![]() The whisky that Bronfman presented to the King and Queen was exquisitely smooth and became known from that point on, as Crown Royal. The result of that process was a heavenly spirit that had a mixture of over 50 different distilled grain whiskies blended into a masterpiece. They also packaged each bottle in a royal purple velvet bag with yellow stitching and yellow drawstring tie. When the process was complete they commissioned 120 cut-glass decanters and fashioned them with handmade crown fitted tops. At his plant in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, Bronfman and a few of his assistants set out to blend the finest whisky on earth, "One Worthy of the King." Between them they experimented with hundreds and hundreds of outcome recipes after requesting dozens and dozens of different whiskies from every distillery that would include theirs from every corner of Canada. Tracy Borman, author of Crown & Sceptre, says it sends out a clear message that it “represents both the resilience and the continuity of the monarchy”.Ĭharles Farris, public historian for Historic Royal Palaces, says the fact that this crown is reserved for the moment of crowning itself is immensely significant.The people of Canada were in a euphoric state hearing the news of the Royal visit including an up and comping whisky entrepreneur named Samuel Bronfman. But the significance of the St Edward's Crown endures. While Queen Elizabeth II championed the St Edward’s Crown as a royal symbol, Charles has chosen a different crown as the emblem for his reign. And on social media, there is now a cartoon crown emoji that will automatically appear in Twitter posts when someone uses a hashtag connected to the Coronation. You might recognise a stylised version of its distinctive silhouette from the coat of arms on British passports, on police badges or from the Royal Mail logo seen on letter boxes and vans. George VI followed suit and Queen Elizabeth II was the last to wear it when she was crowned.Īlthough rarely seen in public, the crown may look familiar. Gem expert Kim Rix says aquamarines would not have been on the original crown but were popular with royal jewellers like Fabergé at the turn of the century. George V also chose to wear the crown and had the stones set permanently, including dozens of aquamarines. King Edward VII planned to wear it for his in 1902 and had the crown refurbished especially – but he fell ill before the coronation and was crowned with the lighter state crown instead. ![]() But as royal tastes and fashions changed, it was not worn again in coronations for more than 200 years. On top of the crown is a bejewelled cross, with dangling beads, and a “monde” which represents the world of the monarch's reign.Īlthough it was made in 1661, King Charles III will be only the seventh monarch to wear the St Edward’s Crown.Ĭharles II’s immediate successors were both crowned with the St Edward’s Crown - James II in 1685 and William III in 1689. But Charles II’s version had diamonds and coloured gems which were hired especially for the princely sum of £500, according to Crown Jewels historian Anna Keay. He was depicted wearing a crown in the famous 11th century Bayeux Tapestry.Įdward’s crown - considered a holy relic - was used in coronations for hundreds of years.īut it was melted down in the 1600s after the execution of King Charles I by Oliver Cromwell.Īfter Cromwell’s death, with royalty back in fashion, King Charles II commissioned a new set of crown jewels, including the St Edward’s Crown and a new state crown (which he is pictured wearing in the image above).Įdward’s crown is thought to have had very few jewels. It is named after a much earlier version that belonged to the Anglo-Saxon king and saint, Edward the Confessor. The crown was made for Charles II in 1661. It was not until the 20th century that they were set in the crown permanently. The stones in the crown used to be removable and were hired especially for coronations. The crown has 444 jewels and gemstones – including expensive sapphires, rubies, amethysts and topaz, although most are light blue and or bluish green aquamarines.
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