According to Buckingham Palace, the contentious Koh-i-Noor diamond won’t be displayed during the coronation.
Instead, Queen Mary’s Crown, which has been removed from the Tower of London and resized for the coronation on May 6, will be used to crown Camilla, the Queen Consort.
An existing crown will allegedly be “recycled” for a coronation for the first time in “recent history.”
There will also be diamonds added from Queen Elizabeth II’s jewellery.
After testing positive for Covid this week, Camilla, who will be crowned beside the King at Westminster Abbey, was forced to postpone her public appearances.
The Queen Mother’s crown (pictured), which has the Koh-i-Noor diamond fitted in the front middle cross, will not be used during the ceremony
One of the largest cut diamonds in the world, the Koh-i-Noor, has a contentious ownership history, and if it had been utilised, there were worries of a diplomatic incident with India.
The diamond that was used in the Queen Mother’s coronation is allegedly the property of India, according to a number of assertions made by that country.
Instead, according to Buckingham Palace, Camilla will wear Queen Mary’s crown, with the reusing of the crown being in the “interests of sustainability and efficiency.”
The late Queen Elizabeth II will be honoured by having her personal jewellery collection’s Cullinan III, IV, and V diamonds used to reset the crown.
The King will wear the St Edward’s Crown, regarded as the centrepiece of the Crown Jewels collection
The late Queen wore these diamonds in brooches that were made from the South African-found Cullinan diamond.
The St. Edward’s Crown, regarded as the centrepiece of the Crown Jewels, will be worn by King Charles III. After being altered to fit the king, it is now back on display at the Tower of London.
In order to replace an earlier crown that was destroyed in the aftermath of the English Civil War, it was initially created for King Charles II in 1661.
While several kings throughout history have chosen to wear smaller or custom-made crowns during coronations, the late Queen Elizabeth II also wore the St. Edward’s Crown.
What we know about the Coronation long weekend so far:
Saturday 6 May: Coronation service in Westminster Abbey; coronation carriage procession; Buckingham Palace balcony appearance
Sunday 7 May: Concert and lightshow at Windsor Castle; Coronation Big Lunch street parties
Monday 8 May: Extra bank holiday; Big Help Out encouraging people to get involved in local volunteering
Despite not being the biggest or purest diamond in the world, the Koh-i-Noor has earned a reputation for being among the most contentious.
The origins of the stone have been the subject of conflicting ideas and traditions for many years, although historians agree that Nader Shah, an Iranian king, took it from India in 1739.
It was transferred to a British governor-general in 1849 after the subjugation of the Punjab through a series of conquests and acts of piracy.
It is contested under what circumstances a vanquished young king gave it to the East India Company, which had already conquered large portions of the Indian subcontinent.
