Thread by @dailystar

The Queen had a hidden second crown she only wore once and is still locked in Tower of London😮

[THREAD] 🧵

#TheQueen

Around 750,000 people were estimated to have witnessed the her Imperial State Crown sit atop the Queen's coffin while she was lying in state at Westminster Hall.

But, less known to many, there was a different crown on her 1953 coronation.

That crown, named St Edward's Crown, is regarded as the centrepiece of the Tower's Crown Jewels.

It is more than 350 years old and is regarded as the centrepiece of the Crown Jewels, boasts 444 gemstones, was made from 22-carat gold and features in the logo for the Royal Mail.

Named after Edward the Confessor, who ruled as King from 1042 to 1066, the first version of the crown was used at the coronations of sovereigns from the 13th century to 1649.

As of 2019, the value of the jewels and gold used in the making of St Edward's Crown was estimated to be more than £3.6million.

The crown was used at the coronations of Charles II (1661), James II (1685) and William III (1689), before the tradition was revived in 1911 by George V and went on to grace the heads of George VI (1937) and Elizabeth II.
#TheRoyalFamily

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