Posted 14 февраля 2023, 15:59
Published 14 февраля 2023, 15:59
Modified 14 февраля 2023, 20:08
Updated 14 февраля 2023, 20:08
Buckingham Palace announced that the Queen Consort will wear a slightly modified crown at the coronation, which will not have the famous Kohinur diamond, the BBC reports. The so-called crown of Queen Mary, made in 1911 by the Garrard jewelry company & Co for the coronation of King George V and his wife Maria of Teck, was originally decorated with 2,200 diamonds, among which was a 105.6-carat "Kohinur".
One of the largest diamonds, "Kohinur" has been known since at least 1300. It is believed that the diamond was found about 5,000 years ago in the Golconda mines, and its first owner was the legendary Karna, one of the heroes of the Mahabharata. For several centuries, the stone was decorated with the turban of rajas from the dynasty of the Malwa state, then it was worn on their turbans by the rulers of the Mughal dynasty, after which "Kohinur" belonged to the rulers of Afghanistan, Iran and India again. In 1849, the stone was confiscated by the East India Company and presented to Queen Victoria.
In the light of recent events related to the revision of the colonial past, "Kohinur" has acquired an ambiguous status. A few years ago, Pakistani lawyer Javad Iqbal Jafri sued Elizabeth II and the Pakistani authorities, demanding the return of the stone. Representatives of the party of Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi also spoke about the fact that "Kohinur" "brings painful memories of the colonial past".
As a sign of respect for the memory of Queen Elizabeth II, the crown that Camilla will wear will be decorated with Cullinan III, IV and V diamonds. They were part of the late Queen's personal jewelry collection and were often worn by her as brooches.
This will be the first time since the XVIII century that a queen consort has reused the crown. According to Buckingham Palace, "the existing crown will be used during the coronation of the spouse instead of the new one in the interests of sustainability."