New Delhi: Charles, who ascended to the British throne following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September last year, was solemnly crowned King on Saturday at Westminster Abbey in London. Three crowns were used at the King's coronation, according to the Royal family. The first two were worn by King Charles, and the third by Queen Camilla. The celebration began at 11 a.m., following the arrival of the royals in a parade from Buckingham Palace.
St. Edward's Crown:
The first is St Edward's Crown, which was placed on the King's head at the moment of coronation by the Archbishop of Canterbury. The crown was created in 1661 for King Charles II as a replacement for the mediaeval crown that had been melted down in 1649. It was last used to crown his mother, Elizabeth II, in 1953. It is the most important and sacred of all the crowns and is used during coronation.
The 2.2 kg crown has a velvet cap with an ermine band and is built of a solid gold frame adorned with rubies, amethysts, sapphires, garnets, topazes, and tourmalines.
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Imperial State Crown:
King Charles exchanged the St Edward's Crown for the lighter Imperial State Crown at the end of the ceremony. This is also worn on ceremonial occasions, such as the State Opening of Parliament. It was last seen at Queen Elizabeth II's royal funeral in September of last year.
This crown was made for the coronation of King George VI in 1937. It weighs 1.06 kg and stands 31.5 cm tall and is set with 2,868 diamonds, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds, 269 pearls, and four rubies. The Cullinan II diamond, the second-biggest stone cut from the Cullinan diamond, which the Royal Collection Trust claims is the largest diamond ever discovered, is included in the crown.
Queen Mary's Crown:
The Queen Consort chose the crown for the Coronation, making it the first time in modern history that an existing crown was utilised for the Consort's Coronation. Minor adjustments and additions to Queen Mary's Crown were made ahead of the Coronation, such as the insertion of the Cullinan III, IV, and V diamonds, which had been part of Queen Elizabeth II's personal jewellery collection for many years.
But, her crown did not include the fabled Kohinoor diamond, a 105.6-carat stone mined in India with a lengthy and contentious history. According to BBC, ''there were concerns about a diplomatic row with India if it had been used'' since India has demanded its return.