Jewel From Crown of King Charles II Stolen in England
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WILLITON, England — A diamond that once adorned King Charles II’s coronation crown has been stolen from a mansion in central England, police said Saturday.
A gang of thieves burst into the 50-room family home of historian Katherine Wyndham on Friday morning, and took her from room to room looking for valuables. In an attempt to distract their attention from the priceless diamond, Wyndham said she lectured them on the family collection of crested silver.
The gang took $176,000 worth of silver, as well as the diamond set in the middle of an antique clock.
Charles II is said to have taken the diamond from his crown and given it to Col. Francis Wyndham, an ancestor of the historian, for sheltering him during the Battle of Worcester in the mid-1600s.
Christie’s auctioneers said it would be impossible to place a value on the jewel because of its history.
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