My late father was born in India before Indian independence, before the partition, when India was still called “the jewel in the British crown.” He was, bizarrely, sort of a monarchist who enjoyed British royal history and had a general warmth for QEII (and King Edward VIII, weirdly). But there was one subject in which my dad was completely anti-monarchist: he believed, as I do, that the Windsors should absolutely return the jewels they looted from India, starting with the Koh-i-Noor. The Koh-i-Noor is still part of the “British crown jewels” and it is still part of the crown which was worn by the late Queen Mother, in what is considered the traditional “Queen Consort crown.” Dismantle this specific crown and send the Koh-i-Noor back to India, I swear to God. Instead of doing that, the Windsors are going to put that crown on Camilla’s head!! Some highlights from this Daily Mail story:
Charles had been planning this for years, obvs: Prince Charles changed his coronation vows several years ago to include ‘Queen Camilla’ – with his mother’s blessing, the Daily Mail can reveal. The insertion of his wife’s title was included as part of a general reworking of plans for the Westminster Abbey ceremony up to five years ago, a senior palace source said.
Camilla will wear the Koh-i-Noor: It can also be revealed that Camilla will have the Queen Mother’s priceless platinum and diamond crown placed on her head when Charles is made king. It was created for King George VI’s coronation in 1937. The Queen Mother’s crown features 2,800 diamonds with a large stone given to Queen Victoria in 1856 by the Sultan of Turkey as a gesture of gratitude for British support during the Crimean War. The front cross holds the famous 105-carat Koh-i-Noor diamond, which originated in India, in a detachable platinum mount.
Charles almost announced the ‘Queen Camilla’ thing in 2019: The Mail can reveal today that plans to ‘crown’ Camilla as Queen Consort – as opposed to ‘Princess Consort’, as originally planned – have been under way for some time, and Charles came close to announcing it in 2019. A royal source said: ‘This is something that has been on the Prince of Wales’ mind for some time, but the timing had to be right. There was a nervousness, they wanted to get it right. It’s been a done deal for some time, but the question has been how best to execute it. You are not going to please everyone. They understand that some people still won’t be happy, but the family believe it is the right thing to do.’
Charles overhauled his coronation plans: The change was made clear when Clarence House and palace officials embarked on an overhaul of the plans for Charles’s coronation several years ago. Key national events are regularly the subject of planning reviews and, as the previous coronation took place in 1953, officials wanted to make the ceremony more streamlined and up-to-date. It is understood to have been shortened from the Queen’s three-hour long event and, while still ‘spectacular’, is designed to ‘better reflect the times’, with more religious, cultural and ethnic diversity. ‘It also included the duchess crowned Queen Consort,’ a household insider said. Any changes would have taken place with the Queen’s blessing and the knowledge of Buckingham Palace.
One could even argue that ensuring Camilla’s position as Queen Consort was Charles’s sole focus for the past seventeen years. One could even argue that Charles’s devotion to legitimizing his mistress left him blind and unwilling to actually show leadership within his own family. One of his sons is exiled and his two mixed-race grandchildren are living in California, but Charles stayed on his particular course, to make sure everyone bowed and scraped to the Rottweiler, as Diana called her.
Also: Charles’s reworked his coronation plans in 2019? Curious. I wonder if he reworked them to reflect the Sussexes’ soon-to-be exile.
As for the Koh-i-Noor… yeah, it’s pathetic that Camilla will wear this crown. It’s pathetic that the Windsors won’t return their looted art and jewels.
Photos courtesy of Getty, Avalon Red, Instar.
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North America Rights Only – Umm Qais, Jordan -20211117- Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall take a walking tour of Umm Qais on the second day of their tour of the Middle East.
-PICTURED: Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Charles
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- LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 11: Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall during the State Opening of Parliament at the House of Lords on May 11, 2021 in London, England.,Image: 610288433, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Chris Jackson / Avalon
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- Britain’s Prince Charles gestures as he and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, visit the Education Authority in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Britain, May 18, 2021.,Image: 611370495, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon [email protected] London 44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles 1 310 822 0419 Berlin 49 30 76 212 251 Madrid 34 91 533 42 89, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red / Avalon
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- The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall attend the ‘A Starry Night In The Nilgiri Hills’ event hosted by the Elephant Family wildlife conservation charity at Lancaster House in London. Picture date: Wednesday July 14, 2021.,Image: 621581064, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon [email protected] London 44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles 1 310 822 0419 Berlin 49 30 76 212 251 Madrid 34 91 533 42 89, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red / Avalon
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- Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, meets young women who have been supported by The Prince’s Trust, ahead of the charity’s ‘Brilliant Breakfast’ campaign, at Clarence House, London.,Image: 630371090, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: ©Eddie Mulholland / Avalon
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- The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall leave after attending the opening ceremony of the sixth session of the Senedd in Cardiff. Picture date: Thursday October 14, 2021.,Image: 638008287, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon [email protected] London 44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles 1 310 822 0419 Berlin 49 30 76 212 251 Madrid 34 91 533 42 89, Model Release: no, Credit line: Photoshot / Avalon
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- The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall leave after attending the opening ceremony of the sixth session of the Senedd in Cardiff. Picture date: Thursday October 14, 2021.,Image: 638008303, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon [email protected] London 44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles 1 310 822 0419 Berlin 49 30 76 212 251 Madrid 34 91 533 42 89, Model Release: no, Credit line: Photoshot / Avalon
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- The Prince of Wales views The SMI Fashion Coalition’s Digital ID, a virtual certificate that records each item’s history with members of the Fashion Coalition, one of the SMI’s ten Industry Coalitions which includes CEOs from some of the leading fashion houses including Giorgio Armani, Mulberry and Chloe at the Villa Wolkonsky Residence Gardens in Rome.,Image: 640704043, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Aaron Chown / Avalon
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- The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall arrive to attend the Christmas Day morning church service at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.,Image: 649423645, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Jonathan Brady / Avalon
