George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, the Crown Jeweller removed the Imperial State Crown and the Orb and Sceptre from the Queen's coffin before it was lowered into the royal vault.
During yesterday's historic committal service, which saw Queen Elizabeth II laid to rest, the Crown Jewels – the Imperial State Crown adorned with over 3,000 gemstones, the Sovereign's Orb and Sceptre – were lifted from the late monarch's coffin by the Crown Jeweller.
The crown, orb and sceptre symbolise the monarch's power and governance and so its removal separated the Queen from her crown for the last time following her 70-year reign.
The Imperial State Crown, orb and sceptre were placed on top of Queen Elizabeth II 's coffin for the duration of her state funeral, and it turns out the objects were actually screwed down to...
The Crown Jewels are only allowed to be touched by three people in the world. These people are: the monarch, the Crown Jeweller and the Archbishop of Canterbury.
The orb was kept steady by a small spike on its bottom that fit into a discreet mounting on top of the coffin's oak surface. The crown sat atop a purple pillow, a seemingly precarious spot that was stabilised by a firm protruding section on which the monarch's headwear was mounted.
They stay safeguarded at the Tower of London in safekeeping for the nation, and when one monarch dies, the crown jewels are immediately passed to their heir.” So the Queen's former crown, sceptre and orb now belong to her son, King Charles III.
While the Queen was lying in state, on top of her coffin rested the Imperial State Crown, perhaps the most familiar treasure in the Crown Jewels - a priceless collection of tens of thousands of gemstones collected over the centuries by British kings and queens.
The Imperial State Crown, set with thousands of precious gems, sat upon the Queen's Royal Standard-draped coffin on a velvet cushion during the monarch's Lying in State.
In a powerful representation of her 70-year reign, the coffin is delicately draped with the Royal Standard, on which the Imperial State Crown lies on a velvet cushion - with a wreath of flowers featuring foliage from the gardens at her Balmoral and Windsor residences.
Imperial State Crown, orb and sceptre removed from Queen Elizabeth II's coffin | ABC News - YouTube.
The Lord Chamberlain poignantly "broke" his Wand of Office over the coffin, and placed the pieces there. Finally, the coffin was lowered into the Royal Vault, as the Dean of Windsor read Psalm 103, including the emotional line, "Go forth upon thy journey from this world, O Christian soul."
The Queen's coffin was carried on the State Gun Carriage. The tradition of sailors pulling the coffin was brought in after the horses used to pull Queen Victoria's coffin in 1901 for her funeral were spooked and almost tipped her coffin.
The truth is that the monarch's coffin is made of oak and that the lead is only a lining, which is still strange. This is a custom in the British royal family, and was the case for both Prince Philip, Elizabeth II's ex-husband, and Diana of Wales.
Onlookers said the man tried to touch the Queen's coffin. "Some person decided they were going to push my seven-year-old niece out the way, run up to the coffin, lift up the standard and try to do I don't know what," witness Tracey Holland said. "She was grabbed out the way and the police had him within two seconds."
The coffin bearers at the Queen's funeral are from a unit of which the late monarch was Company Commander. Soldiers from the Queen's Company, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, were chosen to lift the coffin during the service at Westminster Abbey and Windsor Castle.
"Calling it priceless is sensible, but you can just add as many zeros as there are diamonds in the collection," he said of the crown. Meanwhile, other experts are happy to give it a rough estimation, alleging it could be worth anywhere between $3.4 to $5.7 billion.
While the Crown Jewels are considered priceless due to their historic and cultural value, various experts have attempted to unofficially value them, coming up with estimates of between £3 billion and £5 billion. However, no official valuations have been made as the Crown has never considered selling them.
While Kate inherited $110 million in jewelry from the Queen, that collection did not include the Spencer tiara, a diamond-encrusted crown inherited by William's late mother, Princess Diana, in the mid-1970s. Diana wore the tiara in her wedding to King Charles—then Prince Charles—in 1981.
How much did Kate Middleton inherit from Queen Elizabeth II? Radar Online reported in September 2022 that was Kate was expected to inherit $110 million in jewelry from the Queen after her death. The collection includes 300 personal pieces of jewelry that belonged just to the Queen and not the Crown.
Who inherits the Queen's wealth? King Charles is the sole beneficiary of the Queen's wealth, including her £650 million estate. On top of this, she amassed tens of millions of pounds in her own cash and assets, mainly from art and racehorses.
The collection belongs to the British monarchy, not to Queen Elizabeth herself, meaning they have automatically been passed on to King Charles III. The new sovereign, however, can loan them to different members of the royal family, as his mother did in the past.
What happens to the pieces after the funeral? They won't stay with Queen Elizabeth II after the funeral or her burial. According to The Telegraph, they will be removed “in the final moments before the public sees its last images of the monarch's coffin” during her service in St. George's Chapel.
There are strict rules surrounding the crown jewels, and only three people in the world are allowed to touch them: the current monarch (that's now King Charles III), the Archbishop of Canterbury and the crown jeweler. For more than 800 years, the crown jewels have lived in the Tower of London.
The public will be able to file past the coffin 24 hours a day from 5pm on Wednesday 14 September until 6.30am on the day of the funeral - Monday 19 September. Those wishing to attend will be required to queue for many hours, possibly overnight.