Imperial Crown of India
The Imperial Crown of India is the crown used by George V in his capacity as Emperor of India at the Delhi Durbar of 1911.[1]
Since British law prohibits the removal of the Crown Jewels from the United Kingdom, a new crown had to be made for George V and Queen Mary's trip to India in 1911, where they were proclaimed as Emperor and Empress of India to the princes and rulers of India.[2]
George and Mary were not crowned as emperor and empress at the ceremony; the Archbishop of Canterbury, Randall Davidson, did not think it was suitable for a Christian service to take place in a country where the people were mostly Hindu or Muslim. Instead, the king simply wore the crown as he entered the durbar, and the durbar was styled as an affirmation of the king's coronation which had already taken place in the United Kingdom.
The Crown Jewellers, Garrard & Co, made the crown at a cost of £60,000 (£NaN in 2024),[3] and it was paid for by the India Office.[1] It weighs 34.5 ounces (0.92 kg) and is set with emeralds, rubies, sapphires and 6,100 diamonds. The king wrote in his diary that it was heavy and caused him great discomfort, "Rather tired after wearing my crown for 3.5 hours; it hurt my head, as it is pretty heavy".[4] The crown has not been used since George V returned from India and is now a part of the Crown Jewels housed in the Tower of London.[5]
Similar to other British crowns, it 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 Asian style. It is the only crown of a British sovereign with eight half-arches, in the style of Continental European crowns, departing from the British tradition of crowns having four half-arches.
See also
References
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