King Charles and Queen Camilla are going to be making history during his coronation next year — but potentially for all the wrong reasons.
As confirmed by Buckingham Palace earlier this week, in the service scheduled scheduled for May 6, 2023, Queen Camilla will be crowned as well as her husband. It’s been a rumor for a while now she’ll wear King Charles’ grandmother’s — Queen Elizabeth I, later known as Queen Mother to avoid confusion with Queen Elizabeth II — crown (not pictured above).
A huge honor… or is it a huge controversy?
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The royal Crown Jewel was made for the Queen Mother, specifically for the 1937 coronation of King George VI. It features 2,800 jewels (not pictured above), including one of the largest diamonds ever cut, known as the Koh-i-Nûr, and it’s garnered international attention since Queen Elizabeth’s passing due to it initially being taken from India. At the time, the gigantic rock was brought to Great Britain by the then-East India Company where it was added to Queen Victoria‘s collection. People around the world have been demanding the gem be returned to its rightful place in India, whereas others claim it first belonged to Pakistan or Afghanistan.
A real mystery to where it came from, but much of the world is certain it doesn’t belong in England!
Since rumors spread of Queen Camilla potentially wearing the crown for her coronation, a rep for the Bharatiya Janata Party spoke to The Telegraph on Wednesday telling of how the wearing of the crown would be “painful” for the people of India:
“The coronation of Camilla and the use of the crown jewel Koh-i-Nûr brings back painful memories of the colonial past.”
The source says the use of the famous diamond would just bring heartbreaking memories of the British Empire in India back to the surface:
“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. The coronation of the new Queen Camilla and the use of the Koh-i-Nûr do transport a few Indians back to the days of the British Empire in India.”
So sad. Surely out of the 2,800 diamonds that are currently set in the crown, missing one won’t hurt? 2,799 is still an outrageously large number!
This isn’t the first time Britain has been caught up in controversy surrounding their stolen artifacts. In fact, back in August, The Horniman Museum and Gardens agreed to return 72 pieces of history to the Nigerian government which the country had forcibly taken over 100 years ago during military invasion.
Now, it would make sentimental sense for Queen Camilla to wear the crown as King Charles was very close to his grandmother, but the controversial jewel in question is completely removable. So even if the gem is returned she would still be able to honor Queen Mother on coronation day. She could even opt for a different crown entirely! But as of right now, it’s reported no concrete decision has been made.
What do U think she should do, Perezcious readers? Sound OFF in the comments (below).
[Image via MEGA/WENN/Taylor Swift/YouTube]