The Indian government made it perfectly clear to King Charles that they will have a huge problem if the Koh-i-noor diamond is worn by Queen Camilla (or anyone else) during the coronation. The Koh-i-noor’s history is one of bloodshed, kidnapping, theft and colonialism, and India has made it abundantly clear that the diamond should be returned to them. It took months for Buckingham Palace to work out a solution to the dilemma of which crown Camilla would wear during the coronation, and they eventually decided that Camilla would wear the traditional queen’s consort crown, but would simply remove the Koh-i-noor and replace it with a replica or another diamond. So what will happen to the Koh-i-noor? Will it be sent to India? Of course not. The Tower of London is going to display the blood-soaked diamond in a special coronation exhibition.
The Tower of London will display the controversial Koh-i-Noor diamond in greater historical context for the first time ever in a new coronation exhibition. Through a reworked presentation of the Crown Jewels, Historic Royal Palaces aims to explain the diamond’s complex history by referencing it as a “symbol of conquest” which has passed through the hands of many empires.
The diamond, which usually sits on display with the rest of the Crown Jewels, has been mired in controversy after it was slated for the crowning of the Queen Consort at the King’s Coronation on May 6. Growing upset threatened to come to a head after there were renewed calls for its return, with India as the most diplomatically-critical country that made a claim to it.
However, it was announced last month that the diamond would not be used in the ceremony, as Camilla opted to wear Queen Mary’s crown instead, meaning it has remained on display in the Tower of London.
The new exhibition, beginning on May 26, has been the result of a four-year project for Historic Royal Palaces to delve deeper into the history of the collection in the Jewel House. The Telegraph understands that the origins of the Koh-i-Noor diamond have never been explored in this level of detail in an exhibition, and that its history before it passed to the British monarchy will be explained.
It was said to have been “given” to Britain in 1849, and is currently set in the crown worn by the Queen Mother in her 1937 coronation, but before that it was owned by Mughal Emperors, Shahs of Iran, Emirs of Afghanistan, and Sikh Maharajas. The historical context of the Koh-i-Noor and its many previous owners will be explained through a combination of objects and visual projections. Meanwhile, the origins of the Cullinan diamond, the largest ever found, and the medieval Coronation Regalia will also be explored in the exhibition for the first time.
You can’t make this stuff up. India has made their position perfectly clear, and I would imagine that they’ve been even more direct in private, through official and unofficial channels: do not exhibit the Koh-i-noor in any way, we consider it stolen property, don’t flaunt your stolen, colonialist treasure, return the f–king diamond. And Britain’s entire response is to wait around for months, declare the problem solved by announcing that Camilla wouldn’t wear the diamond, and then put the diamond in an exhibition to drive tourism. Completely asinine.
Photos courtesy of Getty.
“…before it passed to the British…” .
Wow. That is some spin.
Talk about white washing history. A-holes.
Right — it’s problematic enough for it NOT to be in the crown, but it’s OK to keep and display it with enough “context”? What nonsense. Just give it back already.
Wonder if any of Caroline Elkins books will be part of the display? Despite the fact she’s American, she plays a super important part in British history with the publication of “Imperial Reckoning” and years spent as an “expert witness” testifying on the Mau Mau that resulted in public British apology and a £20M payout to tortured and abused Kenyans. But I guess that doesn’t fit the “they gave it to us” narrative of British Museum contents.
Looking forward to getting Elkins’ latest book “Legacy of Violence: A History of the British Empire,” from library. Seems like her work on that bigger story about England’s widespread colonial “legalized lawlessness” was held up a bit during her work for the Kenyans.
“they gave it to us” narrative of British Museum contents – should refer to Tower of London in this case.
The Vatican does the same thing with it’s pillaged artifacts as well. The pantheon was “gifted” to the Catholic Church by Pagans. LOL
This is pretty enraging. So they’re making money off the diamond rather than wearing it during the coronation. This almost feels worse. What a slap in the face.
I truly hope it will pour rain all of Coronation weekend and every other weekend will be lovely.
John Oliver had the best episode on this. I think the topic was “museums” and he explored how the British museum is stuffed with stolen objects. The things the museum curators said to justify the situation … Condescending is putting it kindly. Racist is probably more accurate. He, of course, skewered them very satisfyingly.
I can just imagine.
The only museums I can stomach now are art / photography or science. I have no desire to see stolen artefacts any longer!
Unfortunately a fair amount of art (paintings, statues, etc.) was also acquired by museums in some pretty shady ways.
there’s a great podcast called ‘stuff the british stole’ which goes into this so well! also has been turned into a tv show (which is still on my ever-growing list of things to watch)
I will check that out.
Re art – luckily I’m more interested in contemporary. Although the shadiness probably envelopes the 20th Century too… might just stick to cinema lol.
That episode was SO good. I have the book Loot he referenced in it on my TBR list.
It’s like that meme on twitter – “name something that sounds british but really isnt.” “the contents of the British Museum.”
Name something that sounds British but isn’t – the contents of the British Museum.
I went through the Vatican museum once and had a similar thought…just how did they acquire all of this??? Shady.
This would be a good time for India to pull off an Ocean’s Eleven style heist to reclaim their property.
May the Koh-i-noor Diamond affect their Coronation.
Oooh… that’s good. Kinda like the hope diamond. A pox on your royal household.
Winter and summer!
Give it back, you murderous bastards.
Can’t we “loan” the Hope diamond for Cams crown? Its said to be cursed. She can wear it to visit king tut’s tomb. (Double whammy)
Camilla’s going to wear the Cullinan diamonds from South Africa instead. The Royal Family would get a lot of plaudits if they acknowledged that their wealth came from serfdom, slavery and colonialism.
Culllinan was bought and paid for in cash to De Beers by the Royals
Paying de Beers does not make it better. De Beers are known for the explotation of Black labour, conflict diamonds, unable to directly trade in the US due to anti-monopoly laws, etc
The Cullinan is no more colonisation and theft free than the Koh i Noor. Part of the history of de Beers is that they stole land, wealth and labour from the people living there.
@Neve — Exactly. Actually just straight-up stealing it from someone would cause less harm than supporting de Beers.
Lol after seeing the headline for this, without even reading, I immediately went: It should be in India.
It’s disgusting that they’re using stolen jewels to drive tourism, and the amount of heavy lifting around “it was passed to the British”??? What is that?? If it was truly “passed to the British”, surely India’s numerous requests for its return should be enough to “pass it back”.
I hope the other countries’ who’s jewels are still in the BRF’s possession are fighting just as much for what’s theirs. Further, its ridiculous that the British Museum is even still a thing. Give people their shit back.
Are India trying to get it’s sister diamong back which sits in Tehran in their Cown Jewels
Perhaps they should.
I recommend listening to the Koh-i-Noor episode of the Noble Blood podcast. The host really digs into how the British stole not only the diamond but a child as well.
I love that podcast! The ep on this is indeed very good
Thank you for the recommendation! That sounds so interesting! I have added it to my playlist.
I too be be listening. Thank you!
Trying to have their cake and eat it, too. Unless they’re going to send profits from the exhibition to India, this is just more imperialism.
The diamond does not belong to the Brits. It should go back to India with an apology for the crimes committed to steal it. Disgraceful.
Leave us working class Brits out of it! It’s only the parasitic fabulously wealthy Royals that get to enjoy their ill-gotten gains.
Isn’t the Koh-i- Noor always on display with the other crown jewels? It’s in the crown right now. So how is this a special exhibition?
I hope the damn thing cracks when they remove it.
I’m still very uneducated about how we’re supposed to digest conquest at this point. Imo, that’s not a prideful sentiment these days.
Imagine the German chancellor wearing the jewelry stolen from the Jews in WWII.
That’s how awful this is.
I completely agree.
German museums are still more than reluctand to return “raubkunst” art stolen from jewish people during the third reich. Often with the argument that it was legally bought (under the thread of deportation). And I won’t start on the artifacts stolen during colonial times. There is a whole antique city gate from Milet (today in Turkey) and the Isthar gate and procession street from Babylon, today Irak, in Berlin.
At least the Benin Bronzen are return now, but thats only a small start.
I sincerely hope this causes the Tory government and the BRF more regret and mea culpa that they have convinced themselves to feel over Prince Harry marrying a well-educated, self made, independently wealthy, biracial/Black woman.
May the moral depravity behind the acquisition of that diamond be embedded in our universal knowledge.
I wish members of the Commonwealth who are victims of colonial plunder and post-colonial exploitation, join with anti-monarchist egg throwers and the royals and the Tower are never without their company.
I hope some sophisticated cat burglar steals it
So instead of wearing it, they’re going to charge admission and exhibit it to the public as a “symbol of conquest?” Inside a castle that they describe on their own website as: “a visible symbol of awe and fear.” That’s… not better.
Whew! More bad optics from the masters of bad optics. But I see what they’re trying to do here. They’re going to have a video presentation of all the places where this diamond has resided to try to convince everyone that they can’t return it because they don’t know who it really belongs to. Here’s the problem with that: everyone knows it doesn’t belong to the British. It should be returned to where the British stole it from which is India.
What about the other claimants . Iran has it’s sister on display
The other claimants can argue with India as to who owns what. Britain stole it from India, give it back to them and let the other claims of better provenance be heard there.
Iran has the other half of the diamond ,are India asking for that half back
So I could only reclaim something stolen from me if I asked for anything else stolen from me back? Maybe that is India’s idea of a compromise if Iran claims the diamond also. Each gets half. It doesn’t belong to GB either way.
So Britain only has to do the right thing if India can work something out with IRAN? How does this make sense?
Who exactly is making all these bad decisions? Is it a committee of idiots? A small group? How the eff do they think this is a good idea.
In my view, India will never recover from what England has done to them. Where are their reparations? Why don’t those bastards return the crown? Unrepentant thieves and murderers.