King Charles III Will Honor Tradition With His Coronation Crown — How Much Is It Worth?
As King Charles III awaits his coronation, onlookers across the world wonder what crown he will wear. We have all of the details about his crown.
Sept. 20 2022, Published 2:41 p.m. ET
While King Charles III officially took on his grand title the moment the late Queen Elizabeth II died, he will likely await his coronation for months. Meanwhile, onlookers across the world wonder what crown he will wear when the big event takes place.
Here are the details on what crown King Charles III will wear at the coronation.
King Charles III is poised to wear the St. Edward’s crown.
King Charles III is expected to wear the St. Edward’s crown during the coronation. After the coronation, he will switch and wear the Imperial State Crown.
An Accession Council already dubbed King Charles III with his official title. However, he still must go through a coronation ceremony for the public’s eyes. This may take months or even a year or more to plan and prepare.
Queen Elizabeth II wore the St. Edward’s crown in 1953 when she was crowned Queen of England.
How much is the St. Edward’s crown worth?
Given that the St. Edward’s crown is centuries old — the current was first created in 1661 for King Charles II — the headpiece undoubtedly has a lavish monetary value.
In addition to a solid gold foundation, the 30-centimeter-tall crown is adorned with 2,868 diamonds as well as 269 pearls, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds, and four rubies. It weighs 4.9 pounds.
Experts suggest the St. Edward’s crown is worth £3 billion–£5 billion, or $3.4 billion–$5.68 billion, though no official valuation has been made public.
The original version of the St. Edward’s crown was sold or melted down in parts during the English Civil War in 1649.
How did the St. Edward’s crown get its name?
The crown is named after Saint Edward the Confessor, considered the last king of the House of Wessex who ruled from 1042 to 1066.
The Imperial State Crown on Queen Elizabeth II's coffin
In modern times, the crown is a symbol of the royal family’s power. It’s considered the official coronation crown, but only six royal monarchs have been crowned with it since its creation. They include Charles II in 1661, James II in 1685, William III in 1689, George V in 1911, George VI in 1937, and Elizabeth II in 1953.
Other monarchs have gone with different crowns for various reasons (including the often-unbearable weight of the St. Edward’s crown). There’s also an 1838 version of the Imperial State Crown that is more lightweight.
King Charles III will likely have to get the crown resized.
Queen Elizabeth II had the crown resized for her coronation in 1953. She was a relatively short woman at just 5’4”, and she became queen at the young age of 25 years old. King Charles III is taller at about 5’10” and is 73 years old. Naturally, there are bound to be some differences in sizing, so he will likely have to get the crown resized before wearing it. No doubt resizing a crown is quite a process, and likely another reason why it will be some time until the official coronation of King Charles III.