Coronation Day
Sovereign's Orb
As you may know, May 6th marked the coronation of Charles as King Charles III of Great Britain and other 13 countries. Yesterday, I talked about St. Edward's Crown which is used only for the coronation of the British monarch. However, there are other important objects, and today I am going to talk about the Sovereign's Orb.
Sovereign's Orb
Dating back from 1661, when it was created for the coronation of king Charles II, the orb has a powerful symbolism. It represents the Christian world and the belief that the monarch's power is derived from God. During the coronation procession, the newly crowned king or queen holds it in the right hand.
King Charles II holding the Orb
Charles III holding the Orb
The Sovereign Orb is hollow and it weighs about 1.32 kg. It consists of 9 gems, 18 rubies, 9 sapphires, 365 diamonds and 375 pearls. There was an attempt to steal it by Colonel Thomas Blood, in 1671. Eventually, the robbers were caught and the guards found that Blood had hidden the Orb in his pants. Amused by this event, king Charles II pardoned him. I hope that his Highness also ordered the Orb to be cleaned after this incident as well. 😆
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