Sovereign's Sceptre with Cross
The Sovereign's Sceptre with Cross, also known as the Sceptre with Cross, the Royal Sceptre or St Edward's Sceptre, is a gold sceptre of the British Crown Jewels. It is 92 cm (3 ft) long and weighs 1.17 kg (2.58 lb), and was originally made by the royal goldsmith, Sir Robert Vyner, for the coronation of Charles II in 1661.[1]
In 1910, it was redesigned after the discovery of the Cullinan diamond. In addition to 392 gemstones, the Sceptre with Cross contains the largest clear diamond in the world – Cullinan I, or the Great Star of Africa – weighing over 530 carats (106 g). The Cullinan I can be removed from the sceptre and worn as a brooch. The Cullinan diamond was the largest diamond ever found, at 3,106 carats (621.2 g). The South African government presented it to Edward VII on his sixty-sixth birthday in 1907. It was cut into nine pieces and Cullinan I was the largest among them. The second largest, Cullinan II, is set in the Imperial State Crown.
The sceptre represents the temporal authority of the monarch under the cross. The Sceptre with Dove, another sceptre in the Crown Jewels, represents spiritual authority. During the coronation, the monarch holds the Sceptre with Cross in the right hand and the Sceptre with Dove in the left while the Archbishop of Canterbury places St Edward's Crown on his or her head.[2]
The Sceptre with Cross, and the other Crown Jewels, are on public display in the Jewel House at the Tower of London.[3]
See also
References
- ↑ Annie Bullen (2013). The Coronation: A Royal History. Dundurn. p. 41. ISBN 978-1-4597-2494-5.
- ↑ Kenneth J. Mears; Simon Thurley; Claire Murphy (1994). The Crown Jewels. Historic Royal Palaces Agency. ASIN B000HHY1ZQ.
- ↑ The Royal Household. "The Crown Jewels". The Official Website of the British Monarchy. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
External links
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