The Crown of King Henry VIII

Using the incredible research from the Historic Royal Palaces team, Harry and his team painstakingly recreated the Tudor Crown in all its glory. The crown is silver gilt, with 344 gemstones and pearls, including rubies, sapphires, emeralds, and diamonds. There are 5 enamel figures around the crown – the Virgin and Child, St George and 3 kings, St Edward the Confessor, St Edmund, and Henry VI. Originally the 3 kings were 3 Christs but when Henry VIII broke with Rome and the Catholic Church these were changed. Every detail was taken to make the crown as original as possible, even down to measuring the size of Henry VIII's head from a suit of his armour!

The crown was used in the coronation of Henry's children and the first 2 Stuart kings, until Civil War broke out in the 1640s. Following Parliament's victory against the king, the original crown was destroyed in 1649. There is such a fantastic story to this crown, and it was a real privilege for Harry and his team to be a part of continuing this legacy with Historic Royal Palaces.

We are thrilled to share that G Collins & Sons have been involved in the new program on the Crown Jewels produced by Atlantic Productions for BBC 1. Featuring Harry and Josh Collins as well as our wonderful workshop, we share our experience on crowns and diamonds with Clive Myrie.

Now on BBC iPlayer.