Journalism of Courage
Since King Charles III of England was made monarch in September, after the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II, there has been anticipation over his coronation ceremony and the famous crown jewels that will be on display for the event. One of them will be the St Edward’s Crown, reserved to be worn only for this particular occasion.
On December 3, the Royal Family announced that the St Edward’s Crown would be worn by the king. “St Edward’s Crown, the historic centrepiece of the Crown Jewels, has been removed from the Tower of London to allow for modification work to begin ahead of the Coronation,” they said.
Due to be held on May 6, 2023, at London’s Westminster Abbey church, some of the ceremony’s details are yet to be known. For instance, it is not clear whether Queen consort Camilla will be wearing the Koh-i-noor-studded crown. The gap between the death of the previous monarch and the coronation was something witnessed even during Queen Elizabeth’s coronation in 1953 – held more than a year after her father, King George VI, passed away.
According to the Royal Family, “St Edward’s Crown is the crown historically used at the moment of Coronation, and was worn by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth at her Coronation in 1953. It was made for Charles II in 1661, as a replacement for the medieval crown which had been melted down in 1649. The original was thought to date back to the eleventh-century royal saint, Edward the Confessor – the last Anglo-Saxon king of England.”
Edward the Confessor (reigned 1042-66), who deposited his Royal ornaments for safe-keeping in Westminster Abbey, may have been the first monarch to assemble the regalia, or the distinct objects worn exclusively by royals. Britain is the only European monarchy still using its regalia for the consecration ceremony of crowning the Sovereign.
Other items included in the regalia are the Coronation Chair (used at every coronation since 1300), the two Royal maces, three swords and St Edward’s Staff (dating from 1661).
Since 1661, Sir Edward’s Crown has been used in the coronations of all successive monarchs. While the St Edward’s Crown is only worn once by a monarch, another crown that is part of the event, the Imperial State Crown, is worn on other occasions too.
The official historical royal place website states, “The magnificent Imperial State Crown is worn by the monarch at the end of the coronation ceremony and at formal occasions like the State Opening of Parliament, reminding us the Crown Jewels is a working collection.”
This crown was also placed atop the coffin of the Queen during her funeral service this year. It has the Cullinan diamond (also known as the Star of Africa) embedded in it, considered among the biggest diamonds ever discovered. It was found in South Africa, and while the Royals’ website states it was presented as a gift to Edward VI, the Queen’s death this year was followed by some calls for its return.
Another stone featured in it is the Black Prince’s Ruby, believed to have origins in or around Afghanistan.
