The Queen is to lie in state for four days at Westminster Hall after her coffin was taken there from Buckingham Palace on a horse-drawn gun carriage.
As thousands of people queued on Wednesday to pay their last respects, Big Ben tolled every minute and King Charles and his siblings, the Princess Royal, the Duke of York and the Earl of Wessex, walked directly to the rear of the coffin, followed by the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Sussex and Peter Phillips, the son of the Princess Royal.
The oak casket was placed on a raised catafalque in the centre of the hall. After a service led by the archbishop of Canterbury, bodyguards and officers stood watch around the casket, which was illuminated by four tall candles.
The ceremony was attended by the prime minister, Liz Truss, the Labour leader, Keir Starmer, and the leaders of other political parties and high commissioners from realms for whom the Queen was head of state.
The crown on the Queen’s casket is the Imperial State Crown (1937).
The Imperial State Crown is the crown that the monarch wears as they leave Westminster Abbey after the coronation. It is also used on other State occasions including the annual State Opening of Parliament.
Key Facts
The crown is made of gold and set with 2,868 diamonds, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds, 269 pearls, and 4 rubies!
The crown contains some of the most famous jewels in the collection. These include the Black Prince’s Ruby, the Stuart Sapphire, and the Cullinan II diamond.
St Edward’s Sapphire, set in the centre of the topmost cross, is said to have been worn in a ring by St Edward the Confessor and discovered in his tomb in 1163.
The Imperial State Crown was made for the Coronation of King George VI in 1937, replacing the crown made for Queen Victoria in 1838.
Explore the jewels in the Imperial State crown up close.
https://www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/crown-jewels/?id=6209#?id=6209
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Isn’t that also the one that weighs about 30 lbs.?
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I know that the Queen wore it during the State Opening of Parliament, but she didn’t wear it on her way there; that is when she wore the George IV state diadem.
According to this article (very interesting), it weighs 1.28 Kilograms. That’s a little less than 3 pounds.
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/imperial-state-crowns-weight-could-break-your-neck-says-queen-elizabeth/articleshow/62482880.cms
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