Kohinoor to emerald studded horse harness: The troubled colonial history of British royal jewels
Kohinoor
For hundreds of years, the British royal family's flaunting of the Kohinoor diamond has been a bone of contention between the UK and India. The Kohinoor, which is now part of the crown of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, is displayed at the Tower Of London in a ticketed arena. While the Kohinoor remains a prized possession of the British royal family, it has become an emblem of Britain’s tortured relationship with its imperial history.
A report in The Guardian details the number of jewels that the royal family proudly flaunts as their own- have imperial origins- highlighting the British rule in India. Many of the jewels were taken as trophies of conquest by the British before it was handed over to Queen Victoria including the Kohinoor which belong to Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Punjab.
According to the Guardian report, Queen Mary, grandmother of Elizabeth II had commissioned to investigate the imperial origins of her jewels. The 46-page file in the archives of the India Office, the government department that was responsible for Britain’s rule over the Indian subcontinent has detailed how priceless pieces were extracted from India. Most of these items are now owned by the monarch as property of the British crown.
Kohinoor is not the only Indian jewel that is now a part of the royal family jewels. There is a long gold girdle inlaid with 19 large emeralds once used by Indian Maharaja Ranjit Singh to decorate his horses. It is now a part of King Charles's personal collection.
A journal records a tour in 1837 of the Punjab area in north India by the society diarist Fanny Eden and her brother George, the governor-general of the British Raj at the time. They visited Ranjit Singh, the maharajah in Lahore, who had signed a “treaty of friendship” with the British six years earlier.
The journal detailed that while half-blind Singh wore few pieces of jewellery, his entourage was laden with precious jewels. He had so much that he put his finest jewellery on his horses- on their harnesses.
A few years after Ranjit Singh's demise, his youngest son and heir, Duleep, was forced to sign over Punjab to the conquering forces of the British East India Company. As part of the conquest, the company not only plundered the horses' emeralds but also the coveted Kohinoor diamond.
A few weeks ago, Buckingham Palace announced that Camilla, the Queen Consort would not be flaunting the Kohinoor at Charles' coronation as it would elicit “painful memories of the colonial past."
Another prominent Indian piece that now is part of the royal's personal collection is a pearl necklace consisting of 224 large pearls. The late Queen Elizabeth II has been pictured wearing the necklace in public on two occasions.
While the original owner of the necklace is not documented, it is speculated by the experts that it belongs to Maharaj Rajit Singh.
The family also now possesses a short necklace of four very large spinel rubies, the largest of which is a 325.5-carat spinel which is known as Timur ruby.
Its famous name is erroneous: research by the academic Susan Stronge in 1996 concluded it was probably never owned by Timur.
Further research revealed that it passed hands between the kings of Persia and Mughal emperors until Queen Victoria was given it from India.
Indian politician Shashi Tharoor told The Guardian, “We have finally entered an era where colonial loot and pillage is being recognised for what it really was, rather than being dressed up as the incidental spoils of some noble ‘civilising mission’.
“As we are seeing increasingly, the return of stolen property is always a good thing. Generations to come will wonder why it took civilised nations so long to do the right thing.”
