Righting Wrongs: Should the UK Return Iconic Royal Diamonds?
Last week, on September 8, 2022, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom passed away in Balmoral Castle in the UK. As the longest-reining British monarch in history, Queen’s death has already had significant impacts on the United Kingdom and beyond. Most recently, former colonies have called for the return of stolen jewels that are now part of iconic royal accessories.
There are countless jewels that fall under this category, but one of the most notable is the Koh-i-noor Diamond. The Koh-i-noor, meaning “Mountain of Light,” is the most expensive diamond in the world, with an unknown price upwards of 2 billion USD. The Koh-i-noor’s price comes from the diamond’s massive weight, 105.6 ct, in combination with its immense cultural significance, being the centerpiece of Queen Mother’s coronation crown. The diamond originated from India, having been first mined in the 1300s; however, the British East India Company obtained the stone in the 1840s. Before the 1840s, the stone had many owners including the Mughals, the Persians, and the Afghans until the early 1840s, when the Sikh king, Maharaja Duleep Singh received the diamond from his father. When the British annexed Punjab in 1849, they coerced then 11-year-old Duleep into signing the Treaty of Lahore, which made Duleep give the Koh-i-Noor to the queen of England, Queen Victoria at the time. This is where modern-day contreversies spark from: though Duleep technically consented to “gifiting” the diamond to the queen, he was pressured and coerced into doing so, indicating that the transaction was not unbiased or morally just. Nowadays, the former British colony India has repeatedly demanded the return of the stolen jewel, alongside Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan.
But the Koh-i-noor is not the only jewel that the British have been accused of stealing. There are several other jewels that are claimed to be stolen, many of which are found on the Imperial State Crown, soon to be worn by King Charles III. On the Imperial State Crown alone, lies the Cullinan II, the largest gem-quality rough diamond ever found, from South Africa, the Black Prince’s Ruby, believed to be from Afghanistan, St. Edward’s Sapphire, believed to be from Sri Lanka, and Stuart Sapphire, from Myanmar. All of these jewels hold enormous cultural significance, the St. Edward’s Sapphire even being considered a holy relic by the Royal Family, which adds another layer to the present day debates on the possible return of these priceless stones.
Beyond the significance of each jewel’s individual importance, jewelry itself has always been a symbol in the historic and present-day United Kingdom. For example, this past Saturday, September 17, 2022, when Queen Elizabeth II’s grandchildren stood vigil at her coffin in Westminster Hall, each wore multiple pieces of jewelry ranging from necklaces, bracelets, broaches, and earrings, all of which held symbolic meanings or odes to the late queen. Many of these pieces were passed down from the queen herself and some just contained stones that symbolized her, but all showed the significance of jewelry to the Royal Family.
On the other hand, though the tradition and historical significance is strong within the Royal Family, modern day issues seem to directly contrast with these ideals. On the Imperial Scepter, formerly held by the queen, lays the Cullinan I, or the Great Star of Africa, which was stolen from South Africa in 1905. Recently, the Azanian People’s Organization stated the queen “must be reminded that the diamond belongs to the Black people of this country, and to them alone.”
With the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, the debate has been rekindled and I’m interested to see what results from it. If the Royal Family decides to return these jewels, it would hold more value than the physical and material worth of the stones, symbolizing the mending of relationships destroyed by the violent and deadly British colonialism of the past.
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