Attempt to steal giant bus stop crown thwarted

Large crown on top of oxford street bus stationImage source, Getty Images
Image caption,

The crowns are giant replicas of St Edward's Crown, the centrepiece of the Crown Jewels

At a glance

  • Two people tried to steal a giant commemorative crown in central London

  • The item was one of three 2m-tall crowns installed on bus stops in Oxford Street for the Coronation

  • The would-be thieves were stopped by security guards and fled empty-handed

  • The crown was damaged after it fell on the road but has been re-installed

  • Published

Security guards thwarted an attempt to steal a commemorative crown from a central London bus stop just a day after it was unveiled.

Two people clambered on top of the bus stop in the early hours of Wednesday morning to try and steal the 2m (6.5ft) tall object, but were spotted by two guards.

They fled the scene empty-handed but the crown fell to the floor and was damaged.

It has now been re-installed.

Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,

The New West End Company funded the installation of the crowns in conjunction with Transport for London (TfL)

Large crowns have been placed on top of three bus stops along Oxford Street in celebration of the upcoming coronation of King Charles III.

They have been funded by the New West End Company (NWEC) in conjunction with Transport for London (TfL).

NWEC, whose guards thwarted the plot, said it believed the would-be thieves had hoped to gain "social media notoriety" by taking the crown.

The new additions on the famous shopping street have gained mixed reactions from the public.

This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on Twitter
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip twitter post by Kitty 🍡

Allow Twitter content?

This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of twitter post by Kitty 🍡
This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on Twitter
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip twitter post 2 by ianVisits

Allow Twitter content?

This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of twitter post 2 by ianVisits
This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on Twitter
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip twitter post 3 by Jayne

Allow Twitter content?

This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of twitter post 3 by Jayne

They form part of a wide-ranging set of celebrations by TfL.

At some Underground stations, the iconic TfL rounded logo has been redesigned with a crown, while five buses and 20 Santander cycles have also been given commemorative designs.