It’s official. Queen Camilla’s coronation crown has been revealed!
On Tuesday, Buckingham Palace announced the Queen Consort will wear Queen Mary‘s crown during her husband King Charles III‘s May 6 coronation. This is actually a huge break from tradition. Usually, a new crown is designed for each coronation, but “in the interests of sustainability and efficiency,” the royals decided to reuse a historic piece of bling. The last time a Queen Consort’s crown was reused was in the 18th century when Queen Caroline wore Mary of Modena‘s crown. So, Camilla will be making a bit of her own history at the coronation!
Queen Mary’s crown was originally commissioned in 1911 for her husband King George V‘s crowning ceremony. She also wore it without the arches at the coronation of her son, King George VI, in 1937. Check out the stunning headpiece for yourself (below)!
It’s made with around 2,200 diamonds, but one jewel in particular has to be rated on a fifth C — for controversy!
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The crown originally contained the Koh-i-Nûr diamond, but the jewel was removed and placed on a crown worn by Queen Elizabeth II‘s mother. There has been speculation that the diamond may be reattached to the crown — much to the dismay of many since the jewel has been at the center of backlash with many demanding it be returned to India where it originally came from. In October, a source from the Bharatiya Janata Party in India told The Telegraph:
“The coronation of Camilla and the use of the crown jewel Koh-i-Nûr brings back painful memories of the colonial past.”
The insider continued:
“Most Indians have very little memory of the oppressive past. Five to six generations of Indians suffered under multiple foreign rules for over five centuries. The coronation of the new Queen Camilla and the use of the Koh-i-Nûr do transport a few Indians back to the days of the British Empire in India.”
Some claim the diamond belonged to Pakistan or Afghanistan versus India, FYI, but either way, much of the world doesn’t think it belongs in England! So, it was smart not to include it on the crown to avoid a ton of controversy!
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This won’t be the only change made to the crown, though! Four of the eight detachable arches will be removed to create “a different impression to when the Crown was worn by Queen Mary at the 1911 Coronation,” according to Buckingham Palace. It will also be altered to include a special tribute to the late Queen! According to the statement, work is underway to reset the headpiece with the Cullinan III, IV, and V diamonds that were part of the late monarch’s personal jewelry collection. She often wore them as brooches. This won’t be the first time they’ve been added to this particular crown but it sure is a sweet nod to Charles’ mother!
Meanwhile, Charles will wear the traditional St. Edward’s Crown. Preparations are far from over for the big event, with the official guest list yet to be finalized.
Thoughts? Do you love that she’s upcycling the crown?? Let us know (below)!
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