Where is the Black Prince s ruby now?
Gemstones have been objects of obsession for centuries. While many are believed to have healing and protective qualities, others are known for their mystery and intrigue. One such exciting gemstone is the Black Prince Ruby, which is neither a ruby nor black.
Ruby of the Black Prince and Don Pedro the Cruel
The Black Prince Ruby is believed to be mined from the Kuh-i-Lala, the famous Badakhshan Balas Ruby mines, in modern-day Tajikistan. The gem was first recorded in the 14th century when it was stolen from Prince Abu Said of the Moorish Kingdom of Granada by Don Pedro the Cruel, ruler of Seville, Spain.
According to historical records, Prince Said was going to surrender to King Don Pedro when he captured Granada, but Pedro had cruel plans. In 1366, Don Pedro received Prince Said and his retainers to discuss the terms of his surrender and killed him.
After searching the prince’s body, Don Pedro found a large red gem the size of an egg and took it for himself. The brutal murder was believed to have caused a curse that haunted Don Pedro from that day on. Moreover, the curse was said to bring misfortune and death to those who own this stone. Soon after the Cruel acquired the gem, his brother Henry of Trastamara (1334-1379) declared war on Castile for the right to rule the country. Don Pedro had to ally with Edward of Woodstock, also known as the “Black Prince,” to defeat Henry of Trastamara and give him the gem as payment in 1367.
The Black Prince’s Ruby and the British Royal Family.
The Black Prince’s Ruby reappeared in the hands of Henry V, also called Henry of Monmouth, who was King of England from 1413 until his death in 1422.
On October 25, 1415, at the Battle of Agincourt, King Henry V appeared in his most luxurious attire. His helmet was adorned with a crown set with rubies, sapphires and pearls, including the Black Prince’s Ruby. The helmet was not just a decoration, it saved the king’s life and helped him defeat the French troops. The gem has since passed into the hands of the British royal family, including Henry VIII and his daughter Elizabeth I.
The Earl of Dorset described the stone in his inventory of the Crown Jewels. The gem was set into the crown of King James I, and a small hole in the top of the stone, drilled to be worn as a necklace, was surmounted by a small Ruby. After the coronation of Charles I, the gem was not placed in the jewelry house along with other treasures. This was a lucky chance, as if it had been there it would have been stolen along with other treasures when Cromwell came to power and Charles I was executed in 1649. According to the Parliamentary Sales List, the Black Prince’s Ruby was sold to an unknown party and was repurchased by Charles II, who nearly lost the Ruby when Irish Colonel Thomas Blood attempted to steal the Crown Jewels of England in 1671. Today, the Black Prince’s Ruby is found in the Imperial Crown of England and is one of the most famous British Crown Jewels.
Ruby of the Black Prince or “Great Pretender”
Despite its name, the Black Prince’s Ruby is not a ruby, which is why it is known as the “Great Pretender”. The gemstone is actually a blood-red rough spinel that was named after the “Black Prince,” Edward of Woodstock, Prince of Wales. At that time, all red transparent gemstones were considered rubies, and it was only through technological advances in the study of minerals that the Black Prince Ruby was discovered as a red spinel. Although ruby and spinel share some physical characteristics, ruby can be distinguished by its hardness and density, as it is slightly harder and denser than spinel. Fine red spinels are considered rarer than rubies and can often be even more valuable. As one of the world’s largest uncut spinels, the Black Prince Ruby weighs approximately 170 carats and is almost 5 centimeters long. The gem has a lightly polished surface with three facets and a drill bit that has been set with a small real Ruby. The gem is set at the front of the Imperial Crown, just above the famous Cullinan II Diamond, also known as the second Star of Africa, and is backed with gold foil to enhance its brilliance. The tunic and gown used at the coronations of King George IV in 1821, King George V in 1911, King George VI in 1937 and Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. Photo: www.royal.uk
The coronation of Charles III will take place at Westminster Abbey in London on May 6, the last coronation ceremony in the Western world that has survived from antiquity. We tell you what especially valuable relics and regalia will appear in it
On May 720 in London, in a coronation ceremony with almost a thousand years of history, the new King of Great Britain, Charles III, will sit over the Stone of Destiny in the XNUMX-year-old chair named after the English king-saint, and will be crowned with the same crown as the last monarch of the Stuart dynasty. When the choir sings the words of the coronation anthem (church hymn) by George Frideric Handel, “Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anointed Solomon to be king, and all the people rejoiced,” Charles III will be anointed as king with the oil of the Mount of Olives, consecrated by the Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilus III and the Anglican Archbishop in Jerusalem by Hosam Naum in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Then a loud cry will be heard: “Long live the king!” The moment of the coronation of Elizabeth II: Archbishop of Canterbury Geoffrey Fisher prepares to place the Crown of St. Edward on the Queen’s head. 1953. Photo: Royal Collection Trust / © His Majesty King Charles III 2023 The regalia used at a coronation does not belong to the king, but to an abstract entity called the Crown, and if the monarchy in Britain is ever abolished, it will pass to the state and will probably be kept as museum pieces, a subject of antiquarian and art historical interest, but no more. However, today they still share what remains of the archetypal aura of kingship. To understand what we are talking about, remember your school history lessons or, for example, “The Lord of the Rings” – King Aragorn, magic rings and the elf stone. There are things that are more than just things.
St. Edward’s Chair
St. Edward’s Chair.
Photo: www.royal.uk The most important part of the ceremony is not the coronation, but the anointing (a sacrament that will not be shown publicly). During it, the monarch sits in a massive antique chair – the coronation chair of St. Edward, made in 1300-1301 for King Edward I and bearing the name of an older ruler – Edward the Confessor. The so-called Stone of Fate, or Skunk Stone, is placed under the chair. From time immemorial, it served as the throne of the kings of Scotland, until the last of them was defeated by Edward I in 1296. In 1996, British Prime Minister John Major signed a decree returning the stone to Scotland – but now it has been specially brought to London for the coronation ceremony of the new British monarch. The St. Edward’s Chair was once gilded and richly ornamented. Despite the fact that since the 15th century it was used in almost all coronations, for a long time its preservation was not particularly taken care of, as evidenced by the graffiti carved on it, such as the inscription reporting that a certain P. Abbott slept in it 16 /July 1800, XNUMX.
Golden Eagle
A vessel in the shape of a golden eagle in which oil for anointing for the kingdom is stored. 1661.
Photo: Royal Collection Trust / © His Majesty King Charles III 2023 The king’s chest, head and hands will be anointed with oil from a vessel in the shape of a golden eagle, made for the coronation of Charles II on April 23, 1661 (the previous one was melted down in 1649 after the execution of Charles I). In shape, this vessel resembles a container of sacred oil, which, according to legend, St. Thomas of Canterbury (Thomas Becket) received from the Virgin Mary herself almost 900 years ago.
golden spoon
Coronation spoon. XII century
Photo: Royal Collection Trust / © His Majesty King Charles III 2023 The golden spoon, or coronation spoon, into which oil is poured, is the most ancient object used in the ceremony. It dates back to the 1649th century. The spoon was saved from destruction in XNUMX by a loyal civil servant who presented it to King Charles II eleven years later at the restoration of the monarchy.
Golden Robe
Fortunino Matania. “George VI in Coronation Robes: Imperial Robe and St Edward’s Crown”. 1937. Photo: The Print Collector / Alamy Stock Photo After the anointing, the king will be dressed in priestly robes: a long white linen shirt (this has been preserved from the coronation of his grandfather George VI on May 12, 1937); a tunic (surplice) of gold brocade, made in 1911 in the likeness of medieval church robes for the coronation of George V, after which it was worn at all subsequent coronations; stolou – an analogue of the Orthodox epitrachelion; and finally the coronation chasuble, known as the imperial robe. It was made for the incredibly luxurious coronation of George IV in 1821 from gold and silver brocade and silk and embroidered with flowers – the national symbols of parts of the United Kingdom. The mantle is the oldest part of the royal vestment used during coronation.
Crown of St. Edward
Crown of St. Edward.
Photo: Royal Collection Trust / © His Majesty King Charles III 2023 Dressed as a priest-king, Charles III will be crowned by the Archbishop of Canterbury with the Crown of St Edward. This crown was made for Charles II, but was later remade several times. Leaving the abbey, the king will put on another crown – the Imperial State (the word “imperial” in this case does not mean the colonial empire, but the autonomy of the English monarchy), which has been recreated six times since the 16th century.
Jewels of the Imperial State Crown
Crown of the British Empire.
Photo: Royal Collection Trust / © His Majesty King Charles III 2023 Among the stones adorning the Imperial State Crown, two jewels with an unusual history stand out. The huge red stone in front, known as the Black Prince’s ruby (actually a spinel), in the 14th century belonged to the Moorish ruler of Granada, from whom it was taken by the King of Castile Pedro the Cruel and presented in gratitude for military assistance to the English Prince Edward, nicknamed the Black Prince for the color of his armor . 
The Black Prince’s Ruby, set in the front cross of the Crown of the British Empire.
Photo: Royal Collection Trust/His Majesty King Charles III 2023 Later, the stone belonged to two famous medieval kings, whom we know about thanks to Shakespeare. This is Henry V, who defeated the French at Agincourt in 1415 during the Hundred Years’ War (“. The memory of us will remain with him – / About us, about a handful of lucky brothers. / The one who sheds blood with me today / Will become my brother : no matter how low he is, / This day will ennoble him. “), and Richard III, defeated in 1485 at Bosworth, when he was ready to give “half his kingdom for a horse.” 
A sapphire from St Edward’s Tomb is set into the cross of the Crown of the British Empire.
Photo: Royal Collection Trust/His Majesty King Charles III 2023 The other stone, the large sapphire in the cross above, is both a sacred relic and a Crown Jewel because it was taken from the tomb of the Anglo-Saxon king and St Edward the Confessor 900 years ago.
