Britain’s Queen Consort, Camilla, has chosen a crown without the controversial colonial-era Kohinoor diamond for her Coronation ceremony with husband King Charles on May 6. This announcement was made by none other than Buckingham Palace.

The Duchess of Cornwall will wear Queen Mary Crown for the coronation which will only have a replica of one of the world’s largest cut diamonds. Several media reports believe that diplomatic sensitivity may have been considered in the final choice.

“The choice of Queen Mary’s Crown by Her Majesty is the first time in recent history that an existing crown will be used for the Coronation of a Consort instead of a new commission being made, in the interests of sustainability and efficiency,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement.

The original Kohinoor diamond now adorns the crown of Queen Elizabeth II’s mother – Elizabeth the Queen Mother.

Buckingham Palace also announced that the Queen Mary Crown has been removed from display at the Tower of London and will be repurposed for the ceremony on May 6.

Also Read:King Charles III to be crowned on May 6, 2023: All you need to know about the coronation

The current version of Queen Mary’s crown has a front cross set with a detachable rock crystal replica of the Kohinoor diamond. However, it isn’t known yet if that would be retained after the changes are made for the Coronation.

The world-famous Kohinoor is one of the world’s largest cut diamonds weighing 105.6 carats and a staple of the Royal Family’s jewel collection since it was presented to Queen Victoria in 1850. The Kohinoor diamond was most recently worn by the Queen Mother but has been on public display since her death in 2002.

“In tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, the Crown will be reset with the Cullinan III, IV and V diamonds. The diamonds were part of Queen Elizabeth II’s personal jewellery collection for many years and were often worn by Her late Majesty as brooches,” the Royal Family wrote on Instagram.

Camilla is known as Queen Consort, a title that came with Queen Elizabeth II's blessing after years of contention. While the wife of a king is traditionally crowned queen, the question of what title Camilla would hold when Charles became king had been a tricky one for many years.

That was due to sensitivity about her status as his second wife and the wave of grief that washed over Britain following the death of his former wife, Princess Diana in a car crash in 1997.

BBC reported that King Charles III will wear the St Edward's Crown, regarded as the centrepiece of the Crown Jewels. The crown was first made for King Charles II in 1661 as a replacement for an earlier crown which was destroyed in the aftermath of the English Civil War. The late Queen Elizabeth II also used the St Edward's Crown during her coronation.

The coronation is a symbolic celebration of the new reign of King Charles, who became the king following the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II on September 8.

Also Read:King Charles wife Camilla becomes queen but without sovereign powers

-With inputs from PTI

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First Published:Feb 15, 2023 4:23 PM IST