King Charles' new solid gold crown is worth millions yet will never be worn again
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It's coronation day today (6 May), and excited Brits are gearing up for the Coronation celebration.
Charles officially becomes King in the ceremony, while his wife Camilla will officially become Queen Camilla.
As well as gaining a new title, the ceremony will see King Charles III crowned with an impressive, shiny accessory - a crown made of solid gold, known as St Edward's crown.
The crown was made for King Charles II in 1661 as the previous medieval crown had been melted down by parliamentarians in 1649, subsequent to the execution of his father, King Charles I.
It was then worn by Queen Elizabeth II when she was crowned way back in 1953 at Westminster Abbey.
It's an accessory worth showing off, but unlike the Imperial State Crown, which is exclusively used and worn during the state opening of parliament, the solid gold crown will never be worn again after today.
Instead, it will be returned to the Tower of London for public viewing.
Robert Vyner, the then-crown jeweller, commissioned the crown after following the footsteps of the medieval design that dates back to the 11th-century royal saint, Edward the Confessor – the last Anglo-Saxon king of England.
St Edward's crown is a piece of art that features four crosses-pattée and four fleurs-de-lis, and two arches with a solid gold frame set with rubies, amethysts, sapphires, garnets, topazes and tourmalines.
It's also topped with an orb and a cross, which serve as symbols of the Christian world.
The crown also adorns a velvet cap with an ermine band similar to the one found on the Robe of State of Crimson Velvet.
It's not surprising that all of those jewels make it a pricey piece of headgear, but the crown isn't just expensive, it also weighs up to 2.23kgs and is decorated with 444 precious and semi-precious stones.
Maxwell Stone, creative director of jewellery specialist Steven Stone, confirmed that it is difficult to estimate the modern value of the crown but he'd 'estimate the historic piece to be worth a staggering £3.6m'.
Well, that's not the only piece of art being used with extortionate cost. King Charles III's carriage, Diamond Jubilee State Coach is priced at more than £1.5 million.
The gold coach was built in Australia in 2012 to mark 60 years of the Queen's reign and is an enclosed compartment drawn by six horses.
Charles's procession will be preceded by 4,000 sailors, soldiers, aviators and other military personnel from across the UK and representatives from the Commonwealth countries and the British Overseas Territories.
Later in the afternoon, after the coronation ceremony, the official King and Queen will greet the public at the Palace balcony and for the fly-past.
Featured Image Credit: The History Emporium / Alamy Ian Shaw/Alamy
Topics: Royal Family, King Charles III, Coronation
