2. Flowers
At the request of King Charles, the wreath above the Queen’s coffin contains flowers and foliage from the royal properties of Buckingham Palace and Clarence House, London, and Highgrove House in Gloucestershire. Also, at the request of the King, the wreath was sustainable and placed in a nest of English moss and oak branches. The wreath contains myrtle, the ancient symbol of a happy marriage, cut from a plant that grew from a sprig of myrtle in the Queen’s wedding bouquet in 1947. It also contains rosemary as a symbol of remembrance and English oak, a national symbol of strength, in a nod to constancy and the constant duty of the Queen. Other foliage includes pelargoniums, garden roses, autumn hydrangea, sedum, dahlias and scabs.
3. The imperial state crown
The hallowed body of the late queen is represented by the crown, orb and sceptre. The crown, which represents the power of the sovereign, has 2,868 diamonds, 269 pearls, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds and four rubies. It contains some of the most valuable crown jewels, including the Black Prince’s Ruby, the Stuart Sapphire and the Cullinan II Diamond. The St Edward’s Sapphire, set in the center of the upper cross, is said to have been worn in a ring by St Edward the Confessor and discovered in his tomb in 1163. The crown has been damaged in the past – during the transport of George V’s body , the diamond-encrusted orb that sits atop the crown, along with the cross and sapphire it supports – broke and rolled into a gutter. The Queen wore the tiara when she left Westminster Abbey after her coronation in 1953. The monarch wears the tiara for state occasions, including the State Opening of Parliament.
4. The sphere
The jeweled golden ball created, like the scepter, in 1661 is surmounted by a gem-encrusted cross. It is meant to remind the monarch that their power comes from God.
5. The scepter
The scepter was created for the coronation of King Charles II and has been used to represent the power and rule of the crown at every coronation since 1661. In 1910, the Cullinan I diamond was added to the sceptre. Weighing 532.2 carats, it is the largest colorless diamond in the world. Cullinan I is the largest stone cut from the magnificent Cullinan diamond. Discovered in South Africa in 1905, it is the largest uncut diamond ever found.
6. The royal standard flag
The royal standard represents the sovereign and the United Kingdom. The modern incarnation of the flag has four quarters: England (three lions) in the first and fourth quarters, Scotland (a lion rampant) in the second quarter, and Ireland (a harp) in the third quarter. In Scotland, a different version of the royal standard is used, with the Scottish arms in the first and fourth quarters and the English arms in the second. Wales is not represented, as its special status as a principality was recognized by the creation of the Prince of Wales long before the incorporation of the constituencies for Scotland and Ireland into the royal fold.
