The New Murrey and Blue blog

Oh no! Not the return of the Tudors! Well, luckily, it’s not the actual Tudors who are returning – just their crown.

The Tudor Crown has made a comeback since King Charles III’s accession to the British throne. Also known as the ‘King’s Crown’, ‘The Tudor Crown Imperial’ or ‘Henry VIII’s Crown,’ the Tudor Crown was last in use officially from 1902 to 1953. It replaces St. Edwards Crown, widely used during the reign of Elizabeth II. It was her late Majesty’s chosen crown, centrepiece of the Crown Jewels, since Edward I was believed to been crowned with the original in 1274. In contrast, the Tudor crown will never be worn by a monarch due to its demise.

It was destroyed in 1649, after the abolition of the monarchy and the execution of King Charles I. All the precious stones – over 340 of them – were sold off, and the eighty four ounces of gold was melted down to make coins.

A replica of it is currently located at Hampton Court Palace. It was crafted in 2012 by the former crown jeweller, Harry Collins and is as near as possible to the real one. It’s made from silver gilt, which makes it much lighter than the original 16th-century version.