Tag Archives: King Charles

The Crown Jewels for the Coronation

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On May 6th King Charles III will be crowned in Westminster Abbey. A tradition dating back nearly 1000 years since William the Conqueror who was crowned in 1066. Charles’s will be the 38th coronation in the Abbey, most, like Charles’s, having been conducted by the incumbent Archbishop of Canterbury.

We are expecting a simpler and more paired back coronation for King Charles, but this does not mean that it is going to be light on tradition and ceremony. This historic event will still be an occasion for spectacle and celebration.

It is a ceremony that has remained essentially the same for a thousand years and the Coronation Regalia are at the heart of proceedings, imbued as they are with cultural and spiritual significance. They represent the powers and responsibilities of the new King and the solemnity of the occasion.

The last time we saw some of the regalia of the coronation was on the late Queen’s coffin, which was adorned with the crown, orb and sceptre.

These three items will play an integral role at the heart of the coronation service, but they are not the only pieces that we will see on the day.

St Edward’s Crown is the crown historically used at the moment of coronation and worn by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth at her coronation in 1953.

It was made for Charles II in 1661, as a replacement for the medieval crown which had been melted down in 1649 by Parliamentarians. Charles will wear this crown. The crown is 22 carat gold, so almost pure gold. It stands 30 cm tall and weighs an impressive 5lb. It contains tourmalines, white and yellow topaz, rubies, amethysts, sapphires, garnets, peridot, zircons, spinel and aquamarines. The three superstar gems in the crown are the Black Prince’s ruby, the Stuart sapphire and the Cullinan II diamond. No wonder Queen Elizabeth used to practise wearing it before the coronation, so its weight was not overwhelming on the day.

Camilla, the Queen Consort, will wear the Queen Mary’s Crown. This was removed from display at the Tower of London for modification work ahead of the coronation. It is the first time in recent history that an existing crown will be used for the coronation of a Consort. For previous coronations a new crown was commissioned. However, as a concession to the prevailing economic climate; sustainability and efficacy this crown, originally made by Garrards for the 1911 coronation, is being repurposed. Some minor changes and additions will be undertaken by the Crown Jeweller. These changes will pay particular tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth, as the Crown will be reset with the Cullinan III, IV and V diamonds. These diamonds were part of Queen Elizabeth II’s personal jewellery collection for many years and were often worn mounted in brooches.

At the heart of the ceremony itself are the sceptre, orb and the coronation anointing spoon. The Sovereign’s Sceptre and Cross symbolises the crown’s power and governance. It has been used at the coronation of every monarch since 1661. It was first used by King Henry VIII in 1509 for his own coronation. It is a golden rod, enamelled and set with multiple gemstones, the best known of which is the Cullinan I, or Star of Africa, a heart-shaped diamond weighing a colossal 530.2 carats.

In the photograph of Queen Elizabeth’s coronation you will see a second sceptre. This is the Sovereign’s sceptre with Dove. It is also known as the rod of Equity and Mercy and depicts an enamel dove wings outstretched alighting on the golden orb and cross. It represents the monarch’s spiritual role as head of the Church of England.

The most ancient piece of the coronation regalia is the coronation anointing spoon. The monarch is anointed with holy oil. The Chrism oil which will be used on May 6th has already been consecrated in Jerusalem. The oil itself comes from olives grown on the Mount of Olives and has been infused with sesame, rose, jasmine and other essential oils.

The spoon is silver gilt. Its existence was first recorded in 1349, but it may be even older. It is ornate with a central division and has been used to anoint monarchs for nearly seven hundred years. The central division may have been so that the archbishop might dip two fingers into the holy oil as he anoints the head, breast and hand of the new monarch.

It is traditional that the choir sings ‘Zadok the Priest’ during this sacred part of the ceremony; music originally composed by Handel for the coronation of King George II in 1727 and which has become an integral part of the proceedings.

The anointing is followed by dressing of the monarch in the spectacular robe of cloth of gold called the Supertunica and the long Imperial Mantle. The monarch is then presented with other items from the Coronation Regalia.

These include the gold spurs, the jewelled Sword of Offering and the Armills. The Armills are gold bracelets representing sincerity and wisdom. It is at this point that the monarch also receives the Sovereign’s Orb, as well as a ring and two sceptres.

The Orb is placed in the right hand of the monarch, during the investiture as the symbol of sovereignty. As a cross mounted on a globe, it represents the Christian world and the power of God. It is a reminder to the monarch that their authority is given by God. It is bisected with applied bands incorporating clusters of emeralds, rubies, sapphires and rose diamonds between bands of pearls. Having been handed to the King, it will be removed and placed on the altar before the moment of crowning.

The King will also be presented with the pair of golden spurs. These were first included amongst the regalia of the coronation in 1189 at the coronation of Richard the Lionheart. These represent his ‘knightly values and virtues’, such as protecting the poor, and defending the church. The current spurs are gold, made in 1661 for Charles1 and adapted in 1820 for George IV. In the past, the spurs were attached to the sovereign’s feet, but on May 6th they will be held at the ankle of the king.

The Sovereign’s ring will be placed on his fourth finger. The ring has the cross of St George at the centre formed from five rubies, overlaying an octagonal cut sapphire and bordered with fourteen old cushion cut diamonds. The ring was originally made by Royal Goldsmiths and Silversmiths Rundell, Bridge and Rundell for the coronation of William IV. It is said to be a symbol of ‘kingly dignity’.

The coronation sword, also known as The Jewelled Sword of Offering, will be presented by the archbishop, who first blesses the sword and then presents it with the direction that it should be used for the protection of the good and the punishment of evil. First used in 1821 by George IV, it has been used at all coronations since 1902. Like the Sovereign’s ring, the sword, made from blued steel, with a gold, jewel encrusted hilt and jewelled leather scabbard, was a commission from Rundell Bridge and Rundell.

The ceremony culminates with the placing of the St Edward’s Crown on the monarch’s head, the actual ‘coronation’.

The new King will change his crown for The Imperial State Crown as he leaves the Abbey. This is the crown that he will wear for future state occasions like the annual opening of Parliament. Although set in gold with 2,868 diamonds, 269 pearls, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds and four rubies, it weighs a mere 2.3lb and is a more practical choice. It was worn by the Queen when she left Westminster Abbey in 1953. It was originally made for the coronation of her father, King George VI, in 1937.

Many of us grew up listening to older relatives tell tales of the Queen’s coronation. Televisions were purchased for the first time for the occasion, families huddled round radios to hear the ceremony live, and there is the enduring account of Queen Salote Tupou III who refused to be cowed by the rain and rode through London in an open topped carriage. No doubt King Charles’s coronation will be a different meld of old, new and unexpected acts of generosity and kindness. We can but wish for a day of joy and hope, amidst the tradition and ceremony.

To Dress a King

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At 74, starting a new job must feel a little taxing for our monarch, and the pain the King Charles shared with the rest of the country last year was visible to all that could see, it was a strange time through Britain and The Commonwealth but Charles would be ready to be king for many years, if not emotionally, then certainly sartorially.

Over the last seven decades, King Charles has worn some iconic (I use that word carefully) outfits that have moulded military, outdoor sports, polo, and tips of the hat to many other styles and cultures through the plethora of different countries he has spent time in within the Commonwealth and the wider world.

Firstly though, three of the things that I always notice with King Charles as soon as he steps out of a car, aeroplane, or reaches up to open a local leisure centre are of course – Cufflinks, Watch, rings.

The cufflinks have of course been written about extensively as on honeymoon, after marrying Lady Diana Spencer, Charles may have worn a pair of gold cufflinks that had been purchased by Camilla with twin C figures intertwined, which if nothing else is bold.

King Charles Fashion

The signet ring has been the staple of the British aristocracy for many years, but monarchs have never been compelled to wear one, however this ring didn’t start its life with King Charles. The three plumes of the Prince of Wales feathers have adorned this simple design for over 175 years, with the last owner of note being The Duke of Windsor, someone that Charles may have felt some affiliation with. He has been noted to have worn it since his late 20s and supposedly is never missing from his daily dress.

To complete the small amount of jewellery, King Charles tends to opt for a subtle yet well sized timepiece. In more recent years he has been known for his Parmigiani Fleurier Toric model, which is about as esoteric as the watch market gets – it’s a stunning watch with astounding attention to detail, something which I am sure the King appreciates.

His clothing has always been dictated by the roles he has been performing and whilst he has never been one to shy away from fashion, it couldn’t be said that he has a love of clothes in the same way that the Duke of Windsor may have done.

The double breasted suit, the Fair isle jumper, and the Barbour have all played a big part in his life, as has the 1970s safari suit that came to the fore, but for millennials, perhaps his biggest style moment would have to be the big number T shirt – worn for polo when he was a very competitive player.

King Charles III, Passionate Painter

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King Charles III first began painting in 1970, inspired by Robert Waddell, his art master at Gordonstoun School in Scotland. The school has a 200-acre woodland campus, and is within walking distance of the beaches of the Moray Firth and so provided the young prince with a wealth of subject matter. His Majesty began painting with watercolour at Gordonstoun and has stuck with it until now, despite it’s occasionally unforgiving nature.

The King says it gives him a greater sense of immediacy and ease of working ‘en Plein Air’. He also likes the speed of working in watercolour, it means he is quicker to finish a picture, and so doesn’t have to keep his security detail waiting for too long while he finishes a sketch.

The King is following a tradition first begun by Queen Victoria, who also only used watercolours and as a young girl was taught by well known artists such as William Leighton Leitch (1804-1883) . After leaving school King Charles initially received instruction from the then President of the Royal Academy and Architect Sir Hugh Casson, and his early work clearly shows Casson’s influence. Subsequently he was taught by some of Britain’s most famous Royal Academicians artists, including John Napper, John Ward, the Royal Family’s favourite painter, Edward Seago, and the Anglo Irish artist Derek Hill, who also facilitated painting trips in Ireland for the King.

The King’s style has evolved over the years into something that is clearly his own and for me as a specialist is immediately recognizable, often simply signed with a capital C. Favourite subjects to paint are outdoor scenes, particularly mountains, streams, and the surrounding areas of the Royal estates in Scotland and Norfolk. However other subjects include overseas landscapes including Saudi Arabia and the South of France.

He is a generous supporter of many causes and all profit and sales benefit the Prince’s Trust for Children and the Arts. As a regular Charity auctioneer myself I have brought the gavel down on many of his signed, limited edition colour lithographs all generously donated and selling for prices between £3-£8,000 depending on the event and subject. These also regularly appear for sale on the auction and retail market and so are available for anyone to buy either from traditional galleries or online vendors for between £6-10,000 again depending on subject and rarity. As for the original watercolours, it is my belief that these are only given as personal gifts from the King to his artist and other friends and therefore are kept as treasured gifts and so never sold.

Very very occasionally an original watercolour will find its way onto the auction market, and these are well worth looking out for. King Charles has continuously shown his work in non selling events over the years beginning with his first exhibition in 1977 held at Windsor Castle, where his work was displayed alongside works by Queen Victoria and the Duke of Edinburgh, himself an enthusiastic painter and sometime designer, whose sketches helped create the stained-glass windows in the Private Chapel of Windsor Castle.

The King rather modestly refers to himself as an “enthusiastic amateur,” however sales of his work have raised an estimated £2 million from the sales of signed limited edition prints of his watercolors from 1997 to 2016, making him one of the country’s best-selling living artists. Additionally in conjunction with Hugh Maxwell Casson ,King Charles illustrated a children’s book, “The Old Man of Lochnagar,” about an old, cave-dwelling man who meets a bubble-blowing god of the sea!

I imagine a King’s duties may leave less time for painting, hopefully not as the result is very pleasing to all concerned and is clearly a source of relaxation and pleasure in achievement for our New King.

Princess Catherine’s jewellery

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From Everyday Mum To Future Queen, A Jewel For Every Occasion

It all started with a proposal…

One of the most famous items of jewellery the Princess of Wales has come to possess, is the “Royal Blue” sapphire engagement ring, which belonged to her mother-in-law, the late Princess Diana. It is probably the most famous sapphire, weighing 12 carats and set within a surround of brilliant-cut diamonds.

In 1981, chosen by the then Prince Charles, for Diana, from the official royal jewellers Garrard, the sapphire ring cost £50,000. Because of the provenance and history of the ring, it has become a priceless piece of jewellery, but one could estimate its current price to be around £500,000.

The world’s most expensive sapphire to sell at auction was sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong on the 7th October 2015. It weighed 27.68 carats of natural Kashmir origin and made $6,702,564, $242,415 per carat.

For her wedding, Queen Elizabeth II lent the Cartier Halo Tiara to the Duchess. It was made in 1936 and comprises of 739 brilliant-cut diamonds and 149 baguette-cut diamonds, and it was purchased by King George VI (then still Duke of York) for his wife, Elizabeth (who we all know better as the Queen Mother), which she wore to a charity ball at Claridge’s in London, their first gala outing since the official ending of the lengthy court mourning period for the late King George V.

To match Catherine’s engagement ring, the Duke of Cambridge gifted a pair of sapphire and diamond cluster earrings from his mother’s personal collection. The Princess simply had them altered to be drops rather than clips.

The Princess is often seen combining her engagement ring with a classic 33mm Cartier Ballon Bleu wristwatch. Mounted in stainless steel, it is decorated with Roman numerals, fluted crown with a synthetic spinel cabochon, silvered guilloché opaline dial, blued-steel sword-shaped hands, sapphire crystal and steel bracelet. It currently retails for £5,400.

When Catherine gave birth to Prince George, Prince William gifted her the Eclipse diamond ring by Annoushka. It is set with 0.23ct total of diamonds and retails at £1,500.

She wears it in combination with her engagement ring.

For the arrival of Princess Charlotte, the then Duke of Cambridge this time choose another designer, Kiki McDonough, and gifted the Duchess a pair of green tourmaline and green amethyst drop earrings.

She was first spotted wearing these during the couple’s tour of India in 2016. Though these were made-to-order for the Princess, you can currently get a pair of similar earrings (below) from the designer for £3,700. These are green amethyst and diamond earrings, mounted in yellow gold.

The Princess owns several pieces by the designer: 18 pairs of earrings and three necklace to date.

Here are some examples:

The Princess has jewellery for every occasion, as can be expected. Her everyday jewels include the above by designer jewellers, but Catherine also favours high street jewellery, such as the below by Accesorize.

These are no longer available but can be found on eBay ranging from £48 to a whopping £96.96 (plus £10.77 for postage!).

It was rumoured that when Prince Louis was born, the Prince gave Catherine a citrine ring, but it was discovered by fans that the Princess had previously worn it in 2008 while celebrating her birthday.

The ring is beautiful and has meaning for the Princess. She was also seen wearing it for the premiere of the last James Bond film, No Time to Die, to match the golden sequinned gown by Jenny Packham.

Perhaps my favourite dress worn by the Princess.

When the Princess is not at a red carpet event or formal gala, the mother of three has been seen to wear a necklace by Spells of Love retailing for £85, suspending three medallions with the initial of each child.

Catherine also wears a Merci Maman necklace gifted to her by her sister, Pippa, after the birth of Prince George in 2014.

For more formal wear, the Princess has been seen wearing brooches, tiaras and exceptional necklaces, such as the four-row pearl chocker, created using a collection of cultured pearls gifted to the Queen by the Japanese government which Catherine wore to Prince Philip’s funeral in April, 2021. In mourning, the Royals don’t wear colour, so pearls are pure, white, and unflashy. This tradition comes from Queen Victoria, who did not want to wear any colour following the death of her husband Prince Albert.

The late Princess Diana also wore it to a state banquet in the Netherlands.

A very sombre then Duchess of Cambridge wore the historical chocker for the Queen’s funeral earlier this year.

The Princess combined the tiara worn by the late Princess Diana (above) with her engagement ring of course but also the Royal Family Order brooch, representing the late Monarch within a diamond surround.

The tiara, called the Lover’s Knot tiara, was lent to Diana as seen below, then went back to the Queen, and upon her passing, is now worn exclusively by Princess Catherine.

Several of Queen Elizabeth’s II jewels will have been passed down to the Queen Consort and several to Catherine.

Recently, the Princess wowed us with this stunning emerald and diamond choker. She stepped out at the Earthshot Prize Awards in Boston in a bright green gown by Solace London, paired with an emerald-and-diamond choker, once owned by Princess Diana. The choker itself was first owned by Queen Mary in 1911, and later presented to Diana as a wedding gift to Prince Charles in 1981.

In this year’s Christmas pictures, the Princess wears a pair of ruby and diamond cluster earrings, made by Soru in Turkey, and retail for £145.

Whatever the occasion, Princess Catherine never disappoints with her exquisite outfits and matching jewellery. And on this special occasion, I wish her a very Happy Birthday.

The Imperial State Crown

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If one wants a glimpse of The Imperial State Crown, it is on display in the Jewel House at the Tower of London, as it has been for the last 600 years. But on the 19th September 2022, this most unique and priceless item of jewellery laid on her Majesty The Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin for her final farewell.

Imperial State Crown

During her reign, Queen Elizabeth II would wear it annually for the State Opening of Parliament, sharing in 2018 that “You can’t look down to read the speech, you have to take the speech up, because if you did your neck would break”. The crown weighs 1.06kgs.

Queen Elizabeth wearing the Imperial State Crown

Monarchs wear the Imperial State Crown when departing from the Abbey after the coronation, and for all other occasions requiring crown-wearing thereafter.

Originally made by Rundell and Bridge in 1838 for the coronation of Queen Victoria. It was commissioned for the coronation of the Queen’s father, King George VI in 1937 from Garrard & Co.

The crown is set with historical gems with nearly 3,000 stones – including 2,868 diamonds, 273 pearls, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds, and five rubies.

The Culinan II, or Second Star of Africa, weighs 317.4 carats, with 66 facets.

Cullinan produced 9 major stones of 1,055.89 carats in total, including the Cullinan II, plus 96 smaller brilliant and some unpolished fragments weighing 19.5 carats. The Cullinan diamond was found in 1905 in South Africa’s Premier Mine at Cullinan, named after Sir Thomas Cullinan, who opened the mine in 1902. It is believed the diamond surfaced 1.18 billion years ago. Originally thought to be some priceless crystal, the mine’s manager did not give another look when the miner found it. He persevered, and it then became the largest diamond to be found.

It was sent to London in a plain box via registered post and presented to King Edward VII. It remained unsold until 1907.

The Transvaal Colony government bought the diamond on 17 October 1907 for £150,000, the equivalent of £18 million. It was presented to the King on his 66th birthday at Sandringham House.

He accepted the gift “for myself and my successors” and ensured that “this great and unique diamond be kept and preserved among the historic jewels which form the heirlooms of the Crown”

The king chose Joseph Asscher & Co. of Amsterdam to cleave and polish the rough stone into brilliant gems of various cuts and sizes.

Cutters here in Amsterdam plan how the stone should be cut. It took 8 ½ months to cleave and cut.

The images above show Joseph Asscher cleaving the Cullinan.

On the first blow, Asscher’s hammer blew off. It was on the second attempt that the diamond shattered into 9 pieces.

Cullinan I is set in the sceptre, which also laid on the Queen’s coffin.

The Black Prince’s ruby, in its prominent place on the crown, is in fact a spinel. It was only in 1783 that spinels were differentiated from rubies. They share many chemical properties, such as aluminium, oxygen, and chromium but spinels also have magnesium.

This “ruby” is said to have been in English royal hands since the 1360s.

It was probably discovered in the Himalayan mountains of central Asia, in the Badakhshan (Balascia) region that was famed for its spinels. It drilled at some point to be worn as a pendant. The hole was later filled with a smaller cabochon ruby edged in gold.

It was supposedly worn by King Henry V at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415 and saved him from an axe blow to the head, struck by the Duke of Alençon. Henry survived, as did the ruby, and the English were victorious.

The Stuart Sapphire is set at the back of the crown and weighs approximately 104 carats.

In Youngblood and Davenport “The Crown Jewels of England”, they describe the stone as follows: “oval in shape, about one and a half inches in length, by one inch in breadth, and is set in a gold brooch. It has one or two blemishes, but is of good colour, and was evidently deemed of high value by the Stuarts. At one end has been drilled a hole, probably to introduce some attachment by which the stone could be worn as a pendant.”

Queen Victoria, was the first monarch to have the sapphire set in her state crown. During Victoria’s reign, the sapphire was set at the front of the crown, just below the Black Prince’s Ruby.

After the discovery of the Cullinan diamond, the sapphire was relocated to the back. There is still some mystery as to whether the Stuart sapphire in The Imperial State Crown has been the same gem since it was first used in royal jewels in 1660 but it certainly has been in the collection for over two centuries.

These priceless gems, the Cullinan II, the Black Prince’s Ruby and the Stuart Sapphire are a reminder of majesty, sovereignty and tradition embodied in the institution. Following tradition, King Charles III will wear the St Edward’s Crown for his coronation, but will put on the Imperial State Crown to leave Westminster Abbey at the end of the ceremony.

God Save the Queen, Long Live the King.