The unusual hiding place in which the British royal family hid their jewels from the Nazis
She is 91 years old and in a month she will celebrate her 66th anniversary as British head of state. In more than six decades of her mandate, Queen Elizabeth II has granted few interviews, so it is not surprising the expectation that the next BBC documentary about the crown jewels is generating. It will air next Sunday and it will reveal some of the royal family's best-kept secrets.
The most curious anecdote that the documentary collects is the hiding place in which the most precious assets of royalty were hidden so that they would not fall into Nazi hands during World War II. The precious gems of the Imperial Crown were hidden underground, in a Bath Oliver brand biscuit tin at Windsor Castle. The operation was ordered by Elizabeth II's father, King George VI.
The most valuable gems of the Imperial Crown were hidden underground, in a cookie tin
Until now it had been rumored that the gems had been hidden in a cave in Wales or in a vault in Canada. According to The Times, the mystery has been solved thanks to the investigation of Alastair Bruce, an expert in the Crown Jewels who discovered the letters of the royal librarian Sir Owen Morshead to Queen Mary, the mother of George VI.
Bruce explains in statements to the British newspaper that a deep cavern was dug under one of the security entrances to Windsor Castle and two cameras were built. To access its interior, a trapdoor was built that still exists today.
The Crown Librarian was tasked with removing the most valuable pieces of the Imperial Crown, the St Edwards Sapphire and the Black Princess Ruby, and putting them in the biscuit tin. The goal was to ensure they were safe in an emergency.
Queen Elizabeth, who was 14 years old at the time, was unaware of the anecdote of her crown gems until the making of the BBC documentary, as detailed by Bruce.
The crown features 2,868 diamonds, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds and hundreds of pearls, as well as a large ruby
The crown, called the State Imperial, was made for her father's coronation in 1937 and features 2,868 diamonds, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds and hundreds of pearls, as well as a large ruby. The sovereign details in the documentary some of the details of this jewel, such as its weight. “You can't look down to read the speech, you have to pick it up. If you did, your neck would break”, reveals the Queen about this crown that she wears at the formal opening of the British Parliament, where she must read the Government program.
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