Imperial Crown of India

Imperial Crown of India

The Imperial Crown of India was the crown of the Sovereign as Emperor of India during the time of the British Raj. The crown is housed with, but is not part of, the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom.

History

The crown was created for George V as Emperor of India to wear at the Delhi Durbar of 1911. The need for the new crown lay in the fact that it is forbidden by Old Royal Law for the British Crown Jewels themselves to leave the United Kingdom.

King George and Queen Mary travelled to Delhi for the Durbar ceremonies, proclaiming them as Emperor and Empress of India to the princes of India. The King was not crowned at the service because the Archbishop of Canterbury did not think it suitable for a Christian religious service to take place in a predominately non-Christian (Hindu and Muslim) country. Therefore the King wore the crown as he entered the arena where the Durbar took place.

The Crown Jewellers, Garrard & Co, created the crown at the cost of £60,000. It weighs 34.05 ounces (0.97 kg) and is set with emeralds, rubies, sapphires, 6,100 diamonds, and one large fine ruby. The considerable weight of the crown led King George to complain after the Durbar that his head hurt [http://www.londononline.co.uk/monarchy/Imperial_Crown_of_India London Online - Imperial Crown of India] ] .

The crown has not been worn by any Sovereign since.

Design

Similar to other British crowns, the Imperial Crown of India consists of a circlet topped by four crosses pattée and four fleurs-de-lis. However, the arches on top, which join at a typical monde and cross, point upwards in an Asiatic manner instead of curving back downward as other British crowns do. It is also the only crown of a British Sovereign with eight half arches, in the manner of Continental European crown jewels, departing from the British tradition of the Crown having four half arches. The reason for this is tradition. The rules surrounding royal crowns are very clear. A prince's crown bears 2 half-arches(forming one arch). A king's crown bears 4 half-arches. The crown of an emperor bears 8 half-arches. His Majesty was recognizing himself as emperor of India, not king.

It can be viewed in the Jewel House at the Tower of London, alongside the other crown jewels.

References


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