Diamond that's Fit for a Queen?

The Koh-i-Nor isn't the largest or most valuable diamond in the world.  But it's possibly the most famous and the most controversial, and it's in the news again this week. More words have been written about the alluvial diamond believed to come from Golconda, India, than any other gem. And millions of pairs of eyes have seen it "in the flesh" on display as part of Britain's Crown Jewels in the Tower of London. Interest in the 105.6-ct stone re-surfaced this week after the 95-year-old monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, confirmed that Camilla, second wife of Prince Charles (after Princess Diana) will become Queen when he finally takes the throne. And she will wear the platinum crown in which the Koh-i-Nor is set, together with another 2,800 diamonds.

The intricacies of royal protocol - whether the King's consort takes the title Queen, and which crown she wears at the coronation - may sound like small details. As a born and bred Brit, I know they matter greatly. But to my mind the more interesting issue here is ownership of the iconic diamond that sits in the middle of the front cross of  what is known as The Queen Mother's Crown. India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran have all laid claim to the Koh-i-Nor (Mountain of Light) diamond. Britain has consistently said it was acquired legally, ownership is non-negotiable, and the Koh-i-Nor isn't going anywhere.

The diamond dates back to 14th century India. It ping-ponged between countless rulers and rivals, from Mughal princes and Persian warriors to Afghan rulers and Punjabi Maharajas. It was eventually "surrendered" by the last Sikh ruler, nine-year-old Maharajah of Lahore when Britain's East India annexed the Punjab at the end of the Second Anglo-Sikh War in 1849. India first staked its claim to have the Koh-i-Nor returned when the country was granted independence in 1947, and on several occasions since. In April 2000 a group of Indian members of parliament signed a letter saying it had been misappropriated by colonial rulers and demanding its return. Pakistan claims the gem comes from Lahore, then capital of the Sikh empire, in what was its part of the Punjab  before the state was divided with India. Afghanistan's Taliban leaders say India stole it from them, so Britain should hand it back. Iran also has an historic claim on the stone, sayng it was taken by Persian leader Nader Shah when he invaded Delhi in 1739.

All of that aside, the stone has been in Britain for the last 170 years. Brigadier-General Sir Henry Montgomery Lawrence, a soldier and statesman stationed in India, was tasked with delivering it from India to Britain after it was "surrendered". Legend has it he concealed it in a waistcoat pocket, and it was rescued from the laundry by a valet. It was officially presented to Queen Victoria at Buckingham Palace in 1850. Her husband Prince Albert had it cut down from its original 191-cts to its current size - using a steam-powered mill  specially-built for royal jewellers Garrard & Co - to eliminate several flaws.  The resulting 66-facet oval stone was mounted in a honeysuckle brooch. After Victoria's death the Koh-i-Nor was set in several royal crowns before being placed, in 1937, in The Queen Mother's Crown, where it remains to this day. That crown was used for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II's mother when King George VI was crowned, and it is the crown now destined to be worn by Camilla when Charles takes the throne.

The dispute over who really owns the Koh-i-Nor will no doubt rumble on, and possession will almost certainly prove to be nine tenths of law. But it's interesting to note what Queen Victoria herself said in a letter to her daughter about how the diamond had come to be hers. She wrote: "No one feels more strongly than I do about India or how much I opposed our taking those countries and I think no more will be taken, for it is very wrong and no advantage to us. You know also how I dislike wearing the Koh-i-Nor."

Have a fabulous weekend.