Like the sceptres, The Sovereign's Orb is a significant part of the traditional coronation regalia. The golden, jeweled ball, surmounted by a gem-encrusted cross, is designed as a symbol that the monarch's power is derived from God. As with the sceptres, it was created in 1661.
Among the objects is the Sovereign's Orb, a golden globe surmounted by a cross. It reminds the monarch that their power is derived from God.
The orb is also a significant object that is given to monarchs for their coronation to represent their power and responsibilities, according to the charity. The gold orb, Historic Royal Places says, "reminds the monarch that their power is derived from God."
The Sovereign's Orb
Each arm of the cross also has a pearl at the end of it. When Charles I had the orb re-commissioned in 1661, it is said that he spent £1,150 on it, equivalent to $290,000 today. However, the orb is definitely worth more than that, although royal experts have yet to put a public value on it.
The Sovereign's Orb is an 11-inch hollow gold sphere with a cross on top representing the monarch's power in the Christian world. Three bands of jewels represent the three continents British rulers believed existed when the orb was made.
The orb. The golden jewelled ball created, like the sceptre, in 1661, is topped by a gem-encrusted cross. It is meant to remind the monarch that their power is derived from God.
The Imperial State Crown, the Sovereign's Orb, and the Sovereign's Sceptre are now resting on the Standard. The Imperial State Crown was placed on top of her coffin at Buckingham Palace, and remained there throughout the procession to Westminster Hall.
The orb, made from a hollow gold globe, features several precious gemstones, including rose-cut diamonds, an octagonal step-cut amethyst, a table-cut sapphire, as well as clusters of emeralds, rubies, sapphires, and pearls.
The Sovereign's Orb is a piece of coronation regalia. It was created for the coronation of Charles II in 1661 from the royal goldsmith Robert Viner. It is made of gold, sapphires, rubies, emeralds, amethyst, diamonds, pearls, and enamel.
The Sovereign's Orb is formed from a hollow gold sphere, mounted with a zone and arc with clusters of emeralds, rubies and sapphires, surrounded by rose-cut diamonds, each in a champleve enamel mount, between single rows of pearls.
On ceremonial occasions, the Lord Chamberlain carries a white staff and a gold key, the symbols of his office. Tradition dictates that the Lord Chamberlain breaks the white staff over the sovereign's grave – a symbolic gesture marking the death of the sovereign he serves.
There are strict rules surrounding the crown jewels, and only three people in the world are allowed to touch them: the current monarch (that's now King Charles III), the Archbishop of Canterbury and the crown jeweler. For more than 800 years, the crown jewels have lived in the Tower of London.
Also known as the “breaking of the stick”, the action marks the end of the lord chamberlain's service to the monarch. King Charles will duly appoint a lord chamberlain of his own, who will receive a new wand of office.
They stay safeguarded at the Tower of London in safekeeping for the nation, and when one monarch dies, the crown jewels are immediately passed to their heir.” So the Queen's former crown, sceptre and orb now belong to her son, King Charles III.
The orb was kept steady by a small spike on its bottom that fit into a discreet mounting on top of the coffin's oak surface.
During the service the Crown Jewels - the Imperial State Crown containing almost 3,000 diamonds, the sovereign's orb and sceptre were removed from the top of her coffin and placed on an altar.
It has been estimated that it would weigh between 250kg and 317kg. Eight military bearers have been selected to carry the Queen's coffin on the day of her funeral. According to the Ministry of Defence, the bearer party is formed of eight soldiers from the Queen's Company 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards.
Who will inherit the Queen's jewels? It is likely that these jewels will be passed down to members of the Windsor family and if the Queen follows tradition, she will leave the majority of them to the next monarch, which in this case is King Charles III.
Meanwhile, other experts are happy to give it a rough estimation, alleging it could be worth anywhere between $3.4 to $5.7 billion. "It can be quite hard to look at sometimes because of the sheer light that comes off them. It's literally dazzling… visually overpowering," says Anna Keay, author of The Crown Jewels.
The orb, which weighs a staggering 1.3kg, usually sits in the Tower of London as part of the Coronation Regalia and has played a central part of the crowning of monarchs for hundreds of years.
Rulers were often depicted with the orb, but the first to hold it in hand at his coronation was the Holy Roman emperor Henry II in 1014; thereafter the “imperial apple” became an important emblem of the royal power invested in the monarch. Perhaps the best-known example of a royal orb is Britain's Sovereign's Orb.
Altogether, the orb is decorated with 375 pearls, 365 diamonds, 18 rubies, 9 emeralds, 9 sapphires, 1 amethyst and 1 piece of glass. It is handed to the sovereign during the investiture rite of the coronation, and is borne later in the left hand when leaving Westminster Abbey.
The eight men are from the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards which had a close connection with the Queen who held the position of company commander. At the time the British Army said the "very best soldiers" were chosen to carry out this solemn duty.
For the funeral, the Queen's casket was adorned with multiple items, including Imperial State Crown, Sovreign's Sceptre and Sovreign's Orb as well as a funeral wreath and a handwritten letter.
Diana's coffin borne through the streets of London on its way to Westminster Abbey. Her coffin was draped in a pall depicting the royal standard with an ermine border.