May 6th will be an unforgettable date for the British Crown. King Charles III will be crowned alongside Camilla, the Queen Consort, in a ceremony that will officially make him the head of the Church of England.
Part of the speculation surrounding the ceremony is focused on the crowns that the monarchs will wear on such a special day. On the one hand, there is the Imperial State Crown, which Charles will wear towards the end of the ceremony and during his appearance at Buckingham Palace. That crown contains the Cullinan II Diamond. The Cullinan, also known as the Second Star of Africa, was a “gift” Edward VII received from Transvaal, a British colony in what is now South Africa.
On the other hand, there is the Queen Mother’s coronation crown, which contains one of the largest diamonds in the world, the Kohinoor diamond. Buckingham Palace has already confirmed that Queen Camilla will not wear the controversial crown, and instead, will be crowned with Queen Mary’s crown. This is the first time that a crown has been “recycled” for a coronation ceremony.
“The choice of Queen Mary’s crown by her majesty is the first time in recent history that an existing crown will be used for the coronation of a consort instead of a new commission being made, in the interests of sustainability and efficiency,” said Buckingham Palace.
The Kohinoor diamond will not be part of the crown that Queen Camilla wears during the ceremony. And while it has been said to be for reasons of sustainability, there is also the colonial past that this ceremony does not want to revive. The Indian government spoke out regarding the possibility of Camilla wearing the Kohinoor diamond, a gesture that they believe would evoke “painful memories of the colonial past.”
What Is the Kohinoor Diamond?
The Kohinoor Diamond is a historic jewel whose use is now controversial due to the circumstances in which it was acquired. The diamond belongs to India, but in the 19th century, it was taken to England to become one of the most important pieces of the British Crown. It belonged to Queen Victoria, then passed to the crowns of Queen Alexandra and Queen Mary, before ending up in the crown of Queen Elizabeth.
In 1849, the East India Company took the valuable diamond to England, where it became one of the most important jewels of the British Crown. It should be noted that the East India Company relied heavily on slavery in their endeavors. As Britannica notes, it was “an immensely powerful agent of British imperialism in South Asia and the de facto colonial ruler of large parts of India.”
The Koh-i-Noor is one of the largest diamonds in existence, weighing 105.6 carats. But its history, marked by slavery and human suffering, will keep it out of the coronation of Charles III and his queen consort (although Charles will be wearing another controversial gem with a dark past). Still, keeping it on their big collection of mostly stolen gems and goods, doesn’t come close to accept the horrors the crown inflicted on colonized countries. One huge step would be accepting India and Pakistan’s claim and send the diamond back. Moreover, they should start doing so with all the stolen goods they keep in their luxurious royal collection.
