The UK Crown Jewels are “the ceremonial treasures which have been acquired by English kings and queens, largely since 1660”, in line with the royals’ web site. The gathering is on the Tower of London and consists of the crowns acquired by numerous monarchs, their robes, and different gadgets of nice historic worth. The regalia is used for uncommon, ceremonial events.

Who does the Kohinoor go to?

The Kohinoor diamond was embedded within the crown of Queen Elizabeth’s mom, Queen Elizabeth I, for the coronation ceremony of her husband King George VI in 1937. She wore it once more throughout her daughter’s coronation in 1953. Throughout her funeral procession in 2002, it was positioned atop her coffin.

The crown has been worn by her because the Queen Consort — the one that is married to the King however is just not a queen by way of the road of succession. In accordance with experiences within the British media, Charles’s spouse Camilla will put on it subsequent as the brand new Queen Consort. The Queen Consort is often “topped with the King, in an identical however less complicated ceremony”, in line with the royal household’s web site.

How did the Kohinoor diamond attain Britain’s royals?

Famed as a shiny, massive diamond, the Kohinoor, Persian for ‘Mountain of Mild’, is counted among the many largest treasured stones on the planet. There may be some disagreement over the place and when it was mined, however it’s typically believed to have its origins in India, within the Golconda mines of present-day Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

Since its discovery, the stone has moved from king to king. It was positioned on the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan’s well-known Peacock Throne on the Crimson Fort in Delhi within the seventeenth century, and a up to date Mughal supply provides the next description of the throne:

“The skin of the cover was to be of enamel work studded with gems, the within was to be thickly set with rubies, garnets, and different jewels, and it was to be supported by emerald columns. On high of every pillar there have been to be two peacocks thick set with gems, and between every of the 2 peacocks a tree set with rubies and diamonds, emeralds and pearls.”

Nadir Shah seated on the peacock throne. (Picture by way of Wikimedia Commons)

Following the invasions of Iranian ruler Nadir Shah, the Kohinoor was taken away from India, and it lastly reached the Afghan invader Ahmad Shah Durrani. Within the nineteenth century, it went to Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the founding father of the Sikh empire, who had his capital in Lahore. After the Second Anglo-Sikh Struggle of 1849, the dominion of Punjab was annexed by the East India Firm, and the kid king Duleep Singh was compelled to surrender the diamond to Queen Victoria.

A portray of Queen Victoria with the kohinoor as a brooch, by Franz Xaver Winterhalter. (Picture by way of Wikimedia Commons)

The motion of the diamond by way of its historical past has made the claims for its return contentious. Afghanistan and Pakistan, in addition to India, have at numerous factors demanded it from the British authorities.