PRESS RELEASE : St Edward’s Crown removed from the Tower of London ahead of the Coronation [December 2022]
The press release issued by the Royal Family on 3 December 2022.
St Edward’s Crown, the historic centrepiece of the Crown Jewels, has been removed from the Tower of London to allow for modification work to begin ahead of the Coronation on Saturday 6th May 2023.
As per tradition, The King will be crowned with St Edward’s Crown during the Coronation Service at Westminster Abbey.
The King will also wear the Imperial State Crown during the Service.
St Edward’s Crown is the crown historically used at the moment of Coronation, and worn by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth at her Coronation in 1953. It was made for Charles II in 1661, as a replacement for the medieval crown which had been melted down in 1649. The original was thought to date back to the eleventh-century royal saint, Edward the Confessor – the last Anglo-Saxon king of England.
The crown was commissioned from the Royal Goldsmith, Robert Vyner, in 1661. Although it is not an exact replica of the medieval design, it follows the original in having four crosses-pattée and four fleurs-de-lis, and two arches. It is made up of a solid gold frame set with rubies, amethysts, sapphires, garnet, topazes and tourmalines. The crown has a velvet cap with an ermine band.
