Story behind the Imperial State Crown adorning the Queen’s coffin

Here, the Queen will lie in state until her state funeral on Monday, September 19 – with her orb, sceptre and the Imperial State Crown placed on top of her oak, lead-lined coffin.

The crown seen on the coffin as it made its way on the procession from Buckingham Palace today is different to the Crown of Scotland, which was placed on Her Majesty’s coffin while in Edinburgh.

Many will surely be fascinated by the gem-encrusted, plush purple Imperial State crown, one of the most famous pieces in the Crown Jewels.

The Imperial State Crown was made for the coronation of George IV in 1937 by jewellers Garrard & Company using jewels that have hundreds of years of Royal history – including a sapphire belonging to Edward the Confessor in 1066 and the Black Prince’s Ruby – more of which below.

The crown was worn by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II after her coronation in 1953.

Even on occasions when Her Majesty could not wear it, or on the one occasion the new King Charles III attended in her stead, it wasn’t worn, but was still present at the State Opening.

Her Majesty once said to the BBC: ‘You see, it’s much smaller isn’t it? It would have been up to about there when my father wore it’ – pointing to the top of diamond-encrusted orb on top.

The Queen also called the crown ‘very unwieldy’ and quipped: ‘Fortunately my father and I had the same sort of shaped head, but once you put it on it stays. It just reigns itself.’

The Imperial State Crown is heavy – close to 3lbs in weight – leading the Queen to say that it was not possible to look down to read one’s speech while wearing it. ‘It would break your neck,’ she said.

Unsurprisingly, really, given that the crown is made of an openwork gold frame and velvet cap, plus thousands of precious gemstones.

These precious jewels include:

• 2,868 diamonds
• The 317.4 carat Cullinan II diamond
• 269 pearls, including four large hanging pearls that belonged to Queen Elizabeth I
• 17 sapphires
• 11 emeralds
• Four rubies

Among them is the Black Prince’s Ruby, set into the cross, which is possible a spinel (a semi-precious stone).

The stone dates to 1367, when legend would have it was given to the Edward the Black Prince, son of King Edward III, by Pedro the Cruel, the King of Castile, who took the ruby from a Muslim king of Granada.

King Henry V is said to have worn the same ruby set in his helmet at the Battle of Agincourt, 1415.

The large diamond at the front of the crown is the 371.4 carat Cullinan II Diamond, the second largest stone cut from the 3,106 carat Cullinan Diamond, an extraordinarily extravagant gift given to Edward VII on his 66th birthday in 1907 by the government of Transvaal to mark the good relations between England and South Africa.

In 1910 Cullinan I, the remainder of the epic Cullinan Diamond, was put into the Sovereign’s Sceptre, which was placed along with the Orb on the Queen’s coffin when it arrived at Westminster Hall today.

The Imperial State Crown also contains St Edward’s Sapphire, said to be from the ring of King Edward the Confessor dating to 1066 – found when his coffin was moved from one part of Westminster Abbey to another shrine in the 12th century.

Pearl earrings hanging in the crown’s centre are believed to be Scottish, once worn by Mary, Queen of Scots.

The Stuart Sapphire at the back of the crown is thought to have belonged to King Charles I, brought to the country by his son James II and has been adorning state crowns since 1838.

However, it’s believed Her Majesty will be buried in just two, very simple pieces of jewellery.

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