Crown of the british empire

The crown of the British Empire is shaped like the crown of St. Edward : a crown with alternating four crosses and four heraldic lilies, above which four half-arcs go from the crosses. Crowns the crown with a ball with a cross. Inside is a velvet hat with an ermine edge. The crown carries: 2868 diamonds , 273 pearls , 17 sapphires , 11 emeralds and 5 rubies .

Gems of historical significance are inserted into the crown. Sapphire, known as St. Sapphire, is inserted into the upper cross of the crown . Edward the ruby of the Black Prince is inserted into the front cross; Cullinan- II diamond (Small Star of Africa) is installed below the ruby ​​on the pediment; Stuart sapphire is inserted in the rear part of the crown rim.

Prior to King Charles I in 1649, most of the British Royal Regalia was kept in a treasury adjacent to the White Tower of the Tower of London. After the regalia were redone in 1660, they were transported to the Martin Tower. The jewels themselves were on the ground floor of the tower, while in the upper rooms were the apartments of the Treasure Keeper. Charles II (1660-85) appointed Sir Gilbert Talbot to this position, however, since he did not want to live in the Tower of London, his servant Talbot Edward became the resident Guardian. Edward's only income was showing regalia to visitors for a fee. In 1671, Colonel Thomas Blood tried to steal royal regalia from the Martin Tower. It is possible that he would be able to carry out his plan if it were not for Edwards' son, who unexpectedly returned home and took thieves by surprise, one of which shoved the Royal Power in his pants.

Initially, visitors were allowed to touch the exhibits by reaching out through the bars, but in 1815 one visitor unbent the arches of the British Crown, since it is strictly forbidden to touch the crowns. After the great fire at the Tower in 1841, the royal regalia was moved from the Martin Tower to the new, more spacious Treasury building. In 1866 they were moved to the Wakefield Tower and in 1967 to the Waterloo Complex, where they are on display to this day.

During the coronation, the crown of the British Empire is worn by the monarch only before leaving Westminster Abbey . In the coronation procedure itself, the crown is not involved, although it is this crown that can be attributed to the most worn by the monarchs, since the weight of the crown is most convenient for prolonged wearing.

The crown was used during the coronation of Queen Victoria, but later it was also used in social events and receptions. Soon after, the queen decided that the crown was too heavy to wear, and instead began to wear it on her pillow in front of her. Once in 1845, the Duke of Argyle dropped the crown. According to the queen, the bent crown of the crown looked like a “failed casserole”. In 1909, the shape of the crown was restored, and the huge Cullinan II diamond was inlaid in the crown itself. Since then, sapphire, whose place was taken by this famous diamond, has been stored in storage.

Victoria’s crown was no longer used in 1911, when the stones from it were moved to an almost identical crown. This new Crown of the British Empire was made for the coronation of King George V in 1911. She crowns the brow and the current Queen Elizabeth II . It is an exact copy of the earlier crown of the British Empire, made for Queen Victoria, but has less weight and is more comfortable for long-term wear.

It is in the crown of the British Empire that the Queen annually opens a session of Parliament. There is a tradition according to which the crown and other jewelry are separately delivered in a special carriage to the Palace of Westminster before the Queen's departure from Buckingham Palace and put on by her just before the opening of the Parliament. On the morning of the opening day of the Parliament, the monarch puts on the crown in his private residence in order to get used to its weight (910 g.) And feel more confident. According to one courtier, he saw Queen Elizabeth II taking breakfast on the morning of the opening of Parliament, sitting at a table with the crown of the British Empire on her head and reading a newspaper.

The skeletons of the old crowns of the British Empire of Kings George I, George IV, Queen Adelaide and Queen Victoria are kept in the Tower . The crown of the British Empire, as the most wearable, and most prone to wear and aging, a new one was made for almost every monarch, while taking into account the personal taste of the monarch.

Currently, the crown of the British Empire is in permanent display of the Tower , except for the time when it is used in the procedure for opening Parliament.