The controversial Koh-i-Noor diamond will not be used in the coronation, said Buckingham Palace. Instead Camilla, the Queen Consort, will be crowned with Queen Mary's Crown, which has been taken out of the Tower of London to be resized for the May 6 coronation. It is thought to be the first time in "recent history" that an existing crown will be "recycled" for a coronation. Diamonds from Queen Elizabeth II's jewelry will also be added. Camilla, who will be crowned alongside the King at Westminster Abbey, has had to cancel her public engagements this week after testing positive for COVID. Ownership of the Koh-i-Noor, one of the largest cut diamonds in the world, has been disputed, and there were concerns about a diplomatic row with India if it had been India has made several claims to be the rightful owner of the diamond, which was used in the coronation of the Queen Mother. Instead, Buckingham Palace said Camilla will be crowned with Queen Mary's crown — and claims its re-use is in the "interests of sustainability and efficiency". In a tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II, the crown will be reset using diamonds from her personal jewelry collection, using diamonds known as Cullinan III, IV and V. These diamonds were worn by the late Queen in brooches and were taken from the Cullinan diamond, discovered in South Africa. King Charles III will wear the St Edward's Crown, regarded as the centerpiece of the Crown Jewels. It is back on display at the Tower of London after being modified to fit the monarch. It was first made for King Charles II in 1661 as a replacement for an earlier crown which was destroyed in the aftermath of the English Civil War. The late Queen Elizabeth II also used the St Edward's Crown during her coronation but other monarchs through history have opted for smaller or custom-made crowns. What we know about the Coronation long weekend so far: Saturday May 6: Coronation service in Westminster Abbey; coronation carriage procession; Buckingham Palace balcony appearance Sunday May 7: Concert and lightshow at Windsor Castle; Coronation Big Lunch street parties Monday May 8: Extra bank holiday; Big Help Out encouraging people to get involved in local volunteering Although it is far from being the largest or most flawless diamond in the world, the Koh-i-Noor's storied history has marked it out as perhaps the most controversial. Competing theories and myths about the origins of the stone stretch over many years but historians agree it was taken from India by Nader Shah, an Iranian ruler, in 1739. Through plunder and conquest, it changed hands several times before being signed over to a British governor-general in 1849 following the annexation of the Punjab. The circumstances in which it was signed over to the East India Company — which had conquered vast swaths of the Indian subcontinent — by a defeated boy king are disputed. It was reputedly a "gift" but Anita Anand, a BBC journalist who has co-authored a book on the Koh-i-Noor, said: "I don't know of many 'gifts' that are handed over at the point of a bayonet". Prince Albert had it recut in the 1850s to make it shine brighter and it was set in a brooch for Queen Victoria. It was eventually incorporated into the Crown Jewels. Claims to rightful ownership of the diamond have also been made by some in Pakistan and even the Taliban. — BBC
