On 6 May, the historic St Edward’s Crown will be placed on the head of King Charles III as part of a coronation ritual that goes back centuries.

Rarely seen outside the Tower of London, the gold crown will be worn for less than an hour before being stored away for the coronation of the next monarch. Let’s take a closer look at this unique symbol and the role it has to play in the making of a king.

Although Charles became King immediately after his mother died, the Coronation is an ancient rite that symbolises the start of his reign.

And it will be a rare glimpse of the priceless St Edward’s Crown that is only ever worn during a coronation.

Made of solid 22-carat gold, the 360-year-old crown is over 30cm (1ft) tall and it’s heavy, weighing about 2.23kg (nearly 5lbs). That’s about the same as a large melon.

The St Edward’s Crown was last worn by Queen Elizabeth II at her coronation in 1953 – and has rarely left the Tower of London in the 70 years since.

Reunited with the crown for a documentary in 2018, the Queen asked “Is it still heavy?” and picking it up she confirmed: “It weighs a ton.”

The crown has 444 jewels and gemstones – including expensive sapphires, rubies, amethysts and topaz, although most are light blue and or bluish green aquamarines. They are set in enamel and gold mounts.

The stones in the crown used to be removable and were hired especially for coronations.

It was not until the 20th century that they were set in the crown permanently.

The crown was made for Charles II in 1661. It is named after a much earlier version that belonged to the Anglo-Saxon king and saint, Edward the Confessor. He was depicted wearing a crown in the famous 11th century Bayeux Tapestry.

Edward’s crown – considered a holy relic – was used in coronations for hundreds of years.

But it was melted down in the 1600s after the execution of King Charles I by Oliver Cromwell.

After Cromwell’s death, with royalty back in fashion, King Charles II commissioned a new set of crown jewels, including the