I don’t know about you, but lately I have been OBSESSED with Netflix binging all things ROYAL, and it has got me enamored with all the incredible tiaras, crowns and jewels. Researching the topic as a whole proved quite cumbersome, so I decided to focus on the Royals that are closest to home, more specifically, the British State and Queen Elizabeth II. I wanted to know more about the value of the “Crown Jewels” and on this snowy Sunday, I have decided to share what I discovered.
Queen Elizabeth II is the head of the British state and sovereign and the head of the monarch, or The Crown. The Crown owns a great deal of property, including The Crown Jewels, a collection of crowns, rings, scepters, vestments, and more, which often garner the most attention.
The crown itself is only one of many pieces making up what is referred to as “the Crown Jewels”. The Crown Jewels are the most resplendent and famous of the nation’s treasures. Kept under the watchful eye of the Yeoman Warders at the Tower of London, they constitute the most complete collection of royal regalia in the world. As a group, the Crown Jewels comprise a host of extraordinary items – from orbs, scepters and crowns, to gold and silver-gilt banqueting and altar plate. All are intimately connected with the status and role of the monarch. The oldest of these is the twelfth-century spoon used for the sovereign’s ritual anointing at the coronation.
One of the most well known pieces in the Crown Jewels is St. Edward’s Crown, which has 444 stones, both precious and semi-precious. Nearly five pounds of gold were used to construct the crown, which today would be worth more than $100,000; while the collection of stones in the precious metal likely place the value of this crown at approximately $39 million.
Her Majesty only wore the St. Edward’s Crown for a few moments as it is extremely heavy. Queen Elizabeth told Smithsonian Channel, “You can’t look down to read the speech, you have to take the speech up, because if you did, your neck would break and it would fall off.”
The jewels are said to be priceless. They are not insured either, which means they’ve likely never been appraised. However, estimates put the entire collection at $4 billion. Pretty incredible!