The Imperial State Crown
Worn by British Monarchs on State Occasions
The Imperial State Crown was made for the coronation of Queen Victoria in 1838. It stands 12.4 inches tall and weighs over two pounds. It contains 5 rubies, 11 emeralds, 18 sapphires, 277 pearls, and over 3,000 diamonds.
Above the rim of the crown are four crosses patée that alternate with dour fleurs de lis. They are set with diamonds, emeralds, and rubies. From each cross patée rises an arch that is set with diamonds and outlined with pearl acorns. At the intersection of the arches are four large drop-shaped pearls that are called Queen Elizabeth’s earrings. According to tradition, the pearls were worn by Elizabeth I, but there is not evidence that Elizabeth wore pearl earrings. Instead, it is believed that the pearls belonged to James I’s daughter, Elizabeth, Queen of Bohemia.
St. Edward's Sapphire
The oldest gem in the Imperial State Crown is known as St. Edward’s Sapphire. The sapphire is mounted in the diamond encrusted cross patée that stands on top the monde of the crown. The monde is a ball shaped object near the top of the crown. The sapphire is supposed to have been worn by Edward the Confessor in a ring and was removed from his tomb at Westminster Abbey sometime in the twelfth century. Henry VIII included the sapphire in the Crown Jewels.
Black Prince's Ruby
The most conspicuous gem in the crown is known as the Black Prince’s Ruby. It has been set in the state crowns of twenty generations of sovereigns. In Imperial State Crown, the ruby is set inside the center of one of the crosses patée. Tradition holds that the ruby was given to Edward, the Black Prince, eldest son of King Edward III of England, in 1367 by Pedro the Cruel, King of Castile, in tribute to the prince’s victory at the battle of Najera. The Black Prince wore the ruby in the front of his helmet in battle. Henry V wore the ruby on his coronet at the battle of Agincourt in 1415. Henry VIII added it to the Crown Jewels. A ‘Mr. Cooke’ bought the ruby for £15 during the Commonwealth. It was, however, soon returned to the royal family and was set in Charles II’s State Crown. Charles’s niece, Queen Mary II, used the Black Prince’s Ruby in her state crown, which was originally made for her stepmother, Mary of Modena. Queen Mary’s State Crown was used by her sister, Queen Anne, and cousin, George I. George II decided to use Charles II’s State Crown and restored the Black Prince’s Ruby to it. This crown was eventually broken up and the gems were transferred to a new state crown designed for George IV. Immediately below the Black Prince’s Ruby is the Second Star of Africa, a square cut 317.40 carat diamond, cut from the famous Cullinan Diamond.
Stuart Sapphire
In the corresponding position at the back of the band is the Stuart Sapphire. The sapphire was mounted in the state crown of King Edward IV. It survived the Commonwealth and was set in Charles II’s State Crown. When James II fled to France during the Glorious Revolution, he took the sapphire with him and supposed carried it in his pocket. James bequeathed the stone to his son, known as the “Old Pretender,” who passed it on to his son, Henry Benedict, Cardinal York, the last Stuart. Henry wore the sapphire in his mitre. He sold the gem to a Venetian merchant in 1807 and it was later bought for George IV. Queen Victoria had it set in her new Imperial State Crown. It was originally set below the Black Prince’s Ruby, but was moved to its current position and replaced by the Second Star of Africa in 1908.
The sovereign wears the Imperial State Crown on leaving Westminster Abbey after the coronation and on subsequent State occasions. It is kept with the Crown Jewels in the Jewel House at the Tower of London.
Sources:
The British Monarchy. “The Crown Jewels” (accessed July 20, 2009)
Butler, Colonel Sir Thomas. The Coronation Jewels and Coronation Ceremony. London: Pitkin Pictorials, 1992.
The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II
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The Imperial State Crown
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