Charles’s crown is NOT fit for a king and will need to be resized before his coronation next year
- The royal crown was removed from the Tower of London on Friday due to resizing
- The coronation of King Charles III. will take place on Saturday 6 May next year
- The palace has not revealed which crown Queen Consort Camilla will wear
The crown that King Charles is due to wear at next year’s coronation was removed from the Tower of London in a top-secret operation before being resized, Buckingham Palace has revealed.
The ultra-high security operation took place under cover of darkness on Friday evening.
St Edward’s Crown has been transported under armed guard to an undisclosed location where it will now be resized for the coronation of King Charles at Westminster Abbey on Saturday May 6th.
Mappin and Webb’s Mark Appleby, who has been crown jeweler since 2017, will spend the next few months working to ensure the diamond-studded crown is big enough to fit the new king.
It is believed that several “adjustments” will be required to ensure it fits well.
The St. Edward’s Crown to be worn by King Charles II at his coronation on 6 May 2023
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II is crowned Britain’s monarch on June 2, 1953 at Westminster Abbey in London, holding the royal scepter, seated on the throne and wearing the St Edward’s crown
Buckingham Palace declined to reveal which crown the Queen Consort will wear last night.
The mystery will fuel speculation over whether Camilla will choose to wear Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother’s crown, which is set with the controversial Koh-i-Noor diamond from India.
The 105-carat gemstone is currently the subject of an ongoing debate over its legal ownership.
Many Indians believe it was stolen by the British, but other observers argue that it was “gifted” to the East India Company in 1849 by former Punjab rulers.
King Charles III at the unveiling of Queen Elizabeth II’s statue during an official visit to Yorkshire with Camilla, Queen Consort on 9 November 2022
Wearing the Imperial State Crown, Queen Elizabeth II smiles at the crowd from her carriage as she leaves Westminster Abbey, London, after her coronation in 1953
The iconic St Edward’s Crown was removed from the Tower of London to be resized for the King ahead of the coronation
The king will also wear the imperial state crown at the coronation.
But it is St Edward’s Crown that is believed to be the centerpiece of the crown jewels kept in the Tower of London.
It was made in 1661 for Charles II to replace the medieval crown that was melted down in 1649.
The original was believed to go back to the 11th century royal saint, Edward the Confessor, the last Anglo-Saxon king of England.
The new crown – commissioned by the royal goldsmith Robert Vyner – is not an exact replica.
But it follows the original design with four cross pattees and four lilies and two bows.
It consists of a solid gold frame set with rubies, amethysts, sapphires, garnets, topazes and tourmalines and is finished with a velvet cap and ermine strap.