Queen’s crown to leave Tower of London

The crown used for Queen Elizabeth’s coronation will leave the Tower of London for the first time since 1953 today (04.06.13).

The 350-year-old St Edward’s Crown will be surrounded by security as it makes its journey to Westminster Abbey in central London alongside the Ampulla – a gold, eagle-shaped bottle which contained the holy oil poured to anoint the queen on June 2, 1953 – for a special ceremony.

Around 2,000 guests will gather to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the monarch’s coronation, and the Dean of Westminster, The Very Rev Dr John Hall, is delighted the original crown will be present for the spectacular event.

He told the Daily Telegraph newspaper: ”I think having the crown on the altar and the Ampulla there, those are extraordinary and it will be wonderful to have them there, to have that central focus of St Edward’s Crown just feet away from St Edward’s shrine, where he is buried.”

The crown was initially created for the coronation of Charles II in 1661 as a replacement for the previous coronation crown, which dated back to the 11th century royal saint, Edward the Confessor.

Dr. Hall will conduct the service, which will feature a poem written by poet Carol Ann Duffy for the special occasion, and the Dean is looking forward to celebrating the monarch’s long reign as queen.

He said: ”It’s a chance to celebrate the remarkable, dutiful service that the queen has offered over the last 60 years and to ask the question, do we have embedded within our own national life the idea of service as a proper duty?”