Crown of the Major King of Siam (facsimile)

Many of the gifts brought to Windsor by King Rama IV’s ambassadors were faithful replicas of royal regalia or ceremonial objects. This is a facsimile of the king’s own crown, set with diamonds and rubies. The shape is unique to Siamese and Khmer regalia, deriving from a helmet and consisting of numerous concentric tiers. It is deliberately light since it had to be worn on numerous state occasions beyond the coronation. Queen Victoria wrote in her Journal that she was ‘much pleased with the presents, [including] an Eastern crown of gold & enamel, with diamonds, emeralds & rubies...'