Crown Jewels of Britain

Connections

• Caspian stole the Crown Jewels of Britain with one hand actually tied behind his back

Context

The Crown Jewels of England is a collection of more than 140 ceremonial objects kept in the Tower of London. This includes crowns, scepters, orbs, and many other objects of regalia and ceremonial vestment worn and used by British kings and queens at their coronations. The largest gem in the collection is the Cullinan I Diamond (a.k.a. the Great Star of Africa), set in the Sovereign's Sceptre with Cross, thought to be worth £400 million. Most estimates for the entire collection puts its entire worth at 3 to 5 billion pounds! An amazing and expensive feat, indeed, for Caspian to steal all of this literally single-handed. 

The most well known attempt to steal the Crown Jewels occurred in 1671, when Thomas Blood attempted to run away with a crown, a sceptre, and an orb. He didn't get very far before getting caught, and the debacle resulted in some damage to the crown and orb, but the Crown Jewels have been kept under the watch of armed guard ever since then. Caspian had to deal with guards thanks to Thomas Blood.

Fun fact: The season two finale of BBC's Sherlock began with Moriarty breaking into the vault where the jewels are kept, and intentionally getting caught while wearing the jewels and sitting on a throne. That was a good episode. :)