The coronation of King Charles III on May 6 displayed much of the pomp and splendour the royal family garners, and began a debate around controversial jewelry worn by Queen Camilla. However, Pakistan actor Ushna Shah expressed her reservation at the historic, heritage jewels remaining protected had they continued to belong to the state.
In a tweet, Shah said: “A sad reality in my opinion: had all the stolen jewels remained in the subcontinent, especially on our side, would they really have remained the property of the state and protected in a museum?”
“At least this way we get to have another reason to wag our fingers at the colonisers whilst getting to see our heritage in all its glory … on TV…on…them… had they not colonised us in the first place, perhaps these treasures would have remained safe and intact but that’s another conversation.”
The ‘coronation necklace’ in question that was worn by Queen Camilla is a historic piece of jewellery, and has been adorned by royals during coronations in 1902, 1911, 1937 and 1953, according to reports.
Britain’s Camilla will not wear disputed Koh-i-Noor diamond for coronation
It was previously worn by Camilla’s late mother-in-law, Queen Elizabeth II, as well as by Queen Mary before her and Queen Alexandra.
The necklace features a drop previously known as the ‘Lahore Diamond’, from the Timur Ruby Necklace, and is usually worn with diamond earrings that also came from the Timur necklace.
Meanwhile, the diamonds in the earrings worn by Queen Camilla were the side stones in the original setting of the Koh-i-noor diamond, which previously featured in Queen Mary’s Crown, and was allegedly gifted to Queen Victoria during the British conquest of the subcontinent.
Over the years, there have been many calls by Pakistan and India to repatriate the diamond to their respective countries.
Queen Camilla was crowned with Queen Mary’s Crown, but it did not feature the controversial Koh-i-noor nor any of its replicas.