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It is thought that Camilla will be wearing the late Queen Mother’s crown for the ceremony which contains the Koh-i-Noor diamond. The controversial diamond has angered officials from India’s governing party who claimed on Wednesday that it should not be featured in the ceremony.
They claimed that the use of one of the world’s largest cut diamond in the coronation would bring back “painful memories” of Britain’s colonial past.
The crown features 2,800 diamonds and the front cross cradles the 105-carat Koh-i-Noor diamond.
The diamond was found in India and was subsequently gifted to Queen Victoria by the last Sikh emperor of India who was ten years old at the time.
However, the notion of the diamond having been ‘gifted’ to Britain is under much contention as some claim it was ‘forcibly’ taken by Britain during its colonial rule.
At least three countries are claiming that the diamond belongs to them and should be returned, including India.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s governing party in India have suggested that the jewel in the coronation may “transport a few Indians back to the days of the British Empire”.
Mail+ revealed that the diamond may not be used in the ceremony due to “political sensitivities” and “significant nervousness” about its origins.
The Royal Family will not want Britain’s colonial past marring the historic occasion as it has done on previous royal engagements over the past year.
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The spokesman added: “Recent occasions, like Queen Elizabeth II’s death, the coronation of the new Queen Camilla and the use of the Koh-i-Noor do transport a few Indians back to the days of the British Empire in India.”
The decision of using the Queen Mother’s crown for Camilla’s crowning was decided many years ago when it was provisionally agreed Camilla would be proclaimed Queen Consort.
Despite the previously decided agreement, a source told Mail+: “His Majesty the King is acutely sensitive to these issues, as are his advisors.
“There are serious political sensitivities and significant nervousness around them, particularly regarding India.”
The Palace has already explained that the ceremony in May will be adapted for the modern age to “reflect the Monarch’s role today and look towards the future, while being rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry.”
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