King Charles III ascended to the throne as soon as his mother Queen Elizabeth II died in September 2022, but he officially was crowned king on May 6 at an elaborate and regal coronation at Westminster Abbey alongside his wife Queen Camilla.
King Charles honored the historic tradition of being enthroned by wearing the St. Edward’s Crown — which has been used in royal coronations since 1661. Charles II made this exact crown as a replacement for a medieval crown that was melted down in 1649. According to the Royal Collection Trust, the original was thought to date back to the last Anglo-Saxon king of England, Edward the Confessor, in the eleventh century.
The St. Edward’s Crown is made from a solid gold frame and set with rubies, amethysts, sapphires, garnet, topazes and tourmalines. It’s not an exact replica of the original from the medieval times, but the original was also said to have had four crosses-pattée, four fleurs-de-lis and two arches.
The last time the piece was worn (it’s only reserved for the crowning portion during a royal coronation) was at King Charles’ mother’s coronation in 1953. Queen Elizabeth II wore the nearly 5-pound crown during her ceremony, which was the first to ever be televised.
Due to the sacred nature of the crown, King Charles only wore it during the crowning ceremony itself. He removed the St. Edward Crown before he left Westminster Abbey and put on the Imperial State Crown. His second crown of the day was covered in 2,868 diamond, with 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds and 269 pearls. The Imperial State Crown is mounted with three large stones including a large cushion-shaped brilliant, Cullinan II, the second largest stone cut from the Cullianan Diamond (also known as the Second Star of Africa). There’s also a large oval sapphire in the back called the Stuart Sapphire. Despite the impressive array of jewels, it’s slightly lighter than the St. Edward Crown and clocks in at 2 pounds.
The monarch often wear the Imperial State Crown, which was originally made for King George VI’s coronation in 1937, for other formal occasions like the State Opening of Parliament. The last time it was used was when it was placed on Queen Elizabeth’s coffin at her funeral.
For Camilla’s crown at the ceremony, she wore Queen Mary’s Crown. The piece features 2,200 diamonds and was originally made for Queen Mary by British Jeweller Garrard to wear to her husband King George V’s coronation in 1911. When Queen Mary’s Crown was updated for Camilla, the Cullinan III, IV and V diamonds from Queen Elizabeth’s personal collection (which she often wore as brooches) were added, People reports.
For more from the royal coronation, check out all the news here.
