As the state funeral of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, gets underway on Monday, something which will have captivated those who paid their respects during her lying-in state will have been the Imperial State Crown which sat atop the casket in Westminster Hall throughout.
The Imperial State Crown is arguably the most iconic of the Crown Jewels. It contains almost 3,000 different gemstones which have been collated over hundreds of years by the British monarchy.
The nigh 3,000 gemstones are known to include 2,868 diamonds, 273 pearls, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds, and five rubies.
One of the most notable of these is the Cullinan II, a 317-carat diamond. It was cut from the largest diamond ever found, which was gifted as a 66th birthday present to Edward VII by the government of the former British colony of the Transvaal, which is now part of contemporary South Africa.
The oldest of the jewels in the crown and in the entire royal collection is the sapphire in the centre of the cross that sits atop the crown. This sapphire is believed to have once featured in a ring owned by St Edward the Confessor, once King of England during the 11th Century.
According to the BBC, one of the Queen’s personal favourites of the gems in the crown was the Black Prince’s Ruby. It is believed that this gem was worn by Henry V during the 1415 Battle of Agincourt, one of the conflicts of the Hundred Years’ War. The English emerged from the battle victorious as they sought to withdraw to English-held Calais, driving French forces back that had blocked their path.
The concept of the crown dates back as far as the Middle Ages, during which time they were renowned as a symbol of wealth and status. The crown was a symbol of sovereignty, and by association monarchs.
The Imperial State Crown was made in 1937 ahead of the coronation of King George VI, the late Queen’s father. It was designed to be a lighter wear for the monarch and a better fit than its predecessor worn by Queen Victoria II, yet still weighed 2.3 imperial standard pounds (1.06 kilograms).
Indeed, Queen Elizabeth II herself even poked fun at the sheer weight of it, calling it one of the “disadvantages to crowns” despite them being “quite important things.”
She would wear the Imperial State Crown for the State Opening of Parliament each year. It would sit upon the monarch’s head as she sat upon a golden throne outlining the government’s legislative agenda.
“You can’t look down to read the (State Opening) speech, you have to take the speech up, because if you did your neck would break.”
Her Majesty did not wear the Imperial State Crown to open Parliament in 2019, opting for a lighter number given her old age. For last year’s event, she did not wear one whatsoever.
The successor to the throne, King Charles III, will wear the St Edward’s Crown for his coronation, but he will be wearing the Imperial State Crown when he departs Westminster Abbey once the coronation has been completed. The Imperial State Crown will then be worn for other official events, including any future State Opening of Parliament should the King wish to do so.
The Imperial State Crown when it is not being used is housed in the Tower of London, in keeping with a tradition that has been in place for over six centuries.
Photo by ukhouseoflords on Wikimedia Commons
