The British Monarchy

St Edward's Crown. Refurbished for Charles II's Coronation from an old crown; the gold may have come from Edward the Confessor's crown
© AC Cooper

Which crowns are on display in the Jewel House at the Tower of London?

The collection known as the Crown Jewels includes the regalia used at coronations and other crowns donated by various Sovereigns over the years. Some of the better-known crowns are:

St Edward's Crown: the coronation crown of England first used for Charles II's Coronation in 1661. Being of solid gold, the crown weighs 2.2kg (nearly 5lbs) and is set with 444 semi-precious stones.

Imperial State Crown: originally made for Queen Victoria's coronation in 1838, it contains the Second Star of Africa (part of the Cullinan Diamond, the largest ever recorded). The Crown weighs 1.3kg (nearly 3lbs) and is set with over 3,000 precious stones. Apart from a coronation, when it is used for the return from Westminster Abbey, it is worn by The Queen for her speech at the State Opening of Parliament.

Crown of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother: the only crown mounted in platinum, it was created for Queen Elizabeth when she was crowned Queen Consort in 1937. It has over 2,800 diamonds, including the Koh-i-Noor and the Lahore, the majority of which were taken from a circlet owned by Queen Victoria.

Imperial Crown of India: made in 1911 for George V to be crowned King Emperor at the Delhi Durbar as the crowns of England cannot leave the country.

Small Crown of Queen Victoria: weighing just 140g (5 ounces), this crown was made by Garrard (the Crown Jewellers) in 1870 using diamonds from a fringe necklace. It is set in silver and gold and is studded with about 1,300 diamonds. Because of its small size, Queen Victoria wore it in preference to the Imperial State Crown whenever she could.