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St Edward's Crown
| St Edward's Crown | |
|---|---|
 St Edward's Crown in 2022 | |
| Heraldic depictions | |
.svg) | |
| Details | |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Made | 1661 |
| Owner | Charles III in right of the Crown.[1] |
| Weight | 2.23 kg (4.9 lb) |
| Arches | 2 |
| Material | 22-carat gold |
St Edward's Crown is the coronation crown of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom.[2] Named after Saint Edward the Confessor, versions of it have traditionally been used to crown English and British monarchs at their coronations since the 13th century. It is normally on public display in the Jewel House at the Tower of London.
The original crown was a holy relic kept at Westminster Abbey, Edward's burial place, until the regalia were either sold or melted down when Parliament abolished the monarchy in 1649, during the English Civil War. The current St Edward's Crown was made for Charles II in 1661. It is 22-carat gold, 30 centimetres (12 in) tall, weighs 2.23 kilograms (4.9 lb), and is decorated with 444 precious and fine gemstones. The crown is similar in weight and overall appearance to the original, but its arches are Baroque.
After 1689, owing to its weight the crown was not used to crown any monarch for over 200 years. In 1911, the tradition was revived by George V and has continued ever since, including at the 2023 coronation of Charles III and Camilla.[3]
A representation of St Edward's Crown was a widely used symbol in the heraldry of the United Kingdom from 1661 to the reign of Queen Victoria, and again from 1952 to 2022 under the reign of Elizabeth II. Used to represent 'the Crown' as the sovereign source of governmental authority, it appeared on numerous official emblems in the United Kingdom, British Empire, and the Commonwealth.[4]
- ^ "Crown Jewels". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Vol. 211. United Kingdom: House of Commons. 16 July 1992. col. 944W.
- ^ The Royal Household. "The Crown Jewels". The Official Website of the British Monarchy. Archived from the original on 8 October 2015.
- ^ "Coronation order of service in full". BBC News. 5 May 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
- ^ Boutell, Charles (1983). Brooke-Little, J. P. (ed.). Boutell's Heraldry (Revised ed.). London and New York: Frederick Warne. pp. 184–185. ISBN 0723230935.
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