SSgt Dek Traylor/
UK MOD © Crown copyright 2023
King Charles III is the first British monarch to begin his reign in the 21st century but he’s been followed throughout his rule by history. After the ceremony of the Coronation, a special service in Edinburgh saw him presented with the oldest Crown Jewels in Britain.
The Honours of Scotland, the oldest Crown Jewels in the United Kingdom, are on permanent display at the Crown Room in Edinburgh Castle and include a crown, a sceptre, and a sword. The oldest of these items, the sceptre, dates back to 1494, while the crown and sword date to 1540 and 1507, respectively.
The Crown of Scotland was created for Scottish King James V, who wore it publicly at the coronation of his wife Mary de Guise in 1540. His daughter, Mary, Queen of Scots, was the first Scottish monarch to wear it at a coronation, and King Charles II was the last to wear it in 1651.
It is fashioned of gold and silver and features 69 Scottish freshwater pearls along its base. Forty-three gemstones were taken from an older crown used in Scottish coronations, likely from the time of Robert the Bruce or his son, David II.
The four golden arches on top of the circlet are from the old crown; the arches come together under a blue-enamelled monde covered in stars. At the very top of the Crown of Scotland are a golden cross-pattée with pearls and an amethyst stone.
The Sceptre’s origins are unknown, but it is believed to date to the reign of James IV and might have been a gift from Pope Alexander VI. The sceptre is Italian-crafted from silver gilt and was redone during the reign of James V to lengthen it.
Its rod features engravings of leaves, thistles, fleurs-de-lis, urns and grotesques; its finial has dolphins—which are a symbol of the church—and canopied figures of the Virgin Mary with baby Jesus, Saint James, and Saint Andrew. A globe sits atop the finial, golden and topped with a pearl.
The Sword of State was another papal gift, this time from Pope Julius II to King James IV. Its blade is etched with the figures of Saint Peter and Saint Paul and the Latin words ‘JULIUS II PONT MAX.’ The gilt handle is silver and features oaks and acorns etchings.
The Honours of Scotland were hidden during the Interregnum to protect them from being sold off or melted down by Oliver Cromwell. After the monarchy was restored in 1660, the Honours were returned to Edinburgh Castle, where they have remained ever since.
There were fears that the Honours may be taken and melted down during the reign of Queen Anne in the early 1700s. An Act of Parliament was created in 1707 that protected them: “… the crown, scepter and sword of state… continue to be keeped as they are in that part of the united kingdome now called Scotland, and that they shall so remain in all tyme coming, notwithstanding of the union.”
The Honours were locked away at this time and not discovered again until 1818, on the orders of George IV (then Prince Regent), who demanded that the walled-off room be broken into. There was much celebration that the Honours were found again, and a Royal Standard was flown over Edinburgh Castle in celebration.
King George IV became the first monarch to visit Scotland since the 1600s and the first to symbolically touch the Honours after their procession from Edinburgh Castle to the Palace of Holyroodhouse.
During the Second World War, the Honours of Scotland were hidden and their location so secret that only King George VI, the King’s Remembrancer, the Scottish Secretary of State and the Governor General of Canada knew their whereabouts.
The Honours of Scotland are on display normally but have been used since 1953 in presentations to the Monarch in Services of Thanksgiving at St Giles’ Cathedral. The service is not to be confused with a coronation ceremony, though. At the time of Elizabeth II’s coronation, Sir Winston Churchill, Prime Minister, told her to dress informally.
King Charles III was presented with the Honours of Scotland on July 5th 2023 at St. Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh.
