The queens cheeky reaction to handling the crown jewels has gone viral
Queen Elizabeth II’s “cheeky” reaction to an interviewer while handling the Crown Jewels for a special documentary in 2018 has gone viral after a clip resurfaced on TikTok.
The video of the monarch handling the Imperial Crown as she discusses her jeweled items with broadcaster Alastair Bruce was taken to commemorate the 65th anniversary of her coronation, which took place on 2 June 1953 at Westminster Abbey.
The TikTok video has garnered more than 2 million views and more than 176,000 likes since it was uploaded by user Brittoker.
Users have praised the humorous video, in which Bruce reverently asks the crown jeweler-in-waiting to bring the crown closer to the Queen, after which she picks it up herself, saying, “That’s what I do when I wear it!”
According to custom, only three people are allowed to touch the crown: the Queen, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Crown Jeweler.
The Imperial State Crown is the principal crown worn by the British Sovereign and is kept at the Tower of London alongside the other insignia used at coronations and official ceremonies, such as the Sovereign’s Scepter and the golden orb of Queen Mary II.
The current state crown was made for the Queen’s father, King George VI, in 1937 and is based on the crown made for Queen Victoria in 1837. It contains a number of the British monarchy’s most historic jewels – including St Edward’s Sapphire, the oldest gemstone in the collection.
Set in the center of the crown, this blue stone is believed to have belonged to Edward the Confessor, who ascended the throne in 1042.
Among other notable stones in the crown is the 317-carat diamond Cullinan II, also known as the second star of Africa. The Cullinan diamond was mined in South Africa in 1905 and the 3,106 carat diamond was presented as a gift to King Edward VII after it could not be sold privately in 1907. The diamond in the rough was cut into nine smaller stones, which are contained in other jewels of the Queen’s private use.
The TikTok video also shows the Queen’s reaction to another jewel in the Imperial State Crown: the Black Prince’s Ruby.
“Can I watch this ending?” She is shown questioning Bruce while moving the crown on the table in front of her. “I like the Black Prince’s Ruby.”
The ruby is in fact a cabochon spinel, thought to be the same throughout history until the 18th century when it was discovered that the two stones were chemically different in composition.
Said to have been given to Edward the Black Prince, the ‘ruby’ was also worn by Henry V during the Battle of Agincourt in 1415. The stone was sold during the English Civil War but returned to the royal collection in 1660 with the restoration of the monarchy. Queen Victoria had the stone placed in her state crown, which was replicated in that of King George VI.
Commenters on the TikTok video praised the Queen’s good mood in the clip, with one caption: “I love the cheeky grin she gives when looking at it after adjusting it.”
“Wow! She’s really funny, I wasn’t expecting that. The way she handles that thing like it’s a party hat,” posted another.
“I’m not a big fan of the monarchy in general, but the Queen has definitely given us some of these wonderfully endearing moments!” explained another user.
The majority of the crown jewels are reserved for the coronation ceremony, but the Imperial State Crown was worn by the Queen for the State Opening of Parliament each year of her reign until 2017. In 2019 it was decided that the crown was also heavy for the non-centenarian monarch and she wore George VI’s diamond tiara instead.
In 2021, the Queen opened Parliament in day dress as the event was downsized due to the COVID pandemic. The monarch did not attend the 2022 ceremony for the first time in her 70-year reign after she had a spate of health problems in autumn 2021, which Buckingham Palace called “episodic mobility issues”. Prince Charles and Prince William attended the ceremony on the Queen’s stead, where Charles read her official speech for the first time.
https://www.newsweek.com/queen-elizabeth-cheeky-crown-jewels-viral-video-tiktok-1736078 The Queen’s ‘cheeky’ reaction to handling the crown jewels has gone viral
Categorized in:
Tagged in:
Share Article: