 troy ounces (43.06 oz; 1,221 g) and was decorated with 1,363brilliant-cut,1,273rose-cutand 147table-cutdiamonds, 277 pearls, 17 sapphires (includingSt Edward's Sapphire,thought to have been taken from the Confessor's ring when his body was reinterred at Westminster Abbey in 1163), 11 emeralds, 4 rubies, and theBlack Prince's Ruby(a cabochon redspinel).[13]

At the State Opening of Parliament in 1845, theDuke of Argyllwas carrying the crown before Queen Victoria when it fell off the cushion and broke. Victoria wrote in her diary, "it was all crushed and squashed like a pudding that had sat down".[14]Victoria hada small crownmade in 1870, which resembled the Tudor Crown,[15]declining to wear the 1838 crown which she found heavy and uncomfortable.[16]In 1909, the larger crown was altered to accommodate the 317-carat (63 g)Cullinan IIdiamond, also known as the Second Star of Africa.[17]

1937 Imperial State Crown

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A faithful copy of the 1838 crown, which had fallen into a poor state of repair, was made in 1937 by the jewellersGarrard & Co.forGeorge VI.[18]The crown's inner headband was adjusted and its arches lowered by 1 in (2.5 cm) in 1953 for QueenElizabeth II.[19]The empty frame of Victoria's crown survives in the Royal Collection, and is now on display in the Tower Jewel House,[20]minus its monde and cross which now sit on the current crown.[21]

Description

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External videos
Newsreel of the 1953 alteration work(black and white)
Clip fromMonarchy: The Royal Family at Work(2007)
Clip fromThe Coronation(2018)
Short HD video of the crown by Royal Collection Trust(2023)

The Imperial State Crown is 31.5 cm (12.4 in) tall and weighs 1.06 kg (2.3 lb), and has fourfleurs-de-lisalternating with fourcrosses pattée,supporting two arches topped by amondeand cross pattée. Its purplevelvetcap is trimmed withermine.The frame is made of gold, silver and platinum, and decorated with 2,868 diamonds, 269 pearls, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds, and 5 rubies.[22]

Notable stones areSt Edward's Sapphireon the top cross, reputedly taken from the ring ofEdward the Confessorwhen he was re-interred atWestminster Abbeyin 1163, and theBlack Prince's Ruby(a largespinel) on the front cross. In 1909, the 104-carat (21 g)Stuart Sapphire,set in the front of the crown, was moved to the back and replaced by the 317-carat (63 g)Cullinan II.[23]Below the monde hang four pearls, three of which are often said to have belonged to QueenElizabeth I,but this association is almost certainly erroneous.[24]

Usage

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Charles IIIwearing the crown to the2024 State Opening of Parliament

The crown is worn by the monarch on leaving Westminster Abbey at the end of his or hercoronation.[25]It is usually also worn atState Openings of Parliament,althoughElizabeth IIwore a hat in March 1974, June 2017 and December 2019 after snap general elections, and in May 2021; and, in October 2019 she wore theState Diadem,while the Imperial State Crown was carried beside her.[26]Usually, it is taken to thePalace of Westminsterunder armed guard in its own carriage and placed in the Robing Room, where the monarch dons theRobe of Stateand puts on the crown before giving the speech to Parliament. If a State Opening occurs before a coronation, the crown is placed on a cushion beside the monarch. In 1689, one week after being proclaimed king,William IIIwore his crown in Parliament to pass theCrown and Parliament Recognition Act 1689.[27]When not in use, the Imperial State Crown is on public display in theJewel Houseat theTower of London.

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  • Hand-colouredlithographof Queen Victoria's Imperial State Crown
  • Queen Victoria depicted wearing the 1838 Imperial State Crown for her coronation portrait
  • Edward VII wearing the Imperial State Crown for his1902 coronation
  • George Vwearing the pre-1937 crown in 1911 inhis coronationportrait
  • The emptied frame of Queen Victoria's Imperial State Crown
  • George VIin the 1937 Imperial State Crown
  • Elizabeth IIwearing the Imperial State Crown which was reduced in height for her coronation in 1953
  • Elizabeth II wearing the Imperial State Crown from the balcony of Buckingham Palace, 1953
  • The crown on Elizabeth II's coffin, with the Sovereign's Sceptre and Orb during herstate funeral in September 2022
  • King Charles III following his 2023 coronation

See also

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References

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  1. ^"Crown Jewels".Parliamentary Debates (Hansard).Vol. 211. United Kingdom: House of Commons. 16 July 1992. col. 944W.
  2. ^Hoak, p. 59.
  3. ^Steane, John (2003).The Archaeology of the Medieval English Monarchy.Routledge. p. 35.ISBN978-1-134-64159-8.
  4. ^Hoak, pp. 55, 63.
  5. ^Twining, Edward Francis (1960).A History of the Crown Jewels of Europe.Batsford. p. 139.
  6. ^Loach, Jennifer; Bernard, G.W.; Williams, Penry (1999).Edward VI.Yale University Press. p. 36.ISBN978-0-300-07992-0.
  7. ^abCollins, Arthur Jefferies (1955).Jewels and Plate of Queen Elizabeth I: The inventory of 1574.Trustees of the British Museum. p. 266.
  8. ^Millar, Oliver, ed. (1972).The Inventories and Valuations of the King's Goods, 1649–51.Walpole Society. p. 43.ISBN095023740X.
  9. ^"The King, the Crown, and the Colonel".The National Archives of the United Kingdom.
  10. ^Mears; Thurley; Murphy, p. 29.
  11. ^Anna Keay(2011).The Crown Jewels: The Official Illustrated History.Thames & Hudson. p. 195.ISBN978-0-500-51575-4.
  12. ^Kenneth J. Mears; Simon Thurley; Claire Murphy (1994).The Crown Jewels.Historic Royal Palaces Agency. pp.6–7.ASINB000HHY1ZQ.
  13. ^Tennant, Prof. (14 December 1861). "Queen Victoria's crown".Scientific American.5(24): 375.
  14. ^"Crown jewels factsheet"(PDF).Historic Royal Palaces Agency. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 7 August 2022.Retrieved9 December2015.
  15. ^"Queen Victoria's Small Diamond Crown".Royal Collection Trust.Inventory no. 31705.
  16. ^Fox-Davies, Arthur Charles(1909)."Chapter 22".A Complete Guide to Heraldry.London: T. C. & E. C. Jack. pp.358–359 – viaWikisource.
  17. ^Mears, et al., p. 30.
  18. ^Keay (2011), pp. 174–175.
  19. ^Keay, Anna (2011).The Crown Jewels: The official illustrated history.Thames & Hudson. p. 183.ISBN978-0-500-51575-4.
  20. ^https://www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/whats-on/the-crown-jewels/#gs.alpq6k
  21. ^"Frame of Queen Victoria's Imperial State Crown".Royal Collection Trust(rct.uk).
  22. ^"The Imperial State Crown".Royal Collection Trust.Inventory no. 31701.
  23. ^Mears; Thurley; Murphy, p. 30.
  24. ^Dixon-Smith, Sally; Edwards, Sebastian; Kilby, Sarah; Murphy, Clare; Souden, David; Spooner, Jane; Worsley, Lucy (2010).The Crown Jewels: Souvenir Guidebook.Historic Royal Palaces. p. 38.ISBN978-1-873993-13-2..
  25. ^The Royal Household."The Royal Collection: The Crown Jewels".The Official Website of the British Monarchy. Archived fromthe originalon 8 October 2015.
  26. ^Shearing, Hazel (14 October 2019)."Queen's Speech: Why didn't the Queen wear her crown?".BBC News.Retrieved15 October2019.
  27. ^Twining, p. 173.

Bibliography

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