Crown of Queen Alexandra
Encyclopedia
The Crown of Queen Alexandra was the consort crown
of Alexandra of Denmark
, the queen consort
of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom
. It was manufactured for the 1902 coronation
.
's death in January 1901 brought to an end a gap of sixty-four years when the United Kingdom
had been without a crowned queen consort
, since Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha had not been crowned as a consort. Traditionally queens consort
had been crowned with the 17th century Crown of Mary of Modena
. However in 1831, Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen
, consort of King William IV of the United Kingdom
, was crowned with a 4 half-arched new small crown, the Crown of Queen Adelaide
, because the Modena crown was judged too poor in quality, too old and too theatrical
.
In 1902 it was decided to use neither the Modena nor Adelaide crowns for the first coronation of a queen consort in seven decades. Instead it was decided to create a brand new consort crown
, to be named after Queen Alexandra.
an royal crowns. It was less upright than the norm in British crowns, and more squat in design, with an unpredecented eight half-arches. Its front arch joined a jewel
led cross into which was set the Koh-i-Noor
diamond. As with the later Crown of Queen Mary
and Crown of Queen Elizabeth
, the arches were detachable, allowing the crown to be worn as a circlet
.
The Crown of Queen Alexandra was not worn by later queens, with new crowns being created for Mary of Teck
in 1911 and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon
in 1937. The major stones have been replaced with artificial ones referred to as paste. The Crown of Queen Alexandra can be found on display in the National Army Museum in London, United Kingdom.
Consort crown
A consort crown is a crown worn by the consort of a monarch for her coronation or on state occasions.Unlike with reigning monarchs, who may inherit one or more crowns for use, consorts sometimes had special crowns made uniquely for them and which were worn by no other later consort.All British...
of Alexandra of Denmark
Alexandra of Denmark
Alexandra of Denmark was the wife of Edward VII of the United Kingdom...
, the queen consort
Queen consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...
of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...
. It was manufactured for the 1902 coronation
Coronation
A coronation is a ceremony marking the formal investiture of a monarch and/or their consort with regal power, usually involving the placement of a crown upon their head and the presentation of other items of regalia...
.
Background
Queen VictoriaVictoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
's death in January 1901 brought to an end a gap of sixty-four years when the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
had been without a crowned queen consort
Queen consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...
, since Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha had not been crowned as a consort. Traditionally queens consort
Queen consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...
had been crowned with the 17th century Crown of Mary of Modena
Crown of Mary of Modena
The Crown of Mary of Modena was the consort crown of Mary of Modena, queen consort of England, Scotland and Ireland, wife of King King James VII and II.-Origins:...
. However in 1831, Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen
Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen
Princess Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen was the queen consort of the United Kingdom and of Hanover as spouse of William IV of the United Kingdom. Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia, is named after her.-Early life:Adelaide was born on 13 August 1792 at Meiningen, Thuringia, Germany...
, consort of King William IV of the United Kingdom
William IV of the United Kingdom
William IV was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death...
, was crowned with a 4 half-arched new small crown, the Crown of Queen Adelaide
Crown of Queen Adelaide
The Crown of Queen Adelaide was the consort crown of Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen, wife and Queen consort of King William IV of the United Kingdom. It was used at the coronation of William and Adelaide in 1831...
, because the Modena crown was judged too poor in quality, too old and too theatrical
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
.
In 1902 it was decided to use neither the Modena nor Adelaide crowns for the first coronation of a queen consort in seven decades. Instead it was decided to create a brand new consort crown
Consort crown
A consort crown is a crown worn by the consort of a monarch for her coronation or on state occasions.Unlike with reigning monarchs, who may inherit one or more crowns for use, consorts sometimes had special crowns made uniquely for them and which were worn by no other later consort.All British...
, to be named after Queen Alexandra.
Style
The crown itself departed from the standard style of British crowns, and was more akin to EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an royal crowns. It was less upright than the norm in British crowns, and more squat in design, with an unpredecented eight half-arches. Its front arch joined a jewel
Gemstone
A gemstone or gem is a piece of mineral, which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments...
led cross into which was set the Koh-i-Noor
Koh-i-Noor
The Kōh-i Nūr which means "Mountain of Light" in Persian, also spelled Koh-i-noor, Koh-e Noor or Koh-i-Nur, is a 105 carat diamond that was once the largest known diamond in the world. The Kōh-i Nūr originated in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India along with its double, the Darya-ye Noor...
diamond. As with the later Crown of Queen Mary
Crown of Queen Mary
The Crown of Queen Mary was the consort crown of Mary of Teck, Queen Consort of King George V of the United Kingdom. It was manufactured for the coronation of George and Mary in 1911....
and Crown of Queen Elizabeth
Crown of Queen Elizabeth
The Crown of the Queen Mother is the platinum crown manufactured for, and worn by, Queen Elizabeth, the former Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, the queen consort of King George VI of the United Kingdom at their coronation in Westminster Abbey in 1937...
, the arches were detachable, allowing the crown to be worn as a circlet
Circlet
A circlet is a crown with neither arches nor a cap ....
.
The Crown of Queen Alexandra was not worn by later queens, with new crowns being created for Mary of Teck
Mary of Teck
Mary of Teck was the queen consort of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, as the wife of King-Emperor George V....
in 1911 and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon
Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon
Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon was the queen consort of King George VI from 1936 until her husband's death in 1952, after which she was known as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, to avoid confusion with her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II...
in 1937. The major stones have been replaced with artificial ones referred to as paste. The Crown of Queen Alexandra can be found on display in the National Army Museum in London, United Kingdom.