Gold figure of Henry VI.

Four years ago, Kevin Duckett used a metal detector to find a gold figurine. It depicts King Henry VI of England. The latest theory is that it was part of the Tudor crown. That idea is now being tested by experts at the British Museum.

When car restorer and metal detecting enthusiast Kevin Duckett saw a glimpse of something peeking out of the ground in 2017, he had no idea what a rarity he had stumbled upon. At first, he thought he had discovered a crumpled piece of foil. But then the Northamptonshire native kept digging and it began to dawn on him just how lucky he was. I was holding something that looked like it was made of gold," said the prospector.

He discovered a figurine that was over six centimetres tall. Experts say it could have been part of a dazzling Tudor crown and depicts King Henry VI. Historian Leanda de Lisle described the theory, long discussed by scientists, on her website last December. It was thought that the crown worn by King Henry VIII and his successors, for example during the procession on the Feast of the Epiphany, was completely melted down after the fall of the monarchy in 1649.

But the discovery of the gold figurine has undermined the scientists' theory. According to Leanda de Lisle, it may be the ornament that was on the royal crown. She claims that the Battle of Naseby took place near the field where the figurine was located in June 1645. Charles I's army was defeated by a Parliamentarian army led by Thomas Fairfax and Oliver Cromwell. It was Charles who may have lost the statue as he fled the battlefield.

Duckett first learned of the possible connection between his find and the lost crown last year when he watched a YouTube video highlighting the creation of a replica of Charles's navetomb by the independent charity Historic Royal Palaces, which manages some of the UK's unoccupied royal palaces.

The finder of the figure went to see the tombstone in person. The likeness of Charles was based on a 1631 portrait by Daniel Mytens (note: a Dutch portrait painter who spent the pivotal years of his career working in England). Duckett confirmed that there was a similar-looking figure on the crown, which he found with a metal detector in a field. There were several small statuettes on the royal crown. Others depicted the Virgin and Child, St George and St Edmund. The crown was decorated with hundreds of precious stones such as sapphires, emeralds, diamonds, but also pearls.

The found figurine is in the British Museum, where it is being examined by local experts. They're investigating the theory that it was actually part of the royal crown. The value of the figurine could be as high as £2 million. "It's great news that after so many years the gold figurine has been found. It's tempting to imagine what kind of history it might have," said Lucy Worsley, curator at the British Museum.

Sources: www.smithsonianmag.com, www.dailymail.co.uk, www.express.co.uk