Now Live: The Coronation of King Charles III. at Westminster Abbey

For the coronation procession back to Buckingham Palace, King Charles III. the Imperial State Crown. Pictures of this crown last went around the world in autumn: at the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, she adorned the coffin of the deceased monarch. The crown set with 2868 diamonds in silver settings and colored stones was made for the coronation of George VI. 1937 – however, the design is inspired by a crown for Queen Victoria.

With a weight of around one kilo, the state crown is significantly lighter than the Edward crown. However, in her final years, Queen Elizabeth II refrained from wearing them at the annual opening of Parliament because of the weight. Instead, the crown stood beside her, and she wore a tiara.

The Queen warned in an interview a few years ago that one should never lower one’s head with the crown on and risk it falling off. She added: “Otherwise it breaks your neck.” This is a disadvantage of crowns. “But otherwise they’re pretty important objects.”