Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
by Cromwell, was older than the Tower itself and dated back to 1061, the time of King Ed-
ward the Confessor, “the last English king” before William the Conqueror invaded from
France (1066). This 1661 remake is said to contain some of the original's gold amid its
443 precious and semiprecious stones. Because the crown weighs nearly five pounds,
weak or frail monarchs have opted not to wear it.
Other Crowns:
Various other crowns illustrate a bit of regalia symbolism. Kings
and queens get four arches on their crowns, emperors get eight arches (e.g., the Imperial
Crown of India you'll see in the case at the exit), and princes get only two (for example,
see the crowns of Prince George—before he became King George V—and Prince Freder-
ick; today's Prince Charles keeps his two-arch crown in Wales).
The Crown of the Queen Mother:
This crown, last worn by Elizabeth II's famous
mum (who died in 2002), has the 106-carat Koh-I-Noor diamond glittering on the front.
The Koh-I-Noor diamond is considered unlucky for male rulers and, therefore, only ad-
orns the crown of the king's wife. If Charles becomes king, Camilla might wear this. This
crown was remade in 1937 and given an innovative platinum frame.
Queen Victoria Small Diamond Crown
: It's tiny. Victoria had a normal-sized head,
but this was designed to sit atop the widow's veil she insisted on wearing for decades
after the death of her husband, Prince Albert. This four-ounce job was made in 1870 for
£
50,000—personally paid for by the queen.
• Continuing on from the moving walkway, you'll enter a room with walls lined by the gil-
ded platters and bowls used in the post-coronation banquet. Continuing on, you reach one
final room, with one last crown.
The
Imperial State Crown
is what the Queen wears for official functions such as
the State Opening of Parliament. When Victoria was queen, she insisted on wearing her
small crown, but by law, this State Crown had to be carried next to her on a pillow, as it
represents the sovereign. Among its 3,733 jewels are Queen Elizabeth I's former earrings
(the hanging pearls, top center), a stunning 13th-century ruby look-alike in the center, and
Edward the Confessor's ring (the blue sapphire on top, in the center of the Maltese cross
of diamonds). When Edward's tomb was exhumed—a hundred years after he was bur-
ied—his body was “incorrupted.” The ring on his saintly finger featured this sapphire and
ended up on the crown of all future monarchs. This is the stylized crown you see repres-
enting the royalty on Britain's coins and stamps. It's depicted on the Beefeater uniforms
and on the pavement at the end of the sliding walk.
