Everything about Norwegian Royal Regalia totally explained
The
crown jewels, or royal regalia, of
Norway include nine items: the king's crown, the sword of the realm, the king's sceptre, the king's orb, the queen's crown, the queen's sceptre, the queen's orb, the crown of the crown prince and the anointing horn. Also in this collection are several
coronation robes, two banners of the realm and coronation
thrones.
History
The regalia of the king and the anointing horn were made for
Carl Johan, King of Norway and
Sweden, in 1818 for his coronation in
Nidaros Cathedral in
Trondheim. The regalia of the queen were made later. All these crown jewels were made in Sweden; the crown of the prince is the only crown jewel made in Norway, in 1848. The sword of state was a gift from Carl Johan to the Norwegian state. It was initially a gift from
Napoleon I, Emperor of the French, to Carl Johan—then known as Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte—when he was appointed
Marshal of France. King Carl Johan bore the sword during the
Battle of Leipzig; when he acquired the Norwegian regalia in 1818, he'd the blade of the sword refashioned, in order that its symbolic language might correspond to its new function.
Following Carl Johan,
Carl XV and his wife
Louise of the Netherlands were next in line to be crowned in Norway, in 1860. Then
Oscar II and
Sophie were crowned in 1873. The last ones who used the regalia were
Haakon VII and
Queen Maud, who have been the only ones to go through a
coronation after the independence from Sweden. The crown of the prince has in fact never been used, because
Crown prince Olav was too young to participate in the ceremony in 1906 and the coronation paragraph in the Norwegian constitution was revoked in 1908. The regalia, together with some other old treasures, are today on display in the
Archbishop's Palace, next to the Nidaros Cathedral.
In 2006,
King Harald V made a speech where he emphasised that the Norwegian Crown symbolises a free, independent and democratic nation.
Individual items in the regalia
- The King's Crown: made in Stockholm in 1818 by goldsmith Olof Wihlborg, the crown is a corona clausa (closed model) consisting of a ring carrying eight hoops made of gold and surmounted by a globe of blue enamel and an amethyst cross on top of it. The crown is decorated with many pearls and gemstones, including amethysts, chrysoprases, a topaz and an alexandrite. Its front is adorned with a huge green tourmaline, a gift of the Brazilian consul in Stockholm to King Charles III Johan.
- Royal orb: made in Stockholm in 1818 by goldsmith (Erik) Adolf Zehelius (1781–1864) of gilt silver. It is decorated with small roses placed on a band in the middle of the orb.
- Royal sceptre: made in Stockholm in 1818 by goldsmith Adolf Zethelius of gilt silver.
- Anointment horn: made in Stockholm in 1818 by goldsmith Adolf Zethelius of gilt silver.
- Sword of the Realm: early 19th century. Tradition has it that this coronation sword was a gift from Napoleon I, Emperor of the French, to the future king of Sweden and Norway, Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, when he was made Marshal of France.
- Queen's crown: made in Stockholm in 1830 by goldsmith Erik Lundberg. The crown is a golden corona clausa consisting of eight hoops surmounted by a globe of blue enamel decorated with pearls and a pearl cross on top. The crown is adorned with numerous gemstones (amethysts and topazes) and pearls.
- Queen's orb: made in Stockholm in 1830 of gilt silver and decorated with amethysts.
- Queen's sceptre: made in Stockholm in 1830 of gilt silver and decorated with amethysts.
- Crown Prince's coronet: made in Norway in 1846 by goldsmith Herman Colbjørnsen Øyset. The coronet is a corona aperta (open model) made of gold and decorated with amethysts, topazes and rare Norwegian freshwater pearls.
Further Information
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