A crown kept in the Jewel House of the Tower of London has been removed – but the Beefeaters can rest easy, it has been taken to be re-sized ahead of King Charles’s coronation.

Buckingham Palace said the St Edward’s Crown, the centrepiece of the Crown Jewels viewed by millions of people every year at the Tower, has been moved to an undisclosed location for modification in preparation for the coronation of King Charles III on 6 May next year.

The movement of the priceless crown was kept secret until it was safely delivered.

Versions of the St Edward’s Crown are thought to have been used at the moment of coronation for British and English monarchs since the 13th century.

The current crown 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 11th-century royal saint, Edward the Confessor, the last Anglo-Saxon king of England.

It is St Edward’s Crown that appears in the royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom, the Royal Mail logo and in badges of the Armed Forces.

Tennis star Emma Raducanu says it is a ‘great honour’ to receive MBE from King Charles

King Charles hosts first state visit as monarch – with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa attending Buckingham Palace and Parliament on day one

King Charles hosts first state visit as monarch by welcoming South Africa’s president Cyril Ramaphosa

The coronation will take place in Westminster Abbey, eight months after the monarch’s accession and the death of the Queen.

Read more:
What will King Charles’s coronation involve – and will there be a bank holiday?
Why will Camilla be crowned – and what may happen during ‘simpler ceremony’?

It is understood the ceremony will include the same core elements of the traditional service – which has retained a similar structure for more than 1,000 years – while also recognising the spirit of modern times.

Charles’s coronation is expected to be on a smaller scale and shorter, with suggestions it could last just one hour.

It is also expected to be more inclusive of multi-faith Britain than past coronations but will be an Anglican service, with the Queen Consort, Camilla, crowned alongside Charles.

Guest numbers will be reduced from 8,000 to around 2,000, with peers expected to wear suits and dresses instead of ceremonial robes, and a number of rituals, such as the presentation of gold ingots, axed.

The late Queen’s coronation was a carnival of celebration, with half a million spectators lining her procession route on 2 June 1953.

Despite initial reservations, the late Queen eventually agreed to the TV cameras being present in Westminster Abbey to capture the historic event, with licence holders doubling in anticipation.

An estimated 27 million people in Britain alone watched the coronation live on their black and white televisions, and the images were beamed around the world.

Related posts:

‘A devastating loss’: Tributes ahead of vigil for flower seller stabbed to death outside his stall Man handed suspended sentence for assaulting Professor Chris Whitty Dina Asher-Smith fails to make Olympic 100m final but teammate Daryll Neita through Tory MP and ex-minister James Brokenshire announces lung cancer has ‘progressed’ CCTV released of suspect after man, 61, killed in Birmingham hit-and-run ‘Unless it’s mandated there’s no reason not to’: Pubs still going ahead with Christmas party bookings Storm Arwen: Thousands left ‘exhausted’ as they endure fifth day without power Gay rights activist’s appeal in long-running cake dispute ruled ‘inadmissible’ MP Margaret Ferrier to stand trial accused of visiting salon, leisure centre and church while having COVID symptoms NI Assembly fails to elect new speaker after DUP leader blocks formation of government Boy, 12, who suffered brain damage should have test to establish if he is dead, High Court rules Man who murdered wife on wedding night and put body in suitcase jailed for at least 21 years