The crown jewels / Anna Keay.

"In association with Royal Collection Publications, Historic Royal Palaces"--Title page verso.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 199-200) and index.

Origins -- Christianity and kingship -- The age of magnificence -- Meltdown -- Monarchy remade -- Splendours of the table -- Crowns for queens -- Fathers and sons -- Economy of empire -- The new ceremonialism -- The modern age -- The crown jewels in the Tower of London : a complete inventory.

"[This book] tells the history of the most spectacular and complete collection of royal regalia in the world. The ... objects held in the Tower of London were created to be the embodiment of sovereignty, and their story is that of the English monarchy itself - from the twelfth-century spoon used for the anointing to the platinum crown created for Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother [consort of George VI] in 1937, set with the Koh-i-nûr diamond. The text ... recounts the development of the collection in the medieval period, the drtamatic sale and melting down of almost every piece after the execution of Charles I in 1649 and the remaking of the Crown Jewels for Charles II in 1660. Since then the collection has been augmented with pieces that reflect key moments in English nhistory, such as the regalia created for the only joint monarchs, William III [of Orange] and Mary II, in 1689 [after the Golden Revolution], and the crown made for King George V's inauguation as Emperor of India in 1911. ..."--Jacket.