King Charles will sit on one of Scotland's most meaningful royal objects during his Coronation
A look at the complicated history of sacred regalia used in British coronations
On May 6, 2023, King Charles will be the fortieth monarch to be crowned at a glittering coronation at Westminster Abbey. The event, which will unfold in front of 2,000 guests and millions watching around the world, will be rich in pomp, circumstance and traditions that date back centuries.
Also dating back centuries are regalia — sacred objects symbolizing the monarch's duties and powers — that will play a role in the coronation. Some of those priceless items, recently featured in the new series Stuff the British Stole, have a complex legacy. They were taken during centuries of colonization, and now the original owners want them back.
One of the star attractions of the British Crown Jewels kept in the Tower of London is the Koh-i-Noor, one of the world's largest cut diamonds, also known as the "mountain of light."
"It was a token of wealth. So whoever possessed the Koh-i-Noor had that power, had that wealth. It was a status symbol," claims Sikh historian Peter Bance, who is featured in the series.
It's believed that the jewel originated in the Golconda mines in southeastern India during the Middle Ages. Over the centuries, the Koh-i-Noor was looted and bartered and had many owners, including heads of the Mughal Empire, shahs of Iran and emirs of Afghanistan, before ending up with Ranjit Singh, founder of the Sikh Empire, in 1813. When he died in 1839, he left behind a divided court. Years later, his five-year-old son, Duleep, ascended to the throne and inherited the jewel.
WATCH | An excerpt from Stuff the British Stole explains how one of the world's largest cut diamonds was taken from a young child
After a brutal war with British invaders, the diamond was given to Queen Victoria in 1849. Maharaja Duleep, who was still a child, was forced to sign an amendment to the Treaty of Lahore (which had ended the First Anglo-Sikh War in 1846) and give away the Koh-i-Noor. Amid great fanfare, the illustrious diamond was taken to England where it was the centrepiece of the Great Exhibition in 1851. A resounding success, the exhibition raised the funds to create the cultural institutions and museums seen all over London today.
But the people who queued for hours to see the famed Koh-i-Noor were disappointed by its lack of sparkle. The diamond was given a European recut, the faceting reducing its impressive size considerably, and fashioned into a brooch for Queen Victoria.
Over time, the diamond was placed in a crown for Queen Alexandra, Queen Mary and finally Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, who wore it during her own coronation when she and her husband King George VI assumed the throne. The crown made its last public appearance when it was placed atop the coffin of the Queen Mother at her funeral. Since then it has been on display in the Jewel House at the Tower of London.
The late Queen Elizabeth II never wore the crown or the diamond. After her death, there were renewed calls for the jewel's repatriation from several countries who claim ownership, including India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Damandeep Singh Sandhanwalia, one of Duleep Singh's relatives now living in Toronto, is demanding that the Koh-i-Noor be returned to the Sikhs. "Even if the Koh-i-Noor is never returned, we will always ask for it. Even if the coming generations continue to lose the fight for Koh-i-Noor, we will still not be defeated."
WATCH | Damandeep Singh Sandhanwalia appeals for the return of the diamond
The palace has announced that although the Queen Consort, Camilla, will wear the crown during her coronation, the diamond itself will be removed and replaced with other recycled royal jewels including the Cullinan III, IV and V diamonds, which were part of Queen Elizabeth II's personal collection and also have a controversial history.
The Koh-i-Noor, will be recognized as a symbol of conquest in a new exhibition that opens in May 2023 at the Tower of London.
One other important and disputed item will, however, be part of the upcoming ceremony.
The Stone of Destiny (also known as the Stone of Scone or the Coronation Stone) is an unremarkable-looking but sacred block of sandstone. Its origins are unknown, but legend says it is the same stone used by Jacob as a pillow in Bethel when he dreamed of a ladder reaching to heaven. Sometime during the ninth century, it ended up in Scotland where it was used in the inauguration of Scotland's monarchs.
In 1286, Scottish King Alexander III died without an heir, so the nobles turned to the king of England, Edward I, to select a new ruler. Four years later, Edward invaded Scotland and removed some of its most meaningful objects, including the stone. "I think by taking away those items, it's stripping that country of its identity, its means of making a ruler into a ruler," says Dr. Lucy Dean, a historian who specializes in Scotland and is featured in Stuff the British Stole.
The English then built the Coronation Chair, which is essentially a throne around the stone. "Symbolically, even just looking at it, if you think that that's supposed to be one of the symbols of Scottish kingship, and it's your throne as the King of England, if you sit on that, in your coronation, it's essentially you sitting on the Scots and being in control of the Scots," says Dean. The throne remains in London's Westminster Abbey, where the kings and queens of England, including Elizabeth II, have sat on Scotland's most potent symbol of nationhood.
In 1950, a group of university students who broke into the abbey on Christmas Eve famously stole the stone.
WATCH | An excerpt from Stuff the British Stole describes the celebration when the stone was taken back to Scotland
Months later, the stone was returned to Westminster, but calls for Scottish independence continued to grow.
In 1996, the stone was finally returned to Scotland's Edinburgh Castle with the proviso that it would be brought back for use in future coronations. The Stone of Destiny has been brought to Westminster Abbey where it will be part of King Charles III's coronation.
Watch the coronation next weekend or Stuff the British Stole, now streaming free on CBC Gem.
