What happened
The Koh-i-Noor, the “Mountain of Light,” is one of the largest cut diamonds in the world. It belonged to the Mughal emperors, was looted in 1739 by the Persian ruler Nader Shah, passed through the hands of Afghan rulers and in 1813 was taken by the Sikh maharaja Ranjit Singh. Many of its owners were overthrown, blinded or murdered. In 1849, after the annexation of the Punjab, the British forced the eleven-year-old maharaja Duleep Singh to surrender the stone, and on 3 July 1850 it was presented to Queen Victoria. Soon rumours of a curse appeared in the press, along with a warning – supposedly from an ancient Hindu text – that only women or God could wear the diamond safely. Since then the Koh-i-Noor has adorned only the crowns of queens: Alexandra, Mary and Elizabeth, the mother of Elizabeth II.
Witnesses
Rumours of the curse were printed in the 19th century by the Delhi Gazette and the Illustrated London News; they are said to have worried Queen Victoria herself.
Explanations and hypotheses
The violent fates of earlier owners reflect the turbulent history of the region rather than any power of the stone – rulers who never owned it died the same way. The alleged ancient text with the warning has never been found, and historians regard it as a Victorian invention. The Koh-i-Noor still causes disputes of another kind: India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran have demanded its return, while Britain maintains it was acquired legally. At the 2023 coronation Queen Camilla wore a crown without the diamond.
Legend A story handed down through generations – it can be neither confirmed nor disproved.
Sources
- Danielle C. Kinsey, Koh-i-Noor: Empire, Diamonds, and the Performance of British Material Culture (Journal of British Studies, 2009)
- Matthew Hart, Diamond: A Journey to the Heart of an Obsession (Walker & Company, 2001)
- Hansard – Crown Jewels (written answers, 16 July 1992)
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