Thanks to shakespeareishq for the link.
!!!!
It wasn’t actually Richard’s — it’s mentioned in his treasure roll, but it belonged to his first wife, Anne of Bohemia (where that elaborate style of metalwork was popular). Later it travelled to Germany in the possession of Henry IV’s elder daughter Blanche, who married the Elector Palatine.
Richard and Anne were madly in love and when she died in 1394 at the age of 28 Richard had a breakdown and ordered the palace where she’d died torn down (although Henry V later had it rebuilt). Which is why it always makes me smile a bit that both The Hollow Crown and the 1978 BBC Richard II both have Richard wear crowns that are very clearly modeled on this one (for which, see below), although while the idea of Richard keeping Anne’s effects on his person at all time does my shippy heart good, I imagine that in real life it would probably have been something less conspicuous.
Derek Jacobi in the 1978 version. Sadly I don’t have a better picture — there is far less crown porn in this version (although you should all watch it! It’s really good!) and I took the screencaps on my old computer which wasn’t very good at it. But I think you get the idea from this one.
Ben Whishaw in The Hollow Crown— this crown is not as detailed as the original but clearly modeled on it. The crown he wears in the first half of the film is different.
Richard II's only surviving crown:
