India wants 105-carat Koh-i-Noor diamond back from Camilla's coronation crown

A priceless 105-carat diamond could bring back 'painful memories' for India if it's used in Queen Consort Camilla's coronation.

Buckingham Palace confirmed this week that King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla's coronation will be held on Saturday 6 May next year in Westminster Abbey.

While King Charles would be anointed with holy oil, receive the orb, coronation ring, and sceptre, and be crowned with St Edward's Crown, Camilla was set to be anointed with holy oil and crowned with the Queen Mother's crown.

On the front of her crown, however, sits the Koh-i-Noor diamond - one of the largest cut diamonds in the world that was controversially given to Queen Victoria by the last Sikh emperor of India.

Although there are disputes between India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan over which country is the rightful owner of the diamond, all three seem to agree that the diamond should be removed from the Crown Jewels.

When it was gifted to the Queen Victoria, the diamond was worn by the monarch, and became part of the Crown Jewels after she passed away.

Tom Hanley/Alamy Stock Photo

In her will, she stated that the diamond should only be worn by a female monarch of the wife of the head of state.

The diamond has since been seen on the crowns on Queen Alexandra and Queen Mary. Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother wore the crown twice during the reign of King George VI - once at the State Openings of Parliament, and again at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

Particularly since Queen Elizabeth's passing, there have been calls for the Koh-i-Noor diamond to be returned.

This week, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's governing party has argued that the use of the controversial diamond in the coronation could 'transport a few Indians back to the days of the British Empire.'

In a statement to The Telegraph, they claimed: "The coronation of Camilla and the use of the crown jewel Koh-i-noor brings back painful memories of the colonial past.

"Most Indians have very little memory of the oppressive past. Five to six generations of Indians suffered under multiple foreign rules for over five centuries.

Lucy North/Alamy Stock Photo

“Recent occasions, like Queen Elizabeth II’s death, the coronation of the new Queen Camilla and the use of the Koh-i-noor does transport a few Indians back to the days of the British Empire in India."

The palace has not yet stated whether the Koh-i-Noor diamond will be part of the Queen Consort's coronation crown.

UNILAD has approached Buckingham Palace for comment.

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