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Previous Kings and Queens of England have kept crowns, robes and other items of their ceremonial regalia at the Tower of London for more than 600 years. Since the 1600s, the coronation regalia itself, commonly known as the ‘Crown Jewels’ have been protected at the Tower. The Imperial State Crown is amongst the collection, and it is usually worn by the monarch on two occasions. The crown is an extremely heavy piece, laden with diamonds and jewels, so how much is it worth?
The Imperial State Crown (1937) is one of the newer items in the collection, and it contains some of the most historical jewels.
At the front of the crown, set into the cross is the Black Prince’s Ruby.
The Ruby is actually a balls or spinel, a semi-precious stone, said to be the same stone owned by Pedro the Cruel, King of Castile.
He then gave it to Edward, Prince of Wales (known as the Black Prince) in 1367 as a reward for helping him defeat a rival in battle.
The crown is formed from an openwork gold frame and mounts three very large stones.
It is set with 2,868 diamonds in silver mounts, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds, 269 pearls and four rubies.
The Imperial State Crown is fitted with a purple velvet cap and ermine band.
As for when the crown is worn, the monarch is seen with it on their head when they leave Westminster Abbey after the coronation.
It is also used on formal occasions, most notably the State Opening of Parliament.
However, it was recently revealed the crown had been altered for Queen Elizabeth II.
In a BBC One documentary ‘The Coronation’ which aired in 2018, when in conversation with the royal commentator Alastair Bruce, Her Majesty explained why the crown was shortened by an inch for her coronation and was much larger when worn by her father George VI’s coronation in 1937.
The Queen said: “You can’t look down to read the speech, you have to take the speech up.
“Because if you did, your neck would break and it would fall off.
“There are some disadvantages to crowns but otherwise they are quite important things.”
In terms of how heavy the crown is, it measures 31.5cm (12.4 in) and weighs 2.2lbs (1kg).
The Crown Jewels as a whole are said to be priceless, because they are not insured, they haven’t been appraised.
However, there is an estimated value of between three and five billion pounds.
In terms of what price tag the Imperial State Crown has, this is also unknown.
But, to put it into perspective, the Cullinan I alone is estimated to be worth at least £400million.
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