The crown jewels: Koh-i-Noor, the “cursed diamond” of the British royal family at the heart of a diplomatic war

It is a symbol of British imperial power, the Koh-i-Noor has fascinated the whole world as much as it has divided for centuries. Between accusations of colonial plunder, curse and diplomatic tensions, who really belongs to the most controversial diamond in the world? We talk about it in the new episode of the Royal Podcast.

A powerful symbol of sovereignty, the Koh-i-Noor is often considered the most famous diamond in the world. Its absence during the coronation of Charles III in 2023 has reignited debates around the British colonial past and the legitimacy of its possession by the Crown. Once the pomp of the ceremony was over, the jewel found its place in the Tower of London, but one question remains: who really belongs to this priceless stone?

The diamond entered British collections in 1849, when the British East India Company annexed Punjab after the Second Anglo-Sikh War. Koh-i-Noor was then ceded to the British as part of a treaty imposed on the young Sikh sovereign, before being handed over to Victoria. Since then, it has been part of the Crown Jewels and appears at major state ceremonies.

But in 2023, Camilla chose not to wear the famous diamond-set crown during the royal coronation, in order to avoid a diplomatic controversy. Indeed, for several years, India has been demanding the return of the jewel, which has become for many the symbol of British colonial plunder. New Delhi assures that it continues to seek “a satisfactory resolution” regarding his return. The new episode of the Royal Podcast welcomes Capucine Juncker, author of Diamonds of Golcondato return to the history of Koh-i-Noor, between power controversies, conquests and colonial memory.

Koh-i-Noor: the cursed diamond that still poisons the British crown

What exactly does this diamond look like?

Today, we cannot observe it very closely because visitors travel on a conveyor belt. It is an oval brilliant recut in the 19th century, which one would describe as an old-cut cushion diamond. It weighs 105.6 carats and has exceptional purity. It was set in the crown of Queen Elizabeth, wife of King George VI, in 1937. She was the last queen to have worn it.

We only find its trace in history from 1739. Do we really know when its origins date back?

No, we don’t know. This mystery allowed the development of centuries of mythology. None of the legends preceding the 18th century can be verified with certainty. The oldest says that it is a mythical jewel offered to Krishnâ by the sun god Surya, 5,000 years before our era. It is established that the stone comes from deposits in the Golconda region, in present-day Telangana. All the precious stones were sold at Golconda Fort, hence the name of these diamonds which include the Koh-i-Noor.

This gem seems to have a turbulent past peppered with violence. What happened to him after 1739?

We often read that the Koh-i-Noor would have belonged to Babur, the first Mughal emperor, after the conquest of northern India in 1526. His son, Humayun, would have freely recovered a treasure including this famous diamond. Babur’s memoirs mention a 170-carat diamond whose value was equivalent to two and a half days of world revenue, but it cannot be certified that it was the Koh-i-Noor. Later, in the 17th century, Emperor Shâh Jahâna had the diamond set on the Peacock Throne. In 1739, the Persian chronicler Muhammad Kazim Marvi accurately documented Nader Shah’s capture of Delhi and described the Koh-i-Noor. This revelation is recent and linked to the research of historian William Dalrymple and journalist Anita Anand. Their work made it possible to put an end to the mythology surrounding the diamond since the 19th century.

Why do we talk about a “cursed diamond” and a certain curse?

In India, stones are invested with virtues. If a diamond had inclusions, it could be considered “cursed”. However, the reputation of this stone comes mainly from the fact that it has been stolen many times as a war treasure during bloody events. We can cite in particular: the sacking of the city of Delhi, at a time when the Mughal empire was really in decline, it is linked to the brutal death of Nader Shah, this Persian who himself had invaded Delhi. Afterwards we will find him among the Afghans, then among the Sikhs, before he arrives in England.

It is possible that this curse also comes, as one of the Smithsonian directors said, from the fact that when you lose something that is valuable, you just want to curse that person, and therefore to curse everything that he takes with him. This curse legend only really appeared after the stone’s arrival in England in 1850.

How did the British crown come into possession of this gem?

After the death of Ranjît Singh in 1839 and a period of chaos, the British East India Company annexed Punjab. They made Ranjît Singh’s ten-year-old son sign an act of surrender, obliging him to hand over the Koh-i-Noor to Queen Victoria, named Empress of India (1876-1901).

Why was the diamond recut when it arrived in England?

It was a symbol of the conquest of the Indian Empire. At the Great Exhibition of 1851, the British public were disappointed by its appearance. Accustomed to symmetrical and glittering European sizes, Londoners found the Mughal size lackluster; one magazine even renamed it “the mountain of darkness”. Prince Albert and Queen Victoria then decided to have it recut in 1852. The stone went from 190 carats to 105 carats, losing 43% of its weight. It gained in splendor but lost its original symbolism, an act perceived by some, particularly in India, as vandalism.

Which members of the royal family wore this gem?

After the rumor of a curse, only women wore it: Victoria, Alexandra, Mary and finally Elizabeth, with the nickname of the crown of the Queen Mum. The last public appearance of the diamond dates back to the death of the Queen Mother, where it appeared on her coffin.

Camilla refused to wear this crown for the coronation of Charles III in 2023. Is this a sign of discomfort?

Yes. Wearing this diamond would have been seen as a political affront by Commonwealth countries. Buckingham Palace chose to dodge the controversy with a gesture towards India and other claimant countries.

Has this gem become cumbersome for the British?

Absolutely. The British are victims of a paradox that they themselves created by making the Koh-i-Noor the supreme symbol of their imperial power. By staging it as a “conquest trophy”, the monarchy has fabricated an argument which is now turning against it. It is now seen as material proof of colonial plunder.

Who should we return this diamond to?

It’s a puzzle since four entities claim it: India, Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan. Additionally, there is a major legal hurdle: the Crown Jewels Act of 1887 states that the crown jewels cannot be alienated without a vote of the British Parliament. Restitution is therefore politically improbable and legally complex.