'You are going to help me acquire something very valuable,' he spoke close to my ear, his breath fanning down my neck.
I looked up at the paintings in front of us, all worth millions of pounds, and then at the spot on the wall where one was missing...
There has only ever been one attempt to steal the Crown Jewels. The Irishman, Thomas Blood, did so in 1671. Over the years he had moved between England and Ireland, switching sides in the English Civil War from Charles I to Cromwell, which benefitted him greatly. That was until Cromwell died and Charles II came to the throne, when Blood had to flee back to his homeland. After some botched attempts to undermine the Royalists, Blood settled on the scheme to steal the Crown Jewels in 1670.
The Jewels were kept at the Tower of London in a basement, protected by a large metal grille. The Keeper of the Jewels was a man named Talbot Edwards, whom Blood managed to befriend with his wife while posing as a parson, eventually promising to introduce his wealthy nephew to Edwards' daughter.
On 9th May 1671, Blood, his nephew and two other men arrived at the Tower at 7am to meet Edwards' daughter. While his nephew wooed the young maiden, the rest of the party expressed a desire to see the Crown Jewels and were taken downstairs promptly. Once the door to the room was unlocked, Blood knocked Edwards unconscious with a mallet and stabbed him with his sword. The grille was removed, and the jewels, crown orb and sceptre were stolen. As Edwards gained consciousness, he cried out for help, the perpetrators fleeing until they were caught by the Iron-Gate.
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Remarkably, when the King heard of Blood's exports, he not only pardoned him but gave him Irish lands worth £500 a year after finding himself amused by the audacity of Blood's attempt and story. He became a regular at Court after that day. Something most would choose not to believe.
You'd think that after his attempt, many more would try their luck at stealing the most famous jewels in the world. Yet, no man has dared the feat. As time went on and security increased, it's become impossible to even think of such a scheme.
Until Harry Styles decided it was his turn to try his luck, and we all decided to follow behind him willingly. The ringleader of the circus, and us the clowns. The freaks that put their faith in him.
George, Harry and I are in a van that we rented specifically for this operation. Nothing special from the outside, just a muddied blue exterior. Something any normal citizen could own; the precise reason they chose it. So, we can hide in plain sight. Harry once said I was the perfect criminal because of this. No one will ever suspect me. I hope it stays that way.
On the inside of the vehicle, it is entirely different, though. Computers have been set up by George, wired in by a small team over the past week. He's been busy working away on them and making sure the connection is clear as we make our way through the city centre towards the target. It's like something you'd see in a film. There are three large screens, all facing George at an angle, so he has a clear view of all of them. We won't be able to connect to the CCTV at Garrard's until we're in the vicinity, but the technology is ready to do so.
