Uneasy lies the head
In a 2018 BBC documentary Elizabeth II commented on the weight of the crown at her coronation, complaining that if you wore it for too long ‘your neck would break off’. What will be the burden on Charles III’s head?
– At the moment of the coronation Charles will wear St Edward’s Crown, made for Charles II in 1661. That weighs 2.07kg. Prior to 1911 it weighed 2.6kg – although both Victoria and Edward VII were spared having to wear it.
– However, for his departure from Westminster Abbey that crown will be removed and he will wear the Imperial State Crown instead, which weighs 1.06kg.
– By contrast, most full-face motorcycle helmets (just about the heaviest thing people wear on their heads in day-to-day life) weigh between 1.3kg and 1.7kg.
Screen queen
The coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953 is recorded as being watched on TV by 20 million Britons – although how much they could each see is questionable.
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