The Sceptre with the Cross, also known as the St Edward's Sceptre, the Sovereign's Sceptre or the Royal Sceptre, is a sceptre of the British Crown Jewels. It was originally made for the coronation of King Charles II in 1661. In 1905, it was redesigned after the discovery of the Cullinan Diamond. Now, the Sceptre with the Cross includes the second largest diamond in the world, the Cullinan I, or the Great Star of Africa, which weighs over 530 carats (110 g). The Cullinan I can be removed from the sceptre to be worn as a brooch. The Cullinan diamond was the largest diamond ever found in the world, at 3106.75 carats. It was cut into 9 different pieces and Cullinan I was the largest among them.
The Sceptre symbolises the temporal authority of the Monarch under the Cross. The Sceptre with the Dove, another sceptre in the Crown Jewels, represents spiritual authority. During the coronation, the Monarch holds the Sceptre with the Cross in the right hand and the Sceptre with the Dove in the left while the Archbishop of Canterbury places St Edward's Crown on his or her head.
The Sceptre with the Cross, and the other Crown Jewels, may be found on display at the Jewel House in the Tower of London.
Famous quotes containing the words sceptre and/or cross:
““Mother of heaven, regina of the clouds,
O sceptre of the sun, crown of the moon,
There is not nothing, no, no, never nothing,
Like the clashed edges of two words that kill.””
—Wallace Stevens (1879–1955)
“Never expect any recognition here—the system prohibits it. The cross is not affixed to the genius, no, the genius is affixed to the cross.”
—Franz Grillparzer (1791–1872)