It’s official: King Charles III is coronated. He’s been King for a minute now, but as of a few minutes ago, his status as monarch is bound in full, under faith and family and the full attention of his country. The decades-long wait ended in a moment: when the St. Edward’s Crown was placed upon his head.
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Said to be worth over 3 billion pounds, the St. Edward’s Crown is one of the most famous pieces seen today. It is the crown jewel of the Crown Jewels.
The crown, as it exists today, was produced for King Charles II back in 1661. However, it is not the original. The first St. Edward’s Crown was melted down in 1649, but was thought to have been made in the eleventh century for Edward the Confessor, the last Anglo-Saxon king of England.
Photo: Getty Images
Imagine the philosophical weight of wearing something with nearly a thousand year backstory. Then factor in the physical: The St. Edward’s Crown is built of a solid 22-carat gold frame featuring four crosses-pattée and four fleurs-de-lis, along with two arches. It has 444 precious and semiprecious stones: 345 rose-cut aquamarines, 37 white topaz, 27 tourmalines, 12 rubies, 7 amethysts, 6 sapphires, 2 jargoons, 1 garnet, 1 spinel and 1 carbuncle. It also has velvet and ermine.
It will be the one and only time Charles ever wears the piece. At the end of the ceremony, he will swap it for the Imperial State Crown.
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