What crown will King Charles III wear at the Coronation?

The Coronation of King Charles III will take place on Saturday 6th May 2023 at Westminster Abbey, but what crown is the new monarch expected to wear? Keep reading for everything you need to know about what crown King Charles will wear, including where it is kept and how many diamonds it holds.

What crown will King Charles wear at the Coronation?

As per tradition, King Charles III will wear the St Edward's Crown when he is officially declared as the King during his Coronation. This will be the first and only time that Charles will wear this particular crown. Made of solid gold and weighing five pounds, it contains 444 gemstones, including rubies, sapphires, garnets and tourmalines.

Will King Charles wear the Queen's crown?

According to royal.co.uk, St Edward's Crown is the crown historically used at the moment of coronation and was worn by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth at her coronation in 1953. It was originally made for the coronation of the Charles II in 1661 and is stored safely in the Tower of London.

In recent news, it was announced that St Edward's Crown has been removed from the Tower of London to allow for modification work to begin ahead of the Coronation.

Key facts about St Edward's Crown include:

• The solid gold frame weighs 2.23kg (nearly 5lbs) and is adorned with semi-precious stones. It has a velvet cap with an ermine band.

• St Edward's Crown was made for the coronation of Charles II to replace the medieval crown melted down by parliamentarians in 1649, after the execution of King Charles I.

• This lost medieval crown was said to have belonged to the 11th-century royal saint, King Edward the Confessor.

• The crown was commissioned from the Royal Goldsmith, Robert Vyner, in 1661.

• St Edward's Crown was last used for crowning Elizabeth II in 1953.

King Charles will also wear the Imperial State Crown during the Coronation service. This was the crown which was recently placed on the Queen's coffin for the lying-in-state and her state funeral. Originally made for the coronation of King George VI in 1937, replacing the crown made for Queen Victoria in 1838, it was also worn by the late Queen Elizabeth II during her coronation.

According to Historic Royal Palaces, the Imperial State Crown is made of gold and set with 2,868 diamonds, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds, 269 pearls, and four rubies. The crown contains some of the most famous jewels in the collection. These include the Black Prince's Ruby, the Stuart Sapphire, and the Cullinan II diamond.

Key facts about The Imperial State Crown include:

• St Edward's Sapphire, set in the centre of the topmost cross, is said to have been worn in a ring by St Edward the Confessor and discovered in his tomb in 1163.

• The Imperial State Crown was made for the Coronation of King George VI in 1937, replacing the crown made for Queen Victoria in 1838.

• As part of the Crown Jewels, the crown is kept under armed guard in the Jewel House at the Tower of London.

What crown will Camilla, Queen Consort, wear at the Coronation?

While it has not yet been confirmed what crown Camilla, Queen Consort, will wear at the Coronation, the most obvious option is the crown which belonged to Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother. She could also wear Queen Adelaide's crown from 1831, or the crown of Queen Alexandra or Queen Mary.

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