Camilla Won't Wear Controversial Crown at Coronation

UPDATE Feb 15, 2023 7:15 PM CST

A potential diplomatic row has been avoided. The BBC reports Camilla, queen consort, will not wear the crown containing the Kohinoor (or Koh-i-Noor) diamond—which India has argued it should have ownership of—when she is crowned alongside King Charles III in May. That diamond is part of the crown worn by the queen mother, Queen Elizabeth, in her 1937 coronation. Instead, Camilla will wear the crown that sat atop Queen Mary's head at her 1911 coronation. Buckingham Palace on Tuesday said the headpiece is being resized to fit Camilla and will be enhanced with diamonds from brooches that belonged to Queen Elizabeth II.

Sep 9, 2022 5:10 PM CDT

In the Tower of London, housed with other crown jewels of England, lies a platinum crown created for the late Queen Elizabeth II's mother, so she'd have something to wear for her husband King George VI's coronation in 1937. Earlier this year, the queen announced that headpiece would transfer to Camilla, wife of then-Prince Charles, when he one day ascended to the throne and earned Camilla the title of Queen Consort, reports NDTV. That day has come, after the death of the queen on Thursday, but now there's controversy over what happens next to the crown—not because of an issue with Camilla, per se, but because of the giant gemstone that's set into the head-topper. The problem with the 105.6-carat Kohinoor (or Koh-i-Noor) diamond? The people of India, where it was originally found, want it back, reports Time.

The magazine notes the gem was mined sometime between the 12th and 14th centuries, in what's now the southeastern state of Andhra Pradesh. The Kohinoor changed hands multiple times after its discovery, first ending up with the Moguls, then the Persians, and then the Afghans. It made its way back to India at one point, but then was "acquired" by the British during Punjab's annexation in 1849 and eventually presented to Queen Victoria, per Time. The diamond was originally nearly 800 carats uncut, but it was said to have been trimmed down in 1852 at the request of Prince Albert. The UK's Historic Royal Palaces website notes that was done "to improve its brilliance and conform to contemporary European tastes."

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India has asked for the diamond back in the past, to no avail, but now that the queen has died, the request is springing up anew on social media. "If the King is not going to wear Kohinoor, give it back," one commenter wrote, per Time. Another claimed the diamond was "stolen" by the Brits, who "created wealth" via "death," "famine," and "looting." Indian citizens aren't the only ones clamoring for the gem: The governments in Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan have also staked claims to it. More on the diamond's centuries-long journey at India's ThePrint. (More India stories.)