The two crowns worn by King Charles III on his coronation day

The British monarch will wear the St Edward's crown at his coronation at Westminster Abbey and change to the Royal State Crown upon his return to Buckingham Palace.

King Charles III of England ascended the throne on 10 September 2022, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. His coronation was held on 6 May. The king will arrive at Westminster Abbey, sit on the St Edward's Throne, be anointed with holy oil and wear the St Edward's Crown.

The St Edward's Crown was made in 1661, 30cm high, made of solid gold, set with rose quartz, amethyst, sapphire, garnet, topaz, and lapis lazuli and covered with purple velvet. The brim is a strip of sable.

"This is truly a sacred symbol of power and monarchy. No amount of money can get your hands on rubies and sapphires of such excellent quality," said Eddie LeVian, CEO of the Le Vian gemstone brand.

The St Edward's Crown at Queen Elizabeth's 60th Anniversary celebrations at Westminster Abbey, London, June 4, 2012. Photo: Reuters

The crown was originally made for King Charles II, who ruled from 1660 to 1685. In later centuries, it was only used for coronations because it was so heavy. Royal jewelers lightened it for the coronation of King George V in 1911, but it still weighed 2.23 kg.

The last time the St Edward's tiara was used was at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. Buckingham Palace announced that it had resized the tiara to suit the head size of King Charles III, but did not give details.

After the service at Westminster Abbey, Charles will return by carriage to Buckingham Palace and appear on the balcony to greet the people. During this, he will wear the Royal State Crown, which is lighter than the St Edward's Crown and is often used for occasions such as the State Opening of Parliament .

The British Royal State Crown is placed on the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II during a procession in London on September 14, 2022. Photo: AFP

This crown was made in 1937 for the coronation of King George VI, father of Queen Elizabeth II.

The crown is 31.5 cm high, weighs 1.06 kg, and is encrusted with a total of 2,868 diamonds, 269 pearls, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds and 4 rubies, including the most famous royal stones, such as the Black Prine ruby, St Edward's sapphire and the Cullinan II diamond.

Cullinan II is the main diamond on the front of the crown, cut from the largest diamond ever discovered.

The Black Prince ruby ​​and St Edward's sapphire are said to be the two most precious stones in the crown. They were removed by the British royal family and hidden in a biscuit tin, buried underground to prevent them from falling into the hands of the Nazis during World War II.

The burial operation was carried out in complete secrecy at Windsor Castle, without even Queen Elizabeth II, then a 14-year-old princess, knowing.

Prince Charles, then the crown prince, at the British parliament in London in May 2022. Photo: AFP

Queen Elizabeth II once joked that the tiara was so heavy that it "would break your neck if you bent over it." "When I wear it, I can't look down to read a speech, I have to hold my speech up high," she said.

Queen Elizabeth II stopped wearing the tiara at the State Opening of Parliament in the 1990s. Since then, it has been placed on a velvet cushion whenever the Queen appears, and is then kept with other valuable jewels in the Tower of London.

In May 2022, Queen Elizabeth II skipped the State Opening of Parliament for the first time in 60 years. Charles, then the Crown Prince, attended on his mother's behalf. The British State Crown was placed on a velvet cushion next to him.

"Despite the inconvenience of wearing the crown, it is a very important piece of jewellery for the royal family," Queen Elizabeth II said in a 2018 interview.

Duc Trung (According to AFP )

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