Where were the Crown Jewels kept during World War II?
A priceless collection of royal gemstones is a tricky thing to hide...
Anyone who has been to the Tower of London knows just how heavily and diligently the British Crown Jewels are guarded, which makes their treatment during the war seem rather… amateurish.
The gemstones were prized from the crowns and sceptres and placed in a biscuit tin. This was then hidden in a hole dug beneath a sally port at Windsor Castle.
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Amidst the fear of invasion, George VI had given the order to prevent them falling into Nazi hands. And where else would be safer for the Black Prince’s Ruby and St Edward’s Sapphire from the Imperial State Crown, the Cullinan Diamonds and the infamous Koh-i-Noor than the same palace that his daughters, the young princesses Elizabeth and Margaret, were taken for their own safety?
This article was taken from issue 65 of BBC History Revealed magazine
