Why are there three crowns in the ceremony?

In total, three crowns will be used on the day. Two for the king, one for the queen and one for Camilla. It is traditional for the monarch to be crowned by the Archbishop of Canterbury in Westminster Abbey with one of the centerpieces of the British crown jewels: the Crown of Saint Edward. But, being so heavy (over 2 kg), the king leaves the ceremony with a more typical imperial ceremonial crown, which was also used for official ceremonies during the reign.

On May 6, like his mother Elizabeth II 70 years before him, Charles III will wear this imperial ceremonial crown and ride in a carriage after his coronation. The third crown of the ceremony will be chosen by Camilla, who is now crowned Queen, Queen Mary.

St. Edward’s Crown

It is one of the most precious entertainers in the monarchy. St. Edward’s crown is only used during coronations. It was created in 1661 for Charles II to replace a medieval crown in 1649, dating back to Edward the Confessor, the last Anglo-Saxon king of England in the 11th century.^e century

The current crown of St. Edward is not a replica of the old crown, but retains some features, notably the four crosses pattes (a type of Christian cross) and four fleur-de-lys. It is made of a gold frame studded with precious stones (rubies, amethysts, sapphires, garnets, topaz or tourmalines) and weighs more than 2 kg.

Imperial Ceremonial Crown

At the end of the coronation, the King replaces St. Edward’s Crown with the Imperial Ceremonial Crown. During reigns, it is a crown that is often used in official ceremonies such as the opening of Parliament. It was created for the coronation of King George VI in 1937, but was based on a crown made for Queen Victoria in 1838.

Elizabeth II, who wore the imperial ceremonial crown on several occasions during her long reign – particularly during her coronation – described it as “very heavy”. It weighs 910 grams and is studded with 2,868 diamonds, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds, 5 rubies and nearly 270 pearls.

Queen Mary’s crown

This is the crown chosen by Queen Camilla for her coronation, which will take place at the same ceremony as Charles III. This is the first time in modern times that a queen consort (the sovereign’s wife, although Buckingham Palace has announced that she should now be called simply ‘the queen’) has used a crown that predates the ceremony.