Crowns, as a symbol of kingship, were not usually associated with rulers in India but had been adopted by the rulers of Awadh to assert their independence from the Mughal court in 1819. The kingdom had subsequently been annexed by the East India Company in 1856, and the last ruler of Awadh, Wajid Ali Shah, was exiled. The Taluqdars, holders of estates in Awadh, had benefited from this act and presented this crown to the Prince of Wales. The crown is embroidered, behind the aigrette, with the lion and unicorn of the British Royal Arms and the Prince of Wales’s crest formed of three feathers and the motto, ‘Ich Dien’.