What is the Crown of Scotland as it is placed on The Queen’s coffin?
The oldest of crown jewels.
The late Queen Elizabeth II now lies in rest in Scotland, following her death at Balmoral.
Her coffin has been taken to St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh, where it remains for 24 hours for mourners to pay their respects.
King Charles III and other members of the Royal Family will also attend a Service of Thanksgiving there, before Her late Majesty’s coffin is taken to London to lie in state at Westminster Hall.
Many will be wondering about the bejewelled crown that will be placed on Her Majesty’s coffin while in Scotland, during Monday’s service of Thanksgiving.
It’s called the Crown of Scotland, and it has quite a long history…
What is the Crown of Scotland?
The Crown of Scotland forms part of the Honours of Scotland.
It is the oldest regalia – or crown jewels – in the British Isles, according to the Royal Family website, dating back to the 16th century.
The Honours include a sceptre, sword and crown – the latter of which was made for King James V in 1540.
It was ‘refashioned’ from an older, damaged crown, dating to the early 1500s.
Edinburgh-based goldsmith John Mosman made it of Scottish gold, plus 22 gemstones and 20 precious stones.
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The Crown of Scotland is also adorned with Freshwater pearls selected from the rivers of Scotland, too.
A monarch wouldn’t be able to wear it casually, though, as it weighs a whopping 1.64kg.
When is the Crown of Scotland used?
The Crown of Scotland was first worn by James V in 1540, at the coronation of his Queen Consort, Mary of Guise.
It was used again in 1543 at the coronation of his daughter Mary, Queen of Scots, when she was just nine months old.
It was later used for her son, James VI, and her grandson, Charles I – both for coronations at Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, today the monarch’s official Scottish residence.
They were last used for a King or Queen’s coronation in 1651, for Charles II, in the Perth and Kinross town of Scone.
This was the last coronation in Scotland. It was also the final year of the English Civil War.
It was, along with the other Honours, presented to The Queen in 1953, after her coronation, at a National Service of Thanksgiving at St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh.
Where is the Crown of Scotland kept?
The Crown of Scotland has had a bit of bad luck when it comes to storage.
It’s been moved around several times, and was originally hidden from Oliver Cromwell’s army after the English Civil War.
As the Royal Family’s website explains: ‘Despite his success at the Battle of Dunbar in 1650 and his subsequent occupation of Edinburgh Castle, Oliver Cromwell failed to stop the coronation of Charles II in 1651 at Scone (the last coronation in Scotland).
‘Determined to destroy the Scottish Crown Jewels, just as he had disposed of the English regalia, Cromwell pursued the Honours to Dunnottar Castle near Aberdeen. He failed.
‘From there, they were smuggled out for safe burial until Charles II’s restoration in 1660.’
They remained sealed away from 1707 onwards, after both England and Scotland signed the Act of Union, until Sir Walter Scott discovered them once more in 1818.
During the Second World War, in 1941, the Crown of Scotland and the Honours were all buried in separate places, in case of an invasion by Germany, to keep them safe.
Today, the Crown of Scotland is usually kept at the Crown Room at Edinburgh Castle.
It is on public display, along with the Stone of Scone – a large red sandstone from the town of Scone, which was used for centuries of coronations in Scotland.
The stone is sometimes dubbed ‘the Stone of Destiny’ and is expected to travel to Westminster for the coronation of King Charles III.
However, coronations today typically see St Edward’s Crown, which weighs over 2kg, worn.
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