The last week has been an interesting one, as a royal historian. With the death of Queen Elizabeth II, it truly has felt like living through history, more than any other moment in my life. There are a few instances that have made quite an impact on me. And one of those things was seeing the Imperial State Crown on Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin as it processed from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall. (The other is seeing The Duke of Kent leaving Westminster Hall.) Today I am going to look at the Imperial State Crown and the historic jewels in it.
When Was The Imperial State Crown Created?
The Imperial State Crown is fairly young; it was created in 1937 for King George VI. The original St. Edward’s Crown was melted down under Oliver Cromwell and sold, but a new crown was created for the Merry Monarch, King Charles II. The design that we know today was created for Queen Victoria for her 1838 coronation. Unfortunately, her state crown was dropped at the State Opening of Parliament in 1845 and the frame crumpled upon impact. It was fixed for King Edward VII and King George V, but it was recreated for Elizabeth’s father. It was also adjusted in 1953 for Elizabeth’s smaller frame.
What Jewels are in the Imperial State Crown?
The Imperial State Crown includes many different significant jewels. The Stuart Sapphire, seen on the backside, a 104 carat sapphire that most likely belonged to Charles II. His brother, King James II, took the sapphire when he fled after the Glorious Revolution and after being passed down his family line, it was sold to King George III. The Black Prince’s Ruby, seen on the frontside, a 170 carat ruby that the Black Prince (son of Edward III) demanded from the Spanish king’s illegitimate brother in exchange for helping him put down a rebellion. St. Edward’s Sapphire, seen in the centre of the topmost cross, is a rose-cut, octagonal sapphire that dates back to at least Edward the Confessor. And of course, the Cullinan II, the second largest Cullinan diamond, is a 317-carat cushion-cut diamond.
The entirety of the crown has over 3,000 gems- 2,868 diamonds, 269 pearls, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds, and 4 rubies.
