It was a crowning moment! Quite literally. King Charles was officially crowned as king on 6 May (Saturday) along with his wife, Camilla, who became Queen.

The coronation ceremony, a first since 2 June 1953 when Queen Elizabeth II was crowned, held at Westminster Abbey saw the use of various jewels and regalia – all steeped in history and tradition. There was the Sword of Offering, the Sovereign’s Orb, the Coronation Spoon and much, much more.

However, the one aspect that had everyone buzzing is the crowns being used in the ceremony. And there wasn’t just one, but three crowns that were used in the over two-hour event.

Read on to find out more about these three crowns and the significance of them in the coronation.

St. Edward’s Crown

King Charles was first made to wear the St. Edward’s Crown by the Archbishop of Canterbury at Westminister Abbey. It is believed to be the centrepiece of the Crown Jewels and is only ever worn at coronations.

The crown is made of solid 22-carat gold and is over 30 cm tall and weighs 2.23 kg – almost the same as a large melon. In fact, Queen Elizabeth, who had worn the St Edward’s Crown at her coronation, said in 2018 during a documentary, “Is it still heavy?” and picking it up she confirmed: “It weighs a ton.”

The crown has 444 jewels and gemstones such as sapphires, rubies and topaz. The jewels are set in enamel and gold mounts. Interestingly, these stones used to be removable, but in the 20th Century, they were set in the crown permanently.

The headpiece was created for Charles’ namesake, King Charles II in 1661. This crown was meant to replace the original that dates back to the 11th Century Anglo-Saxon king of England, Edward the Confessor.

Although it was made in 1661, King Charles III will be only the seventh monarch to wear the St Edward’s Crown. It was his mother, Queen Elizabeth II that wore the crown last. It will also be worn only for the duration of the ceremony and will return to the Tower to await the next king.

Tracy Borman, author of Crown & Sceptre, speaking of the St. Edward’s Crown, told the BBC that it sends out a clear message that it “represents both the resilience and the continuity of the monarchy”.

And for those wondering what would the cost of this crown be, it has been estimated that its value is $4.5 million (Rs 36.77 crore). Just the 365 aquamarine gems that are part of this crown are valued at a price of $172,500 (Rs 1.4 crore), while the sapphires at more than $2 million (Rs 16.34 crore).

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Imperial State Crown

At the coronation, King Charles was given not one crown – the St. Edward’s Crown – but also a second, known as the Imperial State Crown. It is perhaps the most familiar treasure in the Crown Jewels.

The Imperial State Crown is used by the monarch during the State Opening of Parliament and other formal occasions. The crown sparkles with nearly 3,000 stones, including 2,868 diamonds, 273 pearls, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds, and five rubies. The Imperial State Crown weighs 1.06 kg and measures 31.5 centimetres in height.

In the middle of these precious stones is the Cullinan II diamond, which weighs in at 317 carats and was cut from the largest diamond ever found. Besides the diamond, there sits the ‘St. Edward’s Sapphire which is said to be the oldest gem in the royal collection—first worn in a ring by St Edward the Confessor, who reigned as King of England in the 11th century. Above the Cullinan diamond, you’ll notice the ‘Black Prince’s Ruby’, worn by Henry V during the Battle of Agincourt in 1415.

Anna Keay, historian and author of The Crown Jewels, has been quoted as once saying of the crown, “It can be quite hard to look at sometimes because of the sheer light that comes off them. It’s literally dazzling… visually overpowering.”

The Imperial State Crown was first made in 1937 for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth’s father, King George VI, and was next worn by the then-Princess Elizabeth for her coronation in 1953.

When not in use, the Imperial State Crown is on public display in the Jewel House at the Tower of London – which has been home to the Crown Jewels for more than 600 years. It was last seen during the demise of Queen Elizabeth II. After her demise, while she lay in state, the crown rested on top of her coffin.

And what about the cost of this crown? Several specialists have decided that putting a price on the crown’s worth is ‘nigh on impossible’.

Queen Mary’s Crown

Besides King Charles being crowned, his wife, Camilla, was also crowned as Queen during the ceremony. For her ‘crowning’ moment, she chose Queen Mary’s Crown. Notably, this is the first instance in modern times of an existing crown being used for the Coronation of the Consort.

The crown was made in 1911 for Queen Mary, the consort of King George V. She had commissioned reputed jewellery company Garrard’s for the event. The design of the crown was inspired by Queen Alexandra’s Crown of 1902. Like Queen Alexandra’s Crown, it can be worn without the arches in the form of a regal circlet, which Queen Mary wore for the Coronation of her son, King George VI, in 1937.

The crown is composed of a silver frame, lined with gold and has a whopping 2,200 diamonds, mainly brilliant-cut, with some rose-cut. At the centre of this crown sits the Kohinoor diamond. However, Queen Camilla asked for the removal of this diamond before the coronation, in what some called nimble diplomacy.

This is because of the murky origins of the 105-carat diamond and growing calls from India to return the jewel. As BBC had earlier reported, “There were concerns about a diplomatic row with India if it had been used”’ since India has demanded its return.

With inputs from agencies

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