King Charles I's armor 

To finish up the touristy sights, we went to the Tower of London and the Tower Bridge. The Tower of London is an almost 1000 year old palace which most infamously has been used off and on as a prison in the last 500 years or so. The audio tour we took told us a lot of stories about the various prisoners, executions, and escapes in the history of the Tower, but the highlight was the Crown Jewels. These are lots of gem-encrusted objects, huge gold plates and punch bowls, and big and tiny crowns. Queen Victoria had a “small diamond crown” which was about the size of a teacup. On the other hand, one of the scepters had a diamond in it that must have been several hundred carats in size.

After the Crown Jewels, we saw the Armory which holds the royal armor, both big and very small. Henry VIII was over six feet tall; Charles I was about 5’ 2”. One of the suits of armor for a prince was probably just three feet in height.