Camilla to wear Queen Mary’s Crown at May coronation

Buckingham Palace has revealed which royal headpiece will be used to crown Queen Consort Camilla – and it will honour the Queen. See the historic headpiece.

The royal heirloom that will be used to crown Camilla, Queen Consort on May 6 has been revealed – and it will not feature the controversial Koh-i-Noor diamond.

Buckingham Palace announced Camilla will wear a modified version of Queen Mary’s Crown, marking the first time in recent history that an existing crown will be used for the coronation of a consort instead of a new commission being made.

It said the move was being made “in the interests of sustainability and efficiency”.

The crown is more than a century old and was commissioned by Queen Mary for her 1911 coronation alongside King George V.

Queen Mary's Crown has been removed from display at the Tower of London for modification work ahead of the Coronation of King Charles III and the Queen Consort. Picture: Getty Images

Queen Consort, Camilla. Picture: Getty Images

The crown will be reset with several Cullinan diamonds – cut from what was the largest diamond ever mined when it was discovered in South Africa in 1905 – in tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II. The diamonds were part of her personal jewellery collection for many years and she often wore them as brooches.

Some of the diamonds were set into Queen Mary’s Crown for the 1911 coronation and for King George VI’s coronation in 1937, when it was worn as a regal circlet.

It has been removed from its usual display at the Tower of London for the modification, which will also include some other minor changes and additions by the crown jeweller.

Four of its eight detachable arches will be removed to create a new impression, different from that of 1911.

The announcement confirms that the Koh-i-Noor diamond, at the centre of political and legal disputes regarding its original owner, will not be used.

King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort. Picture: Getty Images

The crown was given to Queen Elizabeth II‘s mother in 1937, according to the Historic Royal Palaces and the diamond was given to Queen Victoria as a condition of the Treaty of Lahore, which ended the first Anglo-Sikh War in 1849.

The jewel is believed to have originated from the Golconda mines in central southern India.

It has had many previous owners – heads of the Mughal empire on the Indian subcontinent, Shahs of Iran, Emirs of Afghanistan and Sikh Maharajas, according to Historic Royal Palaces.

Many Indians believe the diamond still belongs to India and that the British stole it, BBC News reports.

Camilla wore the Crown of Queen Elizabeth, which features the Koh-i-Noor diamond, to the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II last year.

The diamond, according to Hindu belief, is revered by gods such as Krishna but also carries a curse.

King Charles will wear the St Edward’s Crown for the coronation service in Westminster Abbey. It has already been modified and returned to public display in the Tower of London.

ROYALS ‘FULLY EXPECT’ HARRY AND MEGHAN AT CORONATION

Members of the royal family are “fully expecting” the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to attend King Charles III’s coronation in May – but peace talks between the two parties remain unlikely.

The release of the Prince Harry’s bombshell memoir and the couple’s Netflix documentary, both of which contained explosive allegations against the royal family, was seen as a possible barrier to the pair being invited for the coronation.

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex are expected to attend the coronation in May. Picture: Getty Images

But a source close to the family told the Daily Mail that the Sussexes “will definitely” be at King Charles’ big day, however, they should not expect any reconciliation talks.

“Members of the family have told me that both Harry and Meghan will definitely come. They fully expect that,” a royal source told the media outlet.

“And they should realise that there is only one subject that many members of the royal family will be willing to discuss … and that’s the weather.”

Originally published as Camilla to wear Queen Mary’s Crown at May coronation