The queen consort is to wear a recycled crown for the coronation that will not feature the Koh-i-Noor diamond, Buckingham Palace has announced.
Camilla will wear a modified version of Queen Mary’s crown, made by Garrard for the 1911 coronation and commissioned by Queen Mary, the consort of George V.
In tribute to Queen Elizabeth II, the crown will be reset with the Cullinan III, IV and V diamonds, part of the late queen’s personal jewellery collection and often worn by her as brooches.
The announcement confirms that the Koh-i-Noor diamond, seized by the East India Company in 1849 and presented to Queen Victoria, and which featured in the late queen mother’s crown in 1937, will not be used.
The Koh-i-Noor diamond is controversial for the circumstances in which it was acquired, and what it has come to symbolise. A spokesperson for the Bharatiya Janata party of Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, was recently reported as saying it “brings back painful memories of the colonial past”.
This will be the first time a queen consort crown has been re-used since the 18th century when Queen Caroline, consort of George II, wore Mary of Modena’s crown.
Buckingham Palace said: “The choice of Queen Mary’s crown by her majesty is 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, in the interests of sustainability and efficiency.”
It has now been removed from public display at the Tower of London for modification work before the king’s coronation on 6 May at Westminster Abbey.
The Cullinan diamonds have been set into Queen Mary’s crown on previous occasions. Cullinan III and IV were set temporarily in the crown for the 1911 coronation, and the Cullinan V was inserted when the crown was worn as a regal circlet at King George VI’s coronation in 1937.
In addition, four of the crown’s eight detachable arches will be removed to create a different impression to when the crown was worn by Queen Mary at the 1911 coronation.
The design was inspired by Queen Alexandra’s crown of 1902. Like Alexandra’s crown, it can be worn without the arches in the form of a regal circlet, which Queen Mary wore for the coronation of her son, King George VI, in 1937.
St Edward’s crown, which will be used for the coronation of the king, has been returned to public display at the Tower of London after the completion of modification work, the palace said.
• This article was amended on 14 February 2023. Queen Caroline was the consort of George II, not George III as an earlier version stated.
