Buckingham Palace have confirmed the details of Camilla’s coronation crown.
The Queen Consort has chosen Queen Mary’s Crown, which was made for King George V’s consort for the 1911 coronation – though she’s making some changes.
The Queen Consort will be paying tribute to Queen Elizabeth II by resetting the crown with some of her late mother-in-law’s diamonds.
Diamond experts at Steven Stone have revealed everything you need to know about the diamonds that will be incorporated into the crown that will be used as King Charles III’s coronation ceremony on 6th May 2023.
A statement from the Palace has explained how Camilla wanted to pay tribute to her late mother-in-law by incorporating some diamonds from Queen Elizabeth II’s personal jewellery collection into the crown.
These diamonds are three of the most valuable jewels in the late monarch’s collection and were often worn by Her late Majesty as brooches.
Cullinan V
Queen Mary was presented with a selection of stones cut from the showstopping Cullinan diamond – including the Cullinan V, Cullinan IV and Cullinan III.
The Cullinan V is a beautiful heart-shaped diamond that weighs 18.8 carats. It was set in platinum by Garrard in 1911, to create a multi-purpose piece, to be used in different items of jewellery. Queen Mary wore it on her crown for the 1911 coronation, and as the centre stone on her famous honeysuckle tiara on many occasions.
However, most of the time, the Cullian V diamond featured in a brooch setting, which was passed down to Queen Elizabeth II, who has worn it frequently over the decades.
From London Fashion Week in February, 2018 to her annual Christmas broadcast in 2008, it was one of the Queen’s most famous pieces.
Our experts estimate the brooch to be worth £2,000,000.
Cullinan III & Cullinan IV
The Cullinan III diamond is a 94.4-carat pear-cut stone that was originally set in the coronation crown made for Queen Mary, consort of King George V.
The Cullinan IV diamond is a square-cut 63 carat diamond.
The Cullinan III and Cullinan IV are the third and fourth largest stones cut from the famous Cullinan Diamond.
At present, Cullinan III is usually worn as a brooch, in a configuration that includes Cullinan IV.
In 1953, Queen Elizabeth inherited the brooch, however she didn’t wear it very often. In 1959, she loaned the brooch to London’s Ageless Diamond exhibition, and in 1012 it was part of another exhibition at Buckingham Palace to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.
Our experts estimate the brooch to be worth a staggering £50,000,000.
“It’s great to hear that Buckingham Palace have finally announced the details of Camilla’s coronation crown – particularly after the controversy surrounding the possible use of the Koh-i-Noor diamond.
Camilla has chosen Queen Mary’s Crown, which was commissioned by Queen Mary for King George V’s 1911 coronation – though she’s making some changes, which includes not featuring the Koh-i-Noor diamond. A particularly heartwarming change that the Queen Consort is making is to incorporate some diamonds from Queen Elizabeth II’s personal jewellery collection into the crown – all of which are cut from the showstopping Cullinan diamond.
The Cullinan V is a beautiful heart-shaped diamond that weighs 18.8 carats. It was set in platinum by Garrard in 1911 and Queen Mary wore it on her crown for the 1911 coronation. Most of the time, the Cullian V diamond was featured in a brooch setting, which was passed down to Queen Elizabeth II, who wore it frequently over the decades. I’d estimate it to be worth £2 million.
The Cullinan III and Cullinan IV are the third and fourth largest stones cut from the Cullinan Diamond. At present, the pear-shaped 94.4 carat Cullinan III is usually worn as a brooch, in a configuration that includes the square-cut 63 carat Cullinan IV. I’d estimate the value of the brooch to be a staggering £50 million.”
maxwell stone, leading diamond expert, steven stone
The controversy of the Koh-I-Noor diamond
The announcement comes after plans to use the controversial Koh-i-Noor diamond were reconsidered amid fears of a row. India’s ruling party warned that the move would bring back painful memories of the colonial past.
In 1911, the Koh-i-noor diamond was set in a cross at the front of Queen Mary’s crown. It was later replaced by a replica in1937 when the huge diamond was moved to the Queen Mother’s crown for her and King George VI’s coronation.
Though the jewel has traditionally been worn by consorts – including Queen Alexandra, Queen Mary, and most recently, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother in 1937 – it’s been confirmed that the Koh-I-Noor diamond will not feature following Her Majesty’s decision to use this crown.
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