On the latest episode of the Mail’s ‘Queens, Kings and Dastardly Things’ podcast, royal biographer Robert Hardman and historian Kate Williams discuss the figure of Colonel Blood and his audacious plot to steal the Crown Jewels.

The episode is the first in a three-part mini-series that tells the stories of crooks who have attempted to steal priceless treasures from the British monarchy.

The most prized objects in the possession of the Royal family are the Crown Jewels, which are now on permanent display at the Tower of London.

The treasures are a collection of ceremonial regalia used in the coronations of new Kings and Queens.

The collection comprises such objects as St. Edward’s Crown, headwear made of 5 pounds of solid gold, and The Sovereign’s Sceptre, a golden rod topped with The Great Star of Africa, the largest clear-cut diamond in the world.

They are estimated to be worth anywhere between £3-5 billion, although the jewels’ precise value is nearly impossible to calculate, due to their historical and cultural significance.

Much of the collection was created after 1660, with the restoration of the British monarchy and the death of Oliver Cromwell.

Cromwell sold or destroyed much of the original Crown Jewels, believing them a vulgar display of wealth which conflicted with his fanatical religious beliefs.

A decade after the new jewels were debuted for the coronation of Charles II in 1661, a dastardly thief known to history as Colonel Blood hatched a daring plot to steal them.

The most prized objects in the possession of the Royal family are the Crown Jewels, which are now on permanent display at the Tower of London

The treasures are a collection of ceremonial regalia used in the coronations of new Kings and Queens

Colonel Blood and The Crown Jewels Heist

Born in Ireland in 1618, Thomas Blood was a soldier and aristocrat who fought alongside the monarchists during the English Civil War.

Noticing the tide of war change, Blood switched sides to Cromwell’s roundheads and was greatly rewarded for his change in allegiance.

Podcast co-host Robert Hardman described Blood’s early adulthood: ‘Blood called himself a colonel although there is no proof he was one.

‘He jumped ship to Cromwell during the civil war and was rewarded with thousands of acres of land in Ireland.

‘With the restoration of the monarchy, Blood lost his lands and decided to become a full-time rebel. He was part of a plot to seize power in Ireland.

‘The plot failed, and all the ringleaders were sent to prison. Some however escaped and top of the list of wanted men was Thomas Blood.

‘Over the next few years, everyone was looking for him – but no one knew where he was. He became a sort of Scarlett Pimpernel figure and developed something of a legend around him.’

In 1671, Blood remerged in London, posing as a vicar called Dr Aleph with an actress, pretending to be his wife, on his arm.

He befriended a man called Talbot Edwards, who was the 77-year-old guardian of the Crown Jewels.

A decade after the new jewels were debuted for the coronation of Charles II in 1661, a dastardly thief known to history as Colonel Blood hatched a daring plot to steal them. Listen here

The Crown Jewels are estimated to be worth anywhere between £3-5 billion, although their precise value is impossible to calculate

Much of the collection was created after 1660, with the restoration of the British monarchy and the death of Thomas Cromwell

‘Aleph and Edwards grew close’, Hardman explained.

‘They start discussing a possible marriage between Edward’s unmarried daughter and Aleph’s unmarried nephew.

‘On May 9, 1671, Aleph visits Edwards with this nephew and asks to take a look at the Crown Jewels. Edwards accepts – and it is revealed that Aleph is the leader of an armed gang of robbers.

‘They whack Edwards, the poor old warden, over the head with a mallet and proceed to run off with as much as they can.’

Historian Williams added: ‘One of the gang members sticks a Golden Orb down his breeches, and Blood grabs St. Edwards Crown and smashes it – trying to squash it in half.’

Running away slowly with the Crown Jewels hidden beneath his clothes, Blood was tackled and apprehended by Talbot’s son.

His secret identity revealed in prison, Blood requests a personal audience with the King and somehow convinces the monarch to pardon him and return his lands in Ireland to him.

Historians speculate that because of Blood’s legend, seen by the peasantry as an Irish freedom fighter, it was politically expedient to forgive his crimes.

Heralded as the ultimate rouge until his death in 1680, historian Williams told the podcast an anecdote to show how widespread his infamy had become.

‘There comes this view that Blood can cheat all things’, Williams said.

‘When he dies, people exhume the body to check he’s dead – due to how many rumors there were about him.

‘He could cheat most things – but he couldn’t cheat death.’

To hear more stories like this one, search for ‘Queens, Kings, and Dastardly Things’ now, wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes are released every Thursday.