The Kohinoor Story

It has been decided that the Kohinoor Diamond, or the replica of it, will not be used in the coronation. Let's have a look at it.

The Kohinoor Diamond is likely the single most famous diamond in the world. It was mined in medieval times in India and has a storied history of changing hands through a number of rulers and empires, including the great Persian conqueror Nader Shah. The diamond has been part of Britain's Crown Jewels since imperial times.

There have been requests from India for the return of the diamond. Although the Indian Government has stated that the diamond does legitimately belong to Britain there are still requests that it should be returned.

Part of the value of an object like this diamond is the story behind it, and the Kohinoor Diamond certainly has a history that matches it's brilliance. What if there were immigrants from India to Britain, and what if a child of these immigrants ended up being Prime Minister of Britain and gave the diamond back to India?

I am not saying that this is going to happen. Rishi Sunak has given no indication that he is going to return the diamond. But just imagine how much this would add to the story of the diamond, and thus it's value.

The diamond that will be used in the coronation instead is from South Africa, and is controversial for a similar reason.

Britain is not the only country that has acquired a lot of diamonds. The real Queen of Diamonds is the widow of the late Shah of Iran, Empress Farah. In 1967 the Shah held a lavish ceremony to crown himself "King of Kings". There are photos and videos of it online. We have never seen so many diamonds. The diamonds are now held by Iran's national bank. Among those diamonds is the Dariainoor, with a history similar to that of the Kohinoor.

We saw this in "Remembering The Pahlavi Dynasty", October 2017.

I have an autographed portrait of Empress Farah on my wall.

 At this point I think the Holy Crown of Hungary might be the most valuable portable object in the world, or maybe the Bust of Nefertiti or the Sarcophagus of King Tut. But if this return was added to the story of the Kohinoor Diamond it might surpass them all in value.

This is the Holy Crown of Hungary, which we saw in the posting, "Hungary's Special Mission" October 2020. From the front (top) and back. It is on display in the Hungarian Parliament Building in Budapest. Images from Google Street View.