When the crown was placed on King Charles III's head during his coronation, it was with the St Edward’s Crown. However, despite its long royal history, the crown—which is typically only used for the moment of crowning itself—is not the most recognizable headpiece in the royal collection. That honor goes to the Imperial State Crown, which Charles wore at the end of his coronation ceremony and at today's State Opening of Parliament.
The Imperial State Crown remains a glittering symbol of the sovereign. It was worn by the late Queen Elizabeth II at her coronation in 1953, and on many official occasions over the course of her historic reign, however, in 2016, and for every State Opening of Parliament thereafter, it was placed a velvet pillow right next to Her Majesty. At almost three pounds and laden with 2,901 stones, it had simply become too heavy a burden to bear.
"You can't look down to read the speech, you have to take the speech up, because if you did, your neck would break, it would fall off,” Queen Elizabeth once explained in a documentary. “So there are some disadvantages to crowns, but otherwise they're quite important things."
And the Imperial State Crown is without a doubt a quite important thing. Included in the almost three thousand stones adorning it are some of history’s most legendary gems, including the 317.4-carat cushion-cut Cullinan II diamond (given to King Edward VII in 1909), the St Edward's Sapphire (said to have started life as Edward the Confessor's ring), the Stuart Sapphire (once on the front of the crown but now moved to the back), and the Black Prince's Ruby.
That large red stone at the center of the Imperial State Crown has been there from the time the crown was re-imagined for Queen Victoria in 1838. (The crown has gone through several reincarnations since the restoration of the monarchy in 1660). Though it is known as the Black Prince's Ruby, it is, in fact, a 170 carat red spinel. Sometimes called the Great Imposter, it is said to have been stolen in 1371 from the body of the Sultan of Grenada by Pedro the Cruel. Edward of Woodstock (the Black Prince) offered Don Pedro shelter; Don Pedro offered the Black Prince untold treasures in return, including one massive red stone.
The “Black Prince’s Ruby” was worn on battlefields by Henry V at Agincourt (where it might have saved him: when the king was struck in the head, not only did he survive but so did the stone) and Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth (where it didn’t bring quite the same kind of luck). There is evidence it was part of Henry VIII’s treasure trove as well.
One of the most valuable gems in one of the most treasured jewelry collections in the world, the stone has sometimes been thought to bring a curse with it. Queen Elizabeth II’s long and prosperous reign forced that myth to be reconsidered; though in the wake of her death, its appearance in her official royal funeral services in 2022 sparked discussions over the true ownership of some of the royal gems, including the Cullinan diamond.
Editor-in-Chief Stellene Volandes is a jewelry expert, and the author of Jeweler: Masters and Mavericks of Modern Design (Rizzoli).
