by Alex David
regularly in English coronation ceremonies in the 17th century. The current orb was made for the coronation of Charles II in 1661 and despite being hollow weighs over 1
kilo. It is set with 365 diamonds plus rubies, emeralds, sapphires, pearls, and one large amethyst supporting a jewel-encrusted cross atop the orb. It has been used in every coronation since 1661.
The Sovereign’s Ring
Like a wedding ring, the sovereign’s ring symbolizes the union between the monarch and the people, and is
placed on the fourth finger of the monarch’s right hand at the coronation. Until the 19th century coronation rings were personal and a new one was made for every
sovereign. This changed in 1902 when Edward VII used the coronation ring that had been made for William IV in 604
1831, and this ring has been used at coronations ever since. It is made of gold and has 14 diamonds, five rubies and one large sapphire, all arranged in the shape of a red cross over a blue field, resembling a Union Jack.
The Jewelled Swords of Offering
There are five swords used during the coronation
ceremony. One of them, the Jewelled Sword of Offering, is presented to the monarch with the exhortation that it should be used to protect good and fight evil, and is then offered back by the monarch to God at the altar after presentation. The current sword was made for the
coronation of George IV in 1821 and has been described as the most beautiful and most expensive sword ever made. The blade is made of Damascus steel and is
engraved with blue and gold heraldic decorations. The scabbard is covered in gold and set with over 2,000
diamonds, emeralds, sapphires and rubies, all arranged to form the flower symbols of England, Scotland and Ireland. The hilt is set with hundreds more diamonds and sapphires forming oak leaves and acorns, and the handles are in the shape of diamond-encrusted lion heads with small rubies for eyes. After being used by George IV in 1821 the sword was not used again until 1902 for the coronation of Edward VII, but it has been used to crown every monarch since. It was a personal possession of the Royal Family until Edward VII made it one of the Crown Jewels in 1902.
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The Queen Consort’s Regalia
This particular regalia is used to crown female consorts of male monarchs in a separate crowning ritual at the end of the coronation ceremony. It features items similar to the ones used to invest the monarch, and includes a crown, sceptres, a ring, but not an orb or a sword.
Because of wear and tear, changes in fashion, and
unavailability at particular times, there have been and remain several Queen Consort’s Crowns in the Crown Jewels:
The State Crown of Mary of Modena, the first Queen Consort’s crown since the Restoration, was made for the coronation of James II’s consort in 1685. It was used to crown only two consorts: Mary of Modena,
and Caroline of Ansbach in 1727. It is made of gold, silver and pearls, and was originally set with
hundreds of diamonds but these have now been
replaced with quartz crystals. It is normally exhibited with the other Crown Jewels in the Tower of London.
Queen Adelaide’s Crown was made in 1831 for the coronation of William IV’s consort Queen Adelaide of Saxe-Meinengen. A new crown was deemed
necessary at the time since Mary of Modena’s Crown
was considered unfit for use after 100 years of
neglect (Queen Charlotte, consort of King George III, was crowned in 1761 with one of her personal
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crowns that is no longer in the Crown Jewels or Royal Collection). Queen Adelaide’s Crown was only worn
at her coronation and has not been used since. Now
stripped of its gems, the empty gold and silver frame survives in a separate room at the Tower of London.
Queen Alexandra’s Crown was made in 1902 for the coronation of Edward VII’s consort Alexandra of
Denmark. Once again a new crown was deemed
necessary in 1902, this time to reflect the increased world status of the British monarchy since 1831. This crown was bigger than the previous ones and
contained eight half-arches in the continental style, a design inspired by Queen Alexandra herself who
contributed ideas to its creation. Made of gold and silver, it was originally set with over 3,000 diamonds including the famous Koh-i-Noor diamond upon the
front cross. The crown is now set with paste stones and is shown in a separate room at the Tower of
London.
Queen Mary’s Crown was made for the coronation of George V’s consort Mary of Teck in 1911. Queen
Mary commissioned this new crown intending it to
be used by all future Queen Consorts. Its design was inspired by Queen Alexandra’s Crown, with eight
half-arches, but was taller and closer in style to
British crowns. It is made of gold and silver and Mary had it set exclusively with diamonds, over 2,200 of 607
them including originally the Koh-i-Noor (transferred from Queen Alexandra’s Crown) and the newly cut
Cullinan III and IV diamonds (see The Personal Jewels of the Royal Family—Gems). These three stones have now been removed and replaced with quartz
crystals, however the crown is still set with the other original diamonds. It is exhibited with the other
Crown Jewels at the Tower of London.
Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother’s Crown was made for the coronation of George VI’s consort
Queen Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon in 1937. Necessity
dictated that this crown be made because Queen
Mary, in a break with tradition, decided to attend the coronation of her son George VI wearing her own
Queen Consort’s Crown, so another one had to be
made for Queen Elizabeth. This crown is simpler in
style, with only four arches, and is made of platinum instead of gold. It contains over 2,800 diamonds
including the Koh-i-Noor at the front, transferred
from the previous crown. It was the last Queen
Consort crown to be used on a public occasion when
it was placed on the coffin of Queen Elizabeth the
Queen Mother at her funeral in 2002.
As with the Sovereign, two sceptres are used to crown Queen Consorts. The Queen Consort’s Sceptre with
Cross, placed in the Queen Consort’s right hand, symbolizes earthly power. It is made of gold, measures 608
65cms and resembles in style the Sovereign’s Sceptre with Cross. The Queen Consort’s Ivory Rod with Dove, symbolizing mercy and delivered into the left hand, is much longer at 95cms and is made of ivory held together by gold fittings. Its gold monde at the top and gold pommel at the bottom are enamelled with the national flowers of England, Scotland and Ireland. Unlike the Sovereign’s Sceptre with Dove, the wings of the dove at the top of this sceptre are folded. Both sceptres were made for the coronation of James II and Mary of Modena in 1685 and have been used to crown all Queen Consorts ever since.
The Queen Consort’s Coronation Ring contains a large ruby surrounded by 14 diamonds and is placed on the fourth finger of the Queen Consort’s right hand at her crowning. Like the Sovereign’s Ring, it symbolizes union with the nation. The ring was first made for the
coronation of Queen Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen in 1831
and has been used to crown all Queen Consorts since.
Mary II’s Double Regalia
For the joint coronation of William III and Mary II in 1689
two new pieces had to be created to crown Mary as
monarch in her own right together with her husband.
One of them was an additional Orb, similar to the
Sovereign’s Orb but 7cms smaller in circumference. The other was a second Sovereign’s Sceptre with Dove,
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exactly as long as the existing one. A coronation ring was also made for Mary but it has not survived among th
e Crown Jewels. A separate crown was not made as she
was crowned with the Queen Consort’s Crown made for Mary of Modena in 1685. (It is unclear why a separate Sovereign’s Sceptre with Cross was not made for Mary II).
Mary II’s Orb, and Sceptre with Dove have not been used since 1689.
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Other State Jewels
Besides the coronation regalia, there are other state jewels that are owned by the Crown and that are used, or have been used, on official occasions. The three most important of these items are described below.
The George IV State Diadem
Although not kept with the Crown Jewels in the Tower of London, this State Diadem belongs to the Crown and has become closely identified with state functions like the State Opening of Parliament and state banquets. The Diadem was created in 1821 for the coronation of George IV, who wanted a jewel bearing flower symbols of Britain: the circlet features bouquets of flowers made of English roses, Scottish thistles and Irish shamrocks, alternating with Maltese crosses. It is 19cm wide, 7.5cm high, and is set with 1,333 diamonds and 169 pearls. George IV only wore it once around a velvet cap during his coronation’s procession to Westminster Abbey, and following his
death in 1830 it has been used by Queens only. Queen Victoria wore it on official portraits early in her reign, and later it was worn occasionally by Queens Consorts until 1952. The Diadem is today most closely associated with Queen Elizabeth II who has worn it at the State Opening of Parliament since 1952 and on many official portraits, including her official image on postage stamps and coins.
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Queen Victoria’s Small Diamond Crown
After Prince Albert’s death in 1861 Victoria insisted on wearing widow’s clothing for the rest of her life, and therefore refused to wear the Imperial State Crown at official occasions as she considered it too large and colourful for a widow to wear. To solve this problem a new smaller crown was created in 1870 set exclusively with colourless diamonds, which could be worn by
widows. Victoria wore it often on official occasions and on portraits over the last 30 years of her life, and it became her most identifiable piece of jewellery. The tiny crown is only 10cms wide by 10cms high and weighs only 140grams, but is still set with over 1,100 diamonds. After Victoria’s death it became an official state jewel. It was occasionally worn by Queen Alexandra and Queen Mary, but it has remained unused since 1937. It can be seen together with the Crown Jewels in the Tower of London.
The Imperial Crown of India
This large crown was created specifically for the Delhi Durbar of 1911 held to celebrate the accession of George V as Emperor of India. George planned to attend the ceremony in India in person wearing one of the crowns he had worn at his coronation in Westminster Abbey, but it was pointed out to him that British law forbids the Crown Jewels to be removed from British soil. A new crown therefore had to be made in London by the crown 612
jewellers at a cost of £60,000, or approximately £4
million in today’s money. The crown has a gold and silver frame, is set with 6,000 small diamonds, and contains large emeralds, sapphires and rubies that were donated by Indian princes. George V wore it at the Delhi Durbar on 12 December 1911, however the crown’s weight made it difficult to bear it in the hot Indian sun. George wrote in his diary at the end of that day: “Rather tired after wearing the crown for 3 and a half hours, it hurt my head as it is pretty heavy.” After the Durbar the crown was taken back to Britain and placed in the Tower of London, where it remains today. It has not been used since 1911.
However—as Beefeaters in the Tower are often fond of saying—if a monarch should have a need to wear an
official crown abroad, this is the only crown that can be removed from the country.
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The Great Gems of State
The Crown Jewels used in the coronation service contain some of the most historic gems in the nation’s history.
These gems were either owned by famous figures, or
were silent witnesses to important historical events, or are of enormous value because of their quality. They are considered individual treasures on their own and rank as one of the greatest collection of state gems in the world.
The most important ones are described below.
St Edward the Confessor’s Sapphire
The oldest gem in the Crown Jewels, this deep blue
sapphire was owned by St Edward the Confessor, the last monarch of the Anglo-Saxon House of Wessex who died in 1066. The sapphire therefore is older than the Tower of London itself where it is kept, and is the historical link to Anglo-Saxon England in the Crown Jewels. Legend says it was originally set in a ring King Edward gave for alms to a beggar who then revealed himself to be St John the Evangelist. Medieval art often depicted this miracle by showing Edward with the sapphire ring in his hand.
Edward arranged to be buried with the ring, but the sapphire was retrieved from his coffin in 1163 in the presence of Thomas Becket. It was then stored in the royal treasury in the Middle Ages, sold by the
Commonwealth in 1649, and then re-bought at the
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Restoration in 1660. It was first set at the top of the Imperial State Crown in 1821, in the same position it holds today.
The Black Prince’s Ruby
Set prominently at the front of the Imperial State Crown, this 170-carat deeply red stone is not actually a ruby but a spinel, though its weight and size still make it one of the biggest spinels in the world. It probably originated in Central Asia and was first recorded in Europe in the 14th century. In 1367 King Pedro I of Castile gifted it to Edward the Black Prince, the first English owner of the stone, as a reward for his winning support at the Battle of Najera in Spain. Tradition says the gem was later worn by Henry V
at the Battle of Agincourt, where it was almost lost in the melee of battle. It was then noted among the jewels of Queen Elizabeth I, and like other Crown Jewels it was sold by the Commonwealth in 1649, but then re-acquired at the Restoration. It was first placed in the Imperial State Crown at the coronation of James II in 1685 and has been set at the front ever since.
Queen Elizabeth’s Pearls
Tradition says that three large pearls hanging from the crossing in the Imperial State Crown once belonged to Queen Elizabeth I. They had first belonged to the 16th century French Queen Consort Catherine de Medici, who 615
had received them as a wedding gift from her cousin Pope Clement VII. Catherine in turn gifted them to her daughter-in-law, Mary Queen of Scots, who eventually brought them to Scotland in 1561. After Mary lost the Scottish throne and fled to England in 1568 the pearls somehow came into the possession of her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I. At Elizabeth’s death the pearls were inherited by her successor, James I—Mary’s son—and he gave
them to his daughter who was also called Elizabeth and who became Queen of Bohemia (therefore another
Queen Elizabeth). She took the pearls abroad with her in 1613 before coming back to England in 1660, so the
pearls escaped Republican destruction in 1649. There were originally a larger number of pearls but by the reign of Queen Victoria only three large pearls survived, and they were set hanging from the middle of the Imperial State Crown’s crossing where the arches meet. A fourth pearl hanging there was supplied by the crown jewellers in 1838.
The Stuart Sapphire
The Stuart Sapphire, set in the Imperial State Crown, is an ancient 104-carat oval stone that was first recorded in the possession of the medieval kings of Scotland in 1214.
In 1296 King Edward I took the stone to England during the Scottish Wars, but it was later returned to Scotland by his grandson, Edward III. It was then passed down the Stuart dynasty of Scottish kings from which it took its 616
name before it was united with the English Crown Jewels.
Like other jewels, it was sold by the Commonwealth
in 1649 but was re-acquired at the Restoration. James II famously took the stone with him into exile at the
Glorious Revolution in 1688 and afterwards it was owned by his heirs, the Stuart pretenders to the throne. It was finally reunited with the Crown Jewels in 1814 after the death of the last Stuart pretender. George IV famously gave the gem to his last great mistress, Lady Elizabeth Conyngham, who wore it at George’s coronation, and
after his death in 1830 the stone had to be discreetly recovered from her as she initially refused to give it back.
Queen Victoria first set the sapphire at the front of the Imperial State Crown in 1838, but it was later transferred to the back of the crown in 1909 to make way for the Second Star of Africa.
The Koh-I-Noor
The origins of the Koh-I-Noor, meaning ‘Mountain of Light’, are shrouded in Indian myth. Its first historical mention is from the 14th century when it was set as an eye in the statue of a Hindu goddess in Southern India.
From then until the 19th century the stone changed hands many times as a spoil of war between the rulers of India and Central Asia, until finally it came into the hands of the rulers of Punjab in the 1830s. When the British East India Company annexed the Punjab in 1849 they
demanded the Koh-I-Noor as a tribute, and the gem was 617
sent to Queen Victoria in England. Already famous