As the Queen starts her journey around Britain as part of her Diamond Jubilee celebrations, we thought it would be interesting to take a look at the history of some of the more iconic symbols of Monarchy and National pride.

King Edwards Crown

• The King Edwards Crown, worn by Queen Elizabeth II at her enthronement, is one of the senior of the British crown jewels.
• The present crown is the second King Edward crown.
• The first crown belonged to Edward the Confessor and was originally kept at Westminster Abbey, it’s status, a relic in the custody of the church.
• It is very probable that different Kings added to the crown.

Oliver Cromwell felt that the Crown Jewels were so symbolic that he took the whole lot to the Royal Mint and had them melted down.
A new set of Crown Jewels was created for the coronation of Charles II by Robert Vyner.

• The crown has not been used for every coronation but King Edward VII decided to revive the central role of the crown and so it was refurbished and prepared for his coronation in 1902.

It is made of solid gold and weighs 4lb 12oz and is set with 444 precious stones.

The opening sequence of the video clip shows the crown in all it’s glory and then in the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.