View source for St Edward's Crown

{{Short description|Part of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2022}}
{{infobox crown
|image = Saint Edward's Crown.jpg
|image_width =
|caption = St Edward's Crown in 2022
|heraldic = Crown of Saint Edward (Heraldry).svg
|primary_material = 22-carat gold
|nation = [[United Kingdom]]
|weight = {{convert|2.23|kg|lb|abbr=on}}
|arches = 2
|date_made = 1661
|owner = [[Charles III]] in right of [[the Crown]]<ref>{{Cite Hansard |jurisdiction=United Kingdom |house=House of Commons |title=Crown Jewels |url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/1992/jul/16/crown-jewels#column_944w |date=16 July 1992 |volume=211 |column=944W }}</ref>
}}

'''St Edward's Crown''' is the [[coronation crown]] of the [[Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom]].<ref name="royal">{{cite web |url=http://www.royal.gov.uk/the%20royal%20collection%20and%20other%20collections/thecrownjewels/overview.aspx |title=The Crown Jewels|author=The Royal Household |publisher=The Official Website of the British Monarchy |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151008074350/http://www.royal.gov.uk/the%20royal%20collection%20and%20other%20collections/thecrownjewels/overview.aspx|archive-date=8 October 2015}}</ref> Named after Saint [[Edward the Confessor]], versions of it have traditionally been used to crown English and British monarchs at [[Coronation of the British monarch|their coronations]] since the 13th century. It is normally on public display in the [[Jewel House]] at the [[Tower of London]], and is widely regarded as one of the most important pieces of regalia in the [[British monarchy]].

The original crown was a holy relic kept at [[Westminster Abbey]], Edward's burial place, until the regalia were either sold or melted down when Parliament abolished the monarchy in 1649, during the [[English Civil War]]. The current St Edward's Crown was made for [[Charles II of England|Charles II]] in 1661. It is 22-[[karat|carat]] gold, {{convert|30|cm|in}} tall, weighs {{convert|2.23|kg|lb}}, and is decorated with 444 precious and fine gemstones. The crown is similar in weight and overall appearance to the original, but its arches are [[Baroque]]. It was recognised by [[Guinness World Records]] as the most valuable crown in the world.<ref>{{cite web |title=Most valuable crown |url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/644509-most-valuable-crown |website=Guinness World Records |access-date=26 October 2025}}</ref>

After 1689, owing to its weight, the crown was not used to crown any monarch for over 200 years. In 1911, the tradition was revived by [[George V]] and has continued ever since. It was placed on the high altar and formally used again at the 2023 [[coronation of Charles III and Camilla|coronation of Charles III]], marking its return as the principal coronation crown of the sovereign.<ref>{{cite news |title=Coronation order of service in full |work=BBC News |date=5 May 2023 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-65503950 |access-date=6 May 2023}}</ref>

==History==
===Origin===
[[File:St Edmund the Martyr crowned by angels.jpg|thumb|An early 12th-century portrait of [[Edmund the Martyr]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Miscellany on the life of St. Edmund 044. MS M.736 fol. 22v|url=https://www.themorgan.org/collection/Life-and-Miracles-of-St-Edmund/44|website=The Morgan Library & Museum|access-date=4 September 2025}}</ref> wearing a crown similar in appearance to St Edward's.<ref>{{cite book |last=Strong |first=Roy |date=1990 |title=Lost Treasures of Britain: Five Centuries of Creation and Destruction |url=https://archive.org/details/losttreasuresofb0000stro/page/122/mode/2up |location= |publisher= |pages=122–123 |isbn=9780670833832 |access-date=2 September 2025}}</ref>]]
Some sources date the crown to the reign of [[Alfred the Great]]. The crown was kept in a box in Westminster Abbey with an inscription on its lid, translated from Latin, 'This is the chief crown of the two, with which were crowned Kings Alfred, Edward and others'.<ref name="Planché 1838">{{cite book |last=Planché |first=J.R. |date=1838 |title=Regal Records: Or, A Chronicle of the Coronations of the Queens Regnant of England |url=https://archive.org/details/regalrecordsora02plangoog/page/n84/mode/2up |location=London |publisher=Chapman and Hall |pages=64–65 |isbn= |access-date=28 September 2025 }}</ref> Alfred was the first English king to receive a coronation (earlier terms being 'election' and 'consecration'), and, therefore, succeeding Anglo-Saxon monarchs may have wished to preserve it and be crowned with it themselves.<ref name="Planché 1838" /> [[Robert of Gloucester (historian)|Robert of Gloucester]] claimed that [[Pope Leo IV]] had blessed Alfred's crown and that the same crown was still in England during the reign of [[Henry III of England|Henry III]] in the 13th century. [[James Planché]] noted that if the crown was indeed Alfred's then it would also have been used to crown Edward. He therefore asserts that St Edward's Crown had indeed been Alfred's and had merely descended to Edward.<ref name="Planché 1838" /> However, the historian Martin Holmes stated that there is no evidence to support its dating from Alfred's reign.<ref>Holmes, p. 216.</ref> The crown was referred to as simply 'the crown' in the oldest description of an English coronation service, that of [[Richard I]]. It was not recorded as St Edward's Crown until the coronation of [[Edward II]].<ref name="Planché 1838" />

Edward the Confessor wore his crown at [[Easter]], [[Whitsun]], and [[Christmas]].<ref name="Luard1858">{{cite book|editor=H.R. Luard|title=Life of St Edward the Confessor|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=plhSdTkLX_YC|year=1858|publisher=Longman|pages=215, 273, 281}}</ref> In 1161, he was canonised, and objects connected with his reign became [[holy relics]]. The monks at his burial place of [[Westminster Abbey]] claimed that Edward had asked them to look after his regalia in perpetuity for the coronations of all future English kings.<ref name="keay1820">Keay, pp. 18–20.</ref> Although the claim is likely to have been an exercise in self-promotion on the abbey's part, and some of the regalia probably had been taken from Edward's grave when he was [[Burial#Changing burial location|reinterred]] there, it became accepted as fact,<ref name="keay1820"/> thereby establishing the first known set of hereditary coronation regalia in Europe.<ref>Rose, p. 13.</ref>{{efn|Edward's grave was opened three times: in 1102, 1163 and 1269. In addition, the coffin was found to be broken in 1685 and some items were removed. Edward was found wearing a coronet of gold about one inch broad but this was left undisturbed and remains in the tomb.<ref>{{cite book |last=Twining |first=Edward Francis |date=1967 |title=European Regalia |url=https://archive.org/details/europeanregalia0000twin/page/303/mode/1up |location=London |publisher=B T Batsford Ltd |page=303 |isbn=9780713407075 |access-date=30 September 2025}}</ref>}} A crown referred to as St&nbsp;Edward's Crown is first recorded as having been used for the coronation of [[Henry III of England|Henry&nbsp;III]] in 1220, and it appears to be the same crown worn by Edward.<ref name="lightbown">[[Ronald Lightbown]] in Blair, vol. 1. pp. 257–353.</ref> It is believed Edward was the first English king to wear a crown with arches, known as an imperial or "closed crown", symbolising subservience to no one but God, in the tradition of [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] emperors.<ref>Rose, p. 24–25.</ref> Edward's regalia kept in Westminster Abbey was recorded in an inventory made in circa 1450 by a monk of the abbey, Richard Sporley.<ref name="Wickham Legg 1901">{{cite book |last=Legg |first=L.G. Wickham |author-link=Leopold George Wickham Legg |date=1901 |title=English Coronation Records |url=https://archive.org/details/cu31924081293627/page/n329/mode/2up |location=Westminster |publisher=A. Constable & Co. |page=191 |isbn= |access-date=1 April 2025}}</ref> There it is recorded as 'an excellent golden crown'.<ref name="Wickham Legg 1901" /> The 17th century historian [[John Spelman (historian)|John Spelman]] described the crown as 'of a very ancient work, with flowers adorned with stones of somewhat a plain setting.'<ref name="Planché 1838" />

St Edward's Crown rarely left Westminster Abbey, and there are no certain visual records of it.<ref>{{cite book|last=Strong|first=Roy|title=Lost Treasures of Britain|year=1990|location=London|publisher=Viking|isbn=0-670-83383-5|page=122|url=https://archive.org/details/losttreasuresofb0000stro/page/122}}</ref> On Henry III's expedition to Britany in 1230, the nobles and the [[abbot of Westminster]] refused to allow the Crown of Saint Edward to leave the kingdom with Henry, a tradition which has continued.<ref name="Barker 1979">{{cite book |last=Barker |first=Brian |date=1979 |title=The Symbols of Sovereignty |url=https://archive.org/details/symbolsofsoverei0000bark/page/38/mode/2up |location=Totowa, New Jersey |publisher=Rowman and Littlefield |pages=39–42 |isbn=9780715376492 |access-date=6 April 2025}}</ref> When Henry III created a new treasury at the Tower of London to hold his own regalia, that of earlier monarchs, including Saint Edward, remained at the abbey in the Pyx Chamber ("pyx" denoting a small box).<ref name="Barker 1979" /><ref>{{cite web |author=<!-- not stated --> |title=History of the Chapter House and Pyx Chamber, Westminster Abbey |url=https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/chapter-house-and-pyx-chamber/history/ |website=[[English Heritage]] |access-date=6 April 2025}}</ref> In 1303, [[Richard of Pudlicott]] attempted a burglary of the treasury at the abbey, though most of the lost treasure was recovered.<ref name="Barker 1979" />

When [[Richard&nbsp;II]] was forced to abdicate in 1399, he had the crown brought to the Tower of London, where he symbolically handed it over to his successor [[Henry IV of England|Henry&nbsp;IV]], saying "I present and give to you this crown with which I was crowned King of England and all the rights dependent on it".<ref>Steane, p. 34.</ref> It was used in 1533 to crown the second wife of Henry VIII, [[Anne Boleyn]], which was unprecedented for a [[queen consort]].<ref name="Hunt2008">{{cite book|author=Alice Hunt|title=The Drama of Coronation: Medieval Ceremony in Early Modern England|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z5eZBJ6UXiAC|year=2008|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-1-139-47466-5|page=93}}</ref>

[[Henry VII of England|Henry&nbsp;VII]] or his son and successor [[Henry VIII of England|Henry VIII]] commissioned an elaborate crown, now known as the [[Tudor Crown]], which is first described in detail in an inventory of royal jewels in 1521.<ref name="1521 Inventory">{{cite book |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/reportspapersofa17asso/page/158 |chapter=King Henry VIII's Jewel Book |year=1521 |author=John Plowfeld |title=Associated Architectural Societies Reports and Papers |volume=17 |pages=158–159 |editor=Edward Trollope |publisher=James Williamson }}</ref> Henry VIII wore the Tudor Crown during [[Royal court|court]] ceremonies, in particular at Christmas when Henry would process to chapel in his coronation regalia.<ref name="Historic Royal Palaces video">{{cite AV media |date=30 October 2012 |title=The making of Henry VIII's Crown |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8uQ2lp2DBM |via=YouTube |publisher=Historic Royal Palaces |access-date=4 February 2025 }}</ref> Both [[Edward VI]] and [[Mary I of England|Mary I]] were crowned with three crowns in succession: first St Edward's Crown, second the Tudor Crown (termed the 'Imperiall crowne' in contemporary accounts) and finally in 'very rich' crowns made specifically for each of their coronations.<ref name="The Ancestor 1902">{{cite journal |last1=St John Hope |first1=William Henry |author-link1=William Henry St John Hope |date=July 1902 |title=The King's Coronation Ornaments |url=https://archive.org/details/ancestorquarterl02unse/page/62/mode/2up |journal=The Ancestor; A Quarterly Review of County and Family History, Heraldry and Antiquities |volume=II |location=Westminster |publisher=Archibald Constable & Co |pages=63–81 |doi= |access-date=1 April 2025}}</ref> Three crowns were also present at the coronation of [[Elizabeth I]], and she was probably crowned in the same fashion as her predecessors.<ref name="The Ancestor 1902" /> After the [[English Reformation]], the [[Church of England]] denounced the veneration of medieval relics and, starting with the coronation of [[Edward VI of England|Edward VI]] in 1547, the significance of the crown's link to Edward the Confessor was downplayed.<ref name="macgregor257">Ronald Lightbown in MacGregor, p. 257.</ref> [[James VI and I|James I]] reverted to the tradition of being crowned with St Edward's Crown only before donning [[Crown of James I|his own crown]] to depart Westminster Abbey.<ref name="Nichols 1828 Vol 1">{{cite book |last=Nichols |first=John |date=1828 |title=The Progresses of King James the First in Four Volumes |volume=I |url=https://archive.org/details/progressesproce01nichgoog/page/232/mode/2up |location=London |publisher=J.B. Nichols |pages=232–233 |isbn= |access-date=6 April 2025 }}</ref>

===Destruction===
During the [[English Civil War]] and following [[Charles I of England|Charles I]]'s flight from London in 1642, rumours circulated in London (which held some truth) that the king was attempting to sell the crown jewels in Holland in order to fund a war against parliament.{{sfn|Barker|1979|loc=[https://archive.org/details/symbolsofsoverei0000bark/page/48/mode/2up pp. 49–59]}} Parliament declared that anyone trafficking the crown jewels—which were the property of [[the Crown]] and not the king personally—was an enemy of the state.{{sfn|Barker|1979|loc=[https://archive.org/details/symbolsofsoverei0000bark/page/48/mode/2up pp. 49–59]}} In 1643, suspicions arose in parliament that the coronation regalia had been taken from Westminster Abbey to York by the royalist [[Dean of Westminster]], [[John Williams (archbishop of York)|John Williams]]. When the sub-dean refused to allow access for the regalia to be checked, a motion was brought before parliament to force the opening of the abbey treasury.{{sfn|Barker|1979|loc=[https://archive.org/details/symbolsofsoverei0000bark/page/48/mode/2up pp. 49–59]}} The first motion failed, but a second motion passed which ordered the locks to be opened, an inventory made, and the locks changed. The inventory was taken by [[Henry Marten (regicide)|Henry Marten]] and [[George Wither]], who were reported by [[Peter Heylyn]] to have mocked the regalia, with Marten having dressed Wither in St Edward's Crown and robes, who then, 'marched about the room with stately garb and afterwards with a Thousand Apish and Ridiculous Actions exposed these sacred ornaments to contempt and laughter'.{{sfn|Barker|1979|loc=[https://archive.org/details/symbolsofsoverei0000bark/page/48/mode/2up pp. 49–59]}} Parliament ordered that the regalia be removed from the abbey and taken to join the rest of the crown jewels and plate at the Tower of London.{{sfn|Barker|1979|loc=[https://archive.org/details/symbolsofsoverei0000bark/page/48/mode/2up pp. 49–59]}}

As parliament became more desperate for funds to maintain its forces against the king, the [[House of Commons of England|House of Commons]] passed a motion to melt down the king's plate and turn it into coinage, though the [[House of Lords]] objected.{{sfn|Barker|1979|loc=[https://archive.org/details/symbolsofsoverei0000bark/page/48/mode/2up pp. 49–59]}} Following the [[execution of Charles I]] in 1649, parliament ordered that the regalia, then under the supervision of Sir [[Henry Mildmay]], [[Master of the Jewel Office]], 'be totally broken, and that they melt down all the gold and silver and sell all the jewels to the best advantage of [[Commonwealth of England|the Commonwealth]].'{{sfn|Barker|1979|loc=[https://archive.org/details/symbolsofsoverei0000bark/page/48/mode/2up pp. 49–59]}} Henry Mildmay stayed away, but his nephew and Clerk of the Jewel House, [[Carew Mildmay]], returned the instructions 'not obeyed', for which he was jailed at [[Fleet Prison]].{{sfn|Barker|1979|loc=[https://archive.org/details/symbolsofsoverei0000bark/page/48/mode/2up pp. 49–59]}} Nonetheless, an inventory and valuation was taken, and the reglia was broken up and sold or turned into coinage. St Edward's Crown was described in the inventory as, 'King Alfred's Crown of gold wire-work set with slight stones and two little bells', weighing {{convert|79.5|oz|kg}}, valued at £3 per ounce, total value [[£sd|£248 10s 0d]].<ref name="Davenport 1897">{{cite book |year=1897 |first=Cyril |last=Davenport |title=The English Regalia |publisher=Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co. |pages=4–5 |url=https://archive.org/details/englishregalia00daveuoft/englishregalia00daveuoft/page/4/mode/2up }}</ref><ref name="Archaeologia 1806">{{cite journal |last1= Brand|first1= John|date=1806 |title=An Inventory and Appraisement of the Plate in the Lower Jewel House of the Tower, Anno 1649. Communicated by the Rev. John Brand, Secretary, from the original MS. in his Possession |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/archaeologia/article/abs/xxiv-an-inventory-and-appraisement-of-the-plate-in-the-lower-jewel-house-of-the-tower-anno-1649-communicated-by-the-rev-john-brand-secretary-from-the-original-ms-in-his-possession/AAA3AC88C5C6AFB2645EA474756531AB |journal=[[Society of Antiquaries of London#Archaeologia|Archaeologia]] |volume=15 |publisher=The Society of Antiquaries of London |location=London |pages=271–290 |doi=10.1017/S0261340900018415 |access-date=1 April 2025|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

===Restoration===
[[File:St Edward's Crown by Francis Sandford.png|thumb|St Edward's Crown as it looked according to [[Francis Sandford (herald)|Francis Sandford]] at the English coronation of [[James&nbsp;II of England|James&nbsp;II]] in 1685]]
The monarchy was [[Restoration (England)|restored in 1660]], and in preparation for the coronation of [[Charles II of England|Charles II]], who had been living in exile abroad, a new St Edward's Crown and [[State Crown of Charles II|a new state crown]] were ordered from the Royal Goldsmith, Sir [[Sir Robert Vyner, 1st Baronet|Robert Vyner]].<ref name="royalcollection">{{Royal Collection|31700|St. Edward's Crown}}</ref> The new St Edward's Crown was fashioned to closely resemble the medieval crown, with a heavy gold base and clusters of semi-precious stones, but the arches are decidedly [[Baroque]].<ref>Holmes, pp. 213–223.</ref> In the late 20th century, it was assumed to incorporate gold from the original St Edward's Crown, as they are almost identical in weight, and no invoice was produced for the materials in 1661. A crown was also displayed at the [[lying in state]] of [[Oliver Cromwell]], Lord Protector of England from 1653 until 1658. On the weight of this evidence, writer and court historian Martin Holmes, in a 1959 paper for ''[[Society of Antiquaries of London#Archaeologia|Archaeologia]]'', concluded that in the time of the [[Interregnum (1649–1660)|Interregnum]] St&nbsp;Edward's Crown was saved from the melting pot and that its gold was used to make a new crown at the Restoration.<ref name="barclay">Barclay, pp. 149–170.</ref>

His theory became [[Conventional wisdom|accepted wisdom]], and many books, including official guidebooks for the Crown Jewels at the Tower of London, repeated his claim as fact. In 2008, new research found that a [[coronation crown]] and [[sceptre]] were made in 1660 in anticipation of an early coronation, which had to be delayed several times. Charles II's other regalia were commissioned in 1661 after Parliament increased the budget as a token of their appreciation for the king. The crown at Cromwell's lying in state was probably made of gilded base metal such as tin or copper, as was usual in 17th-century England; for example, a crown displayed at the funeral of [[James VI and I|James I]] had cost only £5 and was decorated with fake jewels.<ref name="barclay"/>

A new [[monde]] and cross were created for the [[Coronation of James II and VII and Mary|coronation of James II]], but otherwise the crown was little altered for successive coronations beyond re-setting loaned jewels for each occasion (jewels were not set permanently in the crown until 1911).<ref name="Jones 1908">{{cite book |last=Jones |first=Edward Alfred |date=1908 |title=The Old Royal Plate in the Tower of London |url=https://archive.org/details/oldroyalplatein00jonegoog/page/n146/mode/2up |location=Oxford |publisher=Fox, Jones & Co. |pages=63–67 |isbn= |access-date=24 January 2025 }}</ref> After the coronation of William III in 1689, monarchs chose to be crowned with a lighter, bespoke [[coronation crown]] (e.g., the [[Coronation Crown of George&nbsp;IV]])<ref>Dixon-Smith, et al., p. 61.</ref> or their state crown, while St&nbsp;Edward's Crown usually rested on the high altar.<ref>Mears, p. 23.</ref>

===20th and 21st centuries===
[[File:Crowning of Charles III (modified).jpg|thumb|upright=1.6|[[Coronation of Charles III and Camilla|Coronation of Charles III]] with St Edward's Crown]]
Edward VII intended to revive the tradition of being crowned with St Edward's Crown in 1902, but on coronation day he was still recovering from an operation for [[appendicitis]], and instead he wore the lighter [[Imperial State Crown]].<ref name="rose25">Rose, p. 35.</ref>

Jewels were hired for use in the crown and removed after the coronation until 1911, when it was permanently set with 444 precious and semi-precious stones. Imitation pearls on the arches and base were replaced with gold beads which at the time were platinum-plated.<ref name="rose29">Rose, p. 29.</ref> Its band was also made smaller to fit [[George V]], the first monarch to be crowned with St Edward's Crown in over 200 years, reducing the crown's overall weight from {{convert|82|ozt|kg}} to {{convert|71|ozt|kg}}.<ref name="rose25"/> It was used to crown his successor [[George VI]] in 1937, and Queen [[Elizabeth II]] in 1953.

On 4 June 2013, St&nbsp;Edward's Crown was displayed on the high altar in [[Westminster Abbey]] at a service marking the 60th anniversary of [[Coronation of Elizabeth II|Elizabeth II's coronation]], the first time it had left the Tower of London since 1953.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/queen-elizabeth-II/10096497/Queens-coronation-anniversary-Crown-to-leave-Tower-for-first-time-since-1953-for-Westminster-Abbey-service.html|title=Crown to leave Tower for first time since 1953 for Westminster Abbey service|author=Gordon Rayner|date=4 June 2013|access-date=14 December 2015|newspaper=The Telegraph}}</ref> In December 2022, the crown was removed from the Tower of London to be resized ahead of its use in the [[Coronation of Charles III and Camilla|coronation of Charles III]] on 6 May 2023.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.royal.uk/coronation-crowns|title=St Edward's Crown removed from the Tower of London ahead of the Coronation|author=|date=3 December 2022|access-date=3 December 2022}}</ref> Its circumference was enlarged by sawing the base into four pieces and welding 7mm-wide strips of gold into the gaps. Eight new gold beads were then added to the rim.<ref>Hardman, p. 194.</ref>

==Description==
{{external media<!-- Do not move to external links. Per template documentation: "This template is normally placed in the main body of the article, in the same place that you would normally have placed the image...if it had been available on Wikimedia Commons." -->
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St Edward's Crown is 22-carat gold,<ref>{{cite podcast|url=https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/resources/lecture-podcast-royal-gold-reflections-of-power|title=Royal Gold: Reflections of Power|publisher=Royal Collection Trust|author=Kathryn Jones|date=17 December 2014|minutes=13:03|access-date=14 February 2018}}</ref> measures {{convert|30|cm|in|abbr=on}} tall, and weighs {{convert|2.23|kg|lb|abbr=on}}. It has four [[fleurs-de-lis]] alternating with four [[Cross pattée|crosses pattée]], which support two dipped arches topped by a [[monde]] and cross pattée. Its purple velvet cap is trimmed with [[Ermine (heraldry)|ermine]].<ref name="royalcollection"/> The crown features 444 precious and fine gemstones including 345 rose-cut [[Beryl#Aquamarine and maxixe|aquamarine]]s, 37 white [[topaz]]es, 27 [[tourmaline]]s, 12 [[ruby|rubies]], 7 [[amethyst]]s, 6 [[sapphire]]s, 2 [[jargoon]]s, 1 [[garnet]], 1 [[spinel]], 1 [[Carbuncle (gemstone)|carbuncle]] and 1 [[peridot]].<ref name="rose29"/>

==Usage==
Although St&nbsp;Edward's Crown is regarded as the official coronation crown, only seven monarchs have been crowned with it since the Restoration: [[Charles II of England|Charles II]] (1661), [[James II of England|James II]] (1685), [[William III of England|William III]] (1689), [[George V]] (1911), [[George&nbsp;VI]] (1937), [[Elizabeth&nbsp;II]] (1953) and [[Charles III]] (2023). [[Mary II of England|Mary&nbsp;II]] and [[Anne, Queen of Great Britain|Anne]] were crowned with small diamond crowns of their own; [[George I of Great Britain|George&nbsp;I]], [[George II of Great Britain|George&nbsp;II]], [[George&nbsp;III]] and [[William IV of the United Kingdom|William&nbsp;IV]] with the [[State Crown of George&nbsp;I]]; [[King George IV of the United Kingdom|George&nbsp;IV]] with a large [[Coronation Crown of George IV|new diamond crown]] made specially for the occasion; and [[Queen Victoria]] and [[Edward VII|Edward&nbsp;VII]] chose not to use St Edward's Crown because of its weight and instead used the lighter 1838 [[Imperial State Crown]]. When not used to crown the monarch, St&nbsp;Edward's Crown rested on the high altar; however, it did not feature at all in Queen Victoria's coronation.<ref>Mears, et al., p. 23.</ref>

==Heraldry==
[[File:Royal Cypher of Queen Elizabeth II.svg|thumb|[[Royal cypher]] of Elizabeth&nbsp;II]]
After the [[Stuart Restoration|restoration of the monarchy]], Charles II based the [[heraldic crown]] on the new St Edward's Crown of 1661. It had four crosses pattée alternating with four fleurs-de-lis; the number of arches was reduced to two and the curvature of the arches was depressed at the point of intersection. On this pattern the royal crown was depicted until the reign of [[Queen Victoria]].<ref name="Boutell 1983">{{cite book |last=Boutell |first=Charles |author-link=Charles Boutell |editor-last1=Brooke-Little |editor-first1=J. P. |editor-link1=John Brooke-Little |date=1983 |edition=Revised |title=Boutell's Heraldry |url=https://archive.org/details/boutellsheraldry0000bout_y2m5/page/184/mode/2up |location=London and New York |publisher=Frederick Warne |pages=184–185 |isbn=0723230935}}</ref> Although [[Arthur Charles Fox-Davies|Fox-Davies]] states that the St Edward's Crown is supposed to be heraldically represented over the [[Royal Arms]] and other insignia because "it is the 'official' crown of England", various other crowns were depicted under Victoria, whose coronation, unusually, did not feature the St Edward's Crown at all.<ref name="Fox-Davies">{{cite wikisource |title=A Complete Guide to Heraldry |chapter=Chapter 22 |last=Fox-Davies |first=Arthur Charles |author-link=Arthur Charles Fox-Davies |date=1909 |publisher=T. C. & E. C. Jack |location=London |pages=358–359 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Mears|first1=Kenneth J.|last2=Thurley|first2=Simon|last3=Murphy|first3=Claire|title=The Crown Jewels|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r1GJnAEACAAJ|year=1994|publisher=Historic Royal Palaces|asin=B000HHY1ZQ|page=23}}</ref> [[:commons:File:Victoria-coa-proclamation-1837.jpg|Early depictions]] of the Royal Arms during her reign featured the Imperial State Crown which was [[Coronation of Queen Victoria#Crown jewels and coronation robes|created for Victoria's coronation]] in 1838 and was similar to the St Edward's Crown but with a flatter top.<ref name="Boutell 1983" /><ref>{{Royal Collection|630740|The Imperial Crown of Great Britain}}</ref> However, depictions varied depending on the artist.<ref name="Fox-Davies" />

In 1876, Victoria was proclaimed [[Empress of India]], and in 1880, the heraldic crown was altered to give it a more imperial form by making the arches semi-circular.<ref name="Boutell 1983" /><ref>{{Cite web |publisher=Senate of Canada |title=The Rose and Crown: Parliament's royal symbols, part one |url=https://sencanada.ca/en/sencaplus/how-why/the-rose-and-crown-parliaments-royal-symbols-part-one/ |access-date=2023-11-16 |website=SenCA+ Magazine|language=en |date=May 2023}}</ref> However, Victoria had favoured a [[Tudor Crown|Tudor style crown]] since at least the 1860s.<ref name="Boutell 1864" >{{cite book |last=Boutell |first=Charles |author-link=Charles Boutell |date=1864 |title=Heraldry, historical and popular |url=https://archive.org/details/heraldryhistoric01bout/page/332/mode/2up |location=London |publisher=Richard Bentley |pages=320, 332 |quote=The ''Heraldic Crown'' which enjoys the Royal favour, differs from both No. 562, and the State Crown, No. 624, and inclines to the type of an earlier time ; this Heraldic Crown of our Most Gracious Sovereign is represented in No. 334, page 332, ensigning the Royal Shield of Arms.}}</ref><ref name="Debrett's Illustrated Peerage 1865">{{cite book |date=1865 |title=Debrett's Illustrated Peerage of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_jrmY_qqD84C&pg=PR19 |location=London |publisher=Bosworth |page=xix |isbn=}}</ref>{{efn|Victoria had featured in [[William Wyon]]'s gothic crown coin in 1847,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.baldwin.co.uk/news/victoria-gothic-crown-1847/ |title=Victoria Gothic Crown, 1847 |last=Booth |first=James |date=19 March 2019 |website=Baldwin's |publisher= |access-date=29 June 2024 }}</ref> and the [[Palace of Westminster]], rebuilt from 1840 to 1876, makes extensive use of a gothic style crown. The British had assumed [[British Raj|direct rule]] over India in 1858, and the [[Order of the Star of India]], created in 1861, depicted a Tudor Crown from its inception.{{sfn|Boutell|1864|loc=[https://archive.org/details/heraldryhistoric01bout/page/352/mode/2up p. 352]}} Victoria had a [[Small Diamond Crown of Queen Victoria|new crown]] made in 1870 which resembled the Tudor Crown,<ref>{{Royal Collection|31705|Queen Victoria's Small Diamond Crown}}</ref> declining to wear the Imperial State Crown which she found heavy and uncomfortable.<ref name="Fox-Davies" />}} After the accession of [[Edward VII]], the [[War Office]] raised the issue of a standardised design of the crown for use by the [[British Army]], there being in use several crowns of different patterns.<ref name="Genealogical Magazine 1902">{{cite journal |orig-date=First published July 1901 |year=1902 |title=The Royal Arms and Cypher for the Present Reign |url=https://archive.org/details/genealogicalmaga5190unse/page/92/mode/2up |journal=The Genealogical Magazine |volume=5 |pages=93–94 |doi= |access-date=28 June 2024 }}</ref> On 4 May 1901, the king approved a single Tudor Crown design based on the [[:commons:File:ArbfaisTuduriaid.jpg|crown of Henry VII]], as "chosen and always used by Queen Victoria personally".<ref name="Fox-Davies" /><ref name="Genealogical Magazine 1902" />

[[George VI]] had ceased to use the style "Emperor of India" in 1948 following India's independence in 1947,<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=38330 |date=22 June 1948 |page=3647}}</ref> and on the accession of [[Elizabeth II]] in 1952, she opted to change from the 1901 Tudor Crown to a design resembling St Edward's Crown, similar to that last used before the reign of Victoria.<ref name="Boutell 1983" /><ref>{{cite book |last=Bedingfeld |first=Henry |author-link= |date=1993 |title=Heraldry |url=https://archive.org/details/heraldry0000bedi/page/122/mode/2up |location=Leicester |publisher=Magna Books |page=123 |isbn=978-1854224330}}</ref> [[Charles III]] adopted the Tudor Crown on his accession in 2022, similar to that last used under George VI but with some differences.<ref name="Royal Cypher">{{cite web |date=27 September 2022 |title=Royal Cypher |url=https://www.college-of-arms.gov.uk/news-grants/news/item/205-royal-cypher |website=[[College of Arms]] |access-date=11 July 2024}}</ref><ref name="Symbols of State Guidance 2023">{{cite web |url=https://publicsafetyfoundation.uk/uploads/ciiir_state_symbols_guidance_july_2023.pdf |title=Symbols of State Guidance |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=July 2023 |website=The Public Safety Foundation (UK) |publisher= |access-date=19 July 2024 }}</ref> The cap of the heraldic crowns is always represented as crimson, regardless of the colour of any actual crowns.<ref name="Fox-Davies" />

Use of the crowns for commercial purposes is specifically restricted in the UK (and in countries which are party to the [[Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property|Paris Convention]]) under sections 4 and 99 of the [[Trade Marks Act 1994]], and their use is governed by the [[Lord Chamberlain's Office]].<ref name="Trade Marks Act 1994 s.4">{{Cite legislation UK |type=act |year=1994 |chapter=26 |act=Trade Marks Act 1994 |section=4 |access-date=25 July 2024 }}</ref><ref name="Trade Marks Act 1994 s.99">{{Cite legislation UK |type=act |year=1994 |chapter=26 |act=Trade Marks Act 1994 |section=99 |access-date=25 July 2024 }}</ref><ref name="Royal Arms restrictions">{{cite web |url=https://www.royal.uk/use-of-royal-arms |title=Use of Royal Arms, Names and Images |author=<!--Not stated--> |website=[[British royal family|The Royal Family]] |publisher=[[Royal Households of the United Kingdom|The Royal Household]] |access-date=19 July 2024 }}</ref> It is also an offence under Section 12 of the [[Trade Descriptions Act 1968]] to give a false indication that any goods or services are supplied to the monarch or any member of the royal family.<ref name="Trade Descriptions Act 1968">{{Cite legislation UK |type=act |year=1968 |chapter=29 |act=Trade Descriptions Act 1968 |section=12 |access-date=25 July 2024 }}</ref><ref name="Royal Arms restrictions" />

==See also==
* [[Canadian royal symbols]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{Refbegin}}
* {{cite journal|last=Arnold|first=Janet|title=The 'Coronation' Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I|year=1978|journal=Burlington Magazine|volume=120|number=908|pages=726–739+741|jstor=879390}}
* {{cite journal|last=Barclay|first=Andrew|title=The 1661 St Edward's Crown – Refurbished, Recycled or Replaced?|year=2008|journal=The Court Historian|volume=13|number=2|pages=149–170|doi=10.1179/cou.2008.13.2.002|s2cid=159809217 }}
* {{cite book|editor-last=Blair|editor-first=Claude|title=The Crown Jewels: The History of the Coronation Regalia …|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mwSPlwEACAAJ|year=1998|publisher=The Stationery Office|isbn=978-0-11-701359-9}}
* {{cite book|last1=Dixon-Smith|first1=Sally|last2=Edwards|first2=Sebastian|last3=Kilby|first3=Sarah|last4=Murphy|first4=Clare|last5=Souden|first5=David|last6=Spooner|first6=Jane|last7=Worsley|first7=Lucy|title=The Crown Jewels: Souvenir Guidebook|publisher=Historic Royal Palaces|year=2010|isbn=978-1-873993-13-2}}
* {{cite book|last=Hardman|first=Robert|title=The Making of a King: King Charles III and the Modern Monarchy|year=2024|publisher=Pegasus Books|isbn=978-1-639365-31-9}}
* {{cite journal|last=Holmes|first=Martin|year=1959|title=New Light on St. Edward's Crown|journal=Archaeologia|volume=97|pages=213–223|doi=10.1017/S0261340900010006}}
* {{cite book|last=Keay|first=Anna|title=The Crown Jewels|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MwpjtwAACAAJ|year=2011|publisher=Thames & Hudson|isbn=978-0-500-51575-4}}
* {{cite book|editor-last=MacGregor|editor-first=Arthur|title=The Late King's Goods: Collections, Possessions and Patronage of Charles I …|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4gUXAQAAIAAJ|year=1989|publisher=Alistair McAlpine|isbn=978-0-19-920171-6}}
* {{cite book|last1=Mears|first1=Kenneth J.|last2=Thurley|first2=Simon|last3=Murphy|first3=Claire|title=The Crown Jewels|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r1GJnAEACAAJ|year=1994|publisher=Historic Royal Palaces|asin=B000HHY1ZQ}}
* {{cite book|last1=Moncreiffe|first1=Iain|last2=Pottinger|first2=Don|title=Simple Heraldry Cheerfully Illustrated|year=1953|publisher=Thomas Nelson and Sons Ltd.}}
* {{cite book|last=Rose|first=Tessa|title=The Coronation Ceremony and the Crown Jewels|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bSUTAQAAIAAJ|year=1992|publisher=HM Stationery Office|isbn=978-0-117-01361-2}}
* {{cite book|last=Steane|first=John|title=The Archaeology of the Medieval English Monarchy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t1SFAgAAQBAJ|year=2003|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-134-64159-8}}
* {{cite book|last=Twining|first=Edward Francis|title=A History of the Crown Jewels of Europe|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XvIOAQAAMAAJ|year=1960|publisher=B. T. Batsford|asin=B00283LZA6}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Crown of St Edward}}
*{{Royal Collection|31700|St Edward's Crown}}
*[https://www.royal.uk/crown-jewels The Crown Jewels] at the royal family website

{{Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom}}
{{Crowns}}
{{Royal heraldry in the United Kingdom}}
{{Canadian royal symbols}}

[[Category:Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Individual crowns]]
[[Category:Crowns in heraldry]]
[[Category:National symbols of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:National symbols of Canada]]
[[Category:1661 works]]
[[Category:Edward the Confessor]]
[[Category:Charles II of England]]