King Charles admits he was ‘anxious’ one big, expensive thing was going to go askew on his very first day on the job

King Charles III was “anxious” about one of the most important parts of his May 2023 coronation, and it’s got to with the old adage “Heavy is the head that wears the crown.” In this case, quite literally.

Hello reported that Charles opened up about the special moment the crown was placed on his head on that monumental day. The only thing weightier than the sense of occasion was the sparkly headpiece itself.

He said he felt “slightly anxious” about it in the 2024 documentary Coronation Girls, which follows the story of 50 Canadian women who were sponsored by a businessman to attend Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1953. Several of the women returned to England to speak with Charles for the documentary.

While talking to the ladies, Charles explained Elizabeth had to practice wearing the crown ahead of her coronation all those decades ago and that she used to do bath time with it on her head. “I remember it all so well,” he said, “because I remember my sister and I had bath time in the evening. My mama used to come up at bath time wearing the crown to practice.”

“You have to get used to how heavy it is. I’ve never forgotten, I can still remember it vividly. It is very important to wear it for a certain amount of time because you get used to it,” he explained. “The big one that you’re crowned with, the St Edward’s Crown, it weighs five pounds.”

“It is much heavier and taller, so there’s always that feeling of feeling slightly anxious, in case it wobbles,” he said. It’s understandable — having the extremely expensive crown topple and hit the floor with a thud while millions of TV viewers watch in horror would have been awkward.

St Edward’s Crown is named after Edward the Confessor, an Anglo-Saxon English king who ruled from 1042 until 1066. It has been used to crown British monarchs since the 13th century and is typically on public display at the Tower of London’s Jewel House.

The original crown was considered a holy relic, before being melted down during a monarchy abolishment in 1649. The current one was made for King Charles II in 1661. It’s 22-carat gold, 12 inches tall, weighs 4.9 pounds, and is adorned with 444 gemstones. It was not used to crown new monarchs for over 200 years after 1680, reportedly due to its weight, before being picked up again in the early 1900s and continuing since.

The Royal Trust Collection explains, “The crown was commissioned from the Royal Goldsmith, Robert Vyner, in 1661. Although it is not an exact replica of the medieval design, it follows the original in having four crosses-pattée and four fleurs-de-lis, and two arches. It is made up of a solid gold frame set with rubies, amethysts, sapphires, garnet, topazes, and tourmalines. The crown has a velvet cap with an ermine band.”

Around five pounds on your head is the equivalent of carrying a two-liter bottle of soda or a bag of flour. We’d be worried too. What would the emergency replacement be if it broke during a coronation, a dad cap?