King Charles Coronation Ceremony: Queen Camilla to Be Crowned With Controversial Jewelry That Featured the Koh-i-Noor Diamond
Prince Charles III is set to officially embrace the title of king and ascend to the British throne after a long wait. As the suspense builds up for his coronation ceremony, all eyes are on Queen Consort Camilla, who is expected to be crowned with an existing crown that has undergone a controversial transformation.
The inclusion of the Koh-i-Noor diamond, a controversial piece of jewelry with a complex history and disputed ownership between India and the UK, has raised some concerns about the rightness of its use in such a significant event.
The Controversial Koh-i-Noor Diamond Will Not Be Part Of Coronation Crown
King Charles III’s coronation is set to take place on May 6th, and one of the most anticipated moments of the event is the crowning of Queen Consort Camilla.
However, one of the British crown jewels will be missing from Camilla’s coronation crown. The Kohinoor diamond, which had been worn by Queen Elizabeth and Queen Elizabeth II during their coronations, will not be included in the crown Queen Camilla will wear.
Traditionally, a new crown is commissioned for each coronation. However, the Queen Consort of the United Kingdom has opted to wear a modified version of the Queen Mary’s Crown.
The crown will be adorned with 2,200 smaller diamonds instead of the Koh-i-Noor replica. Buckingham Palace has stated that Camilla’s decision not to commission a new crown was made in the interest of sustainability and efficiency.
The Koh-i-Noor diamond’s controversial history is likely to have contributed to the 75-year-old decision to exclude it from her coronation crown.
Priya Atwal, the historian at the University of Oxford, told ABC News.
“It is, in some respects, the ultimate blood diamond in South Asian history. Its origins are rather mysterious and quite legendary, and is this ultimate symbol of the internal political histories of the subcontinent.”
Although the United Kingdom has retained ownership of the diamond, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran have all called for its restitution.
The ceremony promises to be momentous, and it will reflect a sovereign style. Although the crown will not be entirely new, the new jewels will make it unique to the occasion.
What Diamond Will Be Used In Queen Camilla’s Coronation Crown?
The coronation of King Charles III and Queen on May 6th has generated excitement and controversy over the choice of crown for the Queen Consort.
Instead of the Koh-i-Noor diamond, which many expected to feature in her crown, she will be crowned with the Cullinan III, IV, and V diamonds.
This has sparked discussions regarding the historical significance of these diamonds, which are part of a group of stones produced from the Cullinan diamond discovered in 1905 in Pretoria, South Africa.
While the inclusion of the Cullinan diamonds is a tribute to the late Queen, who owned them as part of her jewelry collection, there have been calls from leaders in Africa for the repatriation of the Stars of Africa. Atwal said.
“South Africans are increasingly saying this is again a massive symbol of how so much wealth, so much resource was drained from our country. If you swap the Koh-i-Noor for the South African diamonds, you’re still in very tricky waters, and I think that is the thing that the monarchy is in, is this catch-22 situation.”
Despite the controversy, the Cullinan diamonds will return to their display at the Tower of London as part of the Crown Jewels collection after the coronation.
Meanwhile, the Koh-i-Noor diamond will be on public display in a new exhibition at the Tower of London, back on the Queen Mother’s Crown from May 26th.
Source: ABC News
