Why Camilla will not wear the Kohinoor diamond at the coronation of King Charles III

The crown of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother is set with the Kohinoor diamond (Image credit: hrp.org.uk)

The British royals are hoping to dodge another colonialism row by keeping the famed Kohinoor diamond out of the public eye at the coronation of King Charles III today.

The 105-carat Kohinoor is arguably among the most famous – and one of the largest – diamonds in the world. It currently sits locked away in the Tower of London, but legend says the gemstone was found in India in the 14th century. It changed many hands over the next few decades – having been in the possession of various rulers, dynasties and countries before it was ceded to Queen Victoria after the British annexation of Punjab in 1849.

The Kohinoor is therefore believed to be another remnant of Britain’s colonial past – a stone that rightfully belongs to India. And since the death of Queen Elizabeth II last year, calls have grown for it to be returned to its rightful owners.

After Queen Elizabeth II died, the Ministry of External Affairs in India said it had raised the issue of bringing the Kohinoor back to Indian soil. “My understanding is that the government of India responded to it in Parliament a few years ago. We have said that we have been raising this matter from time to time with the UK government and we will continue to explore ways and means for obtaining a satisfactory resolution of the matter,” MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi had said.

Who wears the Kohinoor?

The Kohinoor, for all its storied past, is believed to be a cursed stone. Legend has it that the diamond brings ruin upon any male royal that wears it. Traditionally, therefore, it is the queen consorts who wear the Kohinoor – a fact that earlier gave rise to speculation that Camilla would wear the stone when her husband, the former Prince of Wales, is elevated to King.

The Kohinoor diamond is currently set in a platinum crown which Queen Elizabeth wore for the coronation of King George VI in 1937. Queen Elizabeth (later known as the Queen Mother) also wore the Kohinoor for the coronation of her daughter Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.

By this tradition, the diamond should now have been worn by Queen Consort Camilla.

However, the Buckingham Palace has said that Camilla will not wear the controversial stone at the coronation of King Charles III.

Camilla, the queen consort, will not to use the diamond in her coronation crown. Rather than commission a new crown, as is customary, Camilla will modify Queen Mary’s crown using diamonds from Queen Elizabeth II’s personal collection, the palace said in a statement in February.

“The decision not to use it [Kohinoor] reflects this new reality that we're in, where people are looking back at colonialism and what colonialism meant both to Great Britain, but also to the countries that were colonised,” said Anita Anand, who co-authored ‘Koh-i-Noor: The History of the World’s Most Infamous Diamond.’

(With inputs from agencies)