Spills the beans

Heavy crown made Charles nervous at his coronation

The heavy coronation crown made British King Charles III nervous at his coronation in May last year. The British monarch has now revealed this.

The golden Edwards Crown, which is used exclusively for coronations in the British royal family, is "much heavier and bigger" at more than two kilograms than the more commonly used Imperial State Crown, Charles reported in a new documentary about his mother Elizabeth II's coronation: "You're always a bit worried that it might wobble."

Queen practiced with crown
He still remembers his mother practising with the crown before her own coronation in 1953.

When he sat in the bathtub with his sister, Princess Anne, in the evening, "Mom always came up with the crown to practice," Charles said. "You have to get used to how heavy it is."

Set with 400 precious stones
The Crown of St. Edward is the centerpiece of the British Crown Jewels. Despite its name, it was created in 1661 for the coronation of Charles' namesake Charles II.

The pure gold crown is set with 400 precious stones such as rubies, amethysts and sapphires and lined with purple velvet, finished with an ermine hem.

Documentary accompanies "Coronation Girls"
Charles made his comments in the documentary "Coronation Girls", which is about twelve young women from Canada who traveled to London for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.

Documentary filmmaker Douglas Arrowsmith accompanied them on their return to London in 2023, where they were unexpectedly received by King Charles III. "Coronation Girls" will be shown on Canadian television on December 26.