How much are the Queen’s Crown Jewels actually worth and why doesn’t she wear them

It’s no secret to anyone that the Royal Family are sitting on a lot of money.

Palaces aside, their property portfolio beggars belief with the Queen personally owning 6.6 billion acres, which is about a sixth of the planet.

But it’s not just the soil that’s collecting dust and increasing in value, the Royals are also the proud owners of some of the most precious jewels on earth including the Crown Jewels which are worth an astonishing amount – more than £2 billion to be precise.

The Queen was crowned in June 1953, and as most monarchs since the 13th century before her, she wore the St Edward’s Crown on the day.

Named after Edward the Confessor, the St. Edward’s Crown is the centrepiece for the British Crown Jewels.

The present version was made for monarch Charles II in 1661, and it is crafted from solid gold.

The current incarnation of the crown is decorated with 444 precious and semi-precious stones, with Baroque arches and when not in use, it is on pubic display in the Jewel House at the Tower of London.

The Imperial State Crown is another impressive crown in the Royal Collection, and the Queen wears it to state openings of Parliament.

It has a lot of very old and valuable gems, including sapphires belonging to St. Edward the Confessor and Alexander II of Scotland, a ruby from Edward the Black Prince, pearls from Elizabeth I and the Cullinan II diamond.

It isn’t just crowns in the collection of the Crown Jewels – there are also five swords.

All five swords are carried in the coronation procession, but only the Jewelled Sword of Offering is presented to the new monarch by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Sceptres are another addition to the Crown Jewels recognisable from the many portraits of royalty throughout history.

The Sceptre with the Cross, known as the Royal Sceptre, the Sovereign’s Sceptre, or the St. Edward’s Sceptre, was made in 1661 for Charles II.

It represents the Crown’s temporal authority and in 1905 the tip of it was redesigned to fit the Great Star of Africa, otherwise known as the Cullinan I diamond.

Rings, spurs, clothing and a Salt of State, an extravagant salt cellar, also make up the Crown Jewels.

Finally, The Lily Font, commissioned in 1840 by Queen Victoria for her first child, has been used to christen every royal baby for the last 180 years.

So how much is this all worth?

The largest gem, the Cullinan I diamond, is found in the Sceptre with the Cross and is worth £400 million on its own.

While the Crown Jewels is one of the most precious jewellery collections in the word it is impossible to insure, as the historical nature of the Crown Jewels means a price cannot be put on the collection.

However, valuation experts at finance website Saving Spot have estimated the value of the St Edward’s Crown by deconstructing it piece by piece.

According to Saving Spot, the entire Crown Jewels collection has been estimated to be worth more than £2.7 billion, however, there is no way of saying its exact value.

Why does the Queen rarely wear her crown?

Well there’s a simple answer here – it’s too heavy.

The Imperial State Crown weighs a massive two pounds and 13 ounces, and is adorned with more than 3,000 gemstones, 2,000 of which are diamonds.

Traditionally, a monarch wears the long crimson velvet Robe of State and the Imperial State Crown to open Parliament.

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However, this year on May 11, the Queen was not wearing the crown, and instead, the Queen’s St Edward’s Crown travelled to Parliament ahead of her arrival.

Queen Elizabeth II dressed in “day dress” rather than her traditional ceremonial robes, in accordance with Covid guidance.

Therefore it would likely hurt the Queen if she tried to wear it and could even break her neck, as the Queen’s Speech lasts around 10 minutes on average which it too long for her to wear this crown.

Are you surprised by how much the Crown Jewels are worth? Let us know in the comments here.