Dodging potential controversy, Camilla will wear a recycled crown — without the Koh-i-Noor diamond

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When Buckingham Palace spread the word the other day about the crown that Camilla, the Queen Consort, will wear at the coronation in May, it noted that it will be the first time in recent history that an existing crown will be used for a consort, rather than a new one created for the occasion.

It's a move made in the "interests of sustainability and efficiency," the palace said.

But the choice of Queen Mary's 1911 crown — with the addition of some of Queen Elizabeth's gems — also effectively eliminated potential controversy over whether Camilla's crown would include the famed — and contested — Koh-i-Noor diamond.

The decision not to use the Koh-i-Noor diamond shows that King Charles and Camilla are sensitive to the controversy surrounding its acquisition, said Lauren Kiehna, a writer, historian of royal jewelry and author of The Court Jeweller website.

"They clearly don't want to add to the political pressure surrounding the diamond, which has been claimed by several different countries as their own rightful property," Kiehna said via email. "The Royals certainly don't want the legal arguments over the Koh-i-Noor to be the focus of the narrative during the coronation."

Ownership of the 105.6-carat diamond is disputed, "and there were concerns about a diplomatic row with India if it had been used," the BBC reported. 

The diamond, which is part of the British Crown Jewels, was used in the 1937 coronation of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother — the last Queen Consort.  

But it has a complicated, contested and controversial past, and the circumstances under which it was signed over to the British East India Company in the mid-19th century by a boy king have been disputed, the BBC said. 

Justin Vovk, a royal historian and PhD candidate in history at McMaster University in Hamilton, said that by not including the gem in Camilla's crown, Charles is making an important statement.  

"The Indian government has pressed for years to have [the Koh-i-Noor diamond] sent back. Many people are pushing for that as well," Vovk said. 

"So if Charles is claiming that his monarchy is so modern and so progressive and so forward-thinking, to include the Koh-i-Noor diamond would ... look like he's selling out.

"It would look like he's a hypocrite, and it would look like he's using the coronation to make a foreign relations statement, and by not including the diamond, it is allowing him to make sure that the coronation doesn't become a source of international controversy."

Camilla's wearing of Queen Mary's crown will mark the first time since the 18th century that a Queen Consort's crown has been reused.

"Queen Mary wanted hers to become the new official consort's coronation crown, and she gave it to the Royal Collection for that purpose," Kiehna said. "The choice of Queen Mary's crown for Queen Camilla's coronation fulfils that wish."

The modified crown will also include three diamonds — the Cullinan III, IV and V — from the personal collection of King Charles's mother, Queen Elizabeth, who died in September.

"All three of the diamonds were affixed to the crown for different events by Queen Mary herself, so the choice to use them is also a nod to the crown's history," Kiehna said.

Any crown is a highly visible symbol of a coronation, so the choices made around the modified Queen Mary's crown could send broader signals about the monarchy in Charles's reign.

"I think there's a really clear message here that this is a monarchy that is rooted in its past traditions," Vovk said. "It is acknowledging those traditions and the need for them, but at the same time ... by customizing [the crown], is saying, we will update the institution in a certain sort of set of boundaries." 

Kiehna said the choice of Queen Mary's crown shows that Charles and Camilla "are keen to respect and honour royal history, while also adjusting existing traditions to fit better with our modern times."

"The British Royal Family has survived, when so many of their European counterparts didn't, by making careful, incremental changes that allow them to evolve as the world evolves," she said.

"Using Queen Mary's crown, but making slight alterations to the size, style and gemstones used, is part of the way that Charles and Camilla can bridge the royal past with the present.

A few more coronation details — but none in Canada

Larger questions about King Charles's coronation on May 6 — such as who will be invited or how a ceremony steeped in 1,000 years of history might be modified — have yet to be answered.

But other details are gradually emerging — from music that will be featured in the service to further efforts tied to the event that will encourage and acknowledge those who volunteer in their communities in the U.K.

The ceremony in Westminster Abbey will include 12 newly commissioned pieces of music, Buckingham Palace said the other day.

Charles personally commissioned the music and "shaped and selected the musical program for the service," the palace said.

Among those contributing new works for the occasion is Andrew Lloyd Webber.

"I am incredibly honoured to have been asked to compose a new anthem for the coronation," he said in a post on the Royal Family's website. "I hope my anthem reflects this joyful occasion."

Charles has also asked that Greek Orthodox music be featured in the service in a tribute to his father, Prince Philip, who was born a prince of both Greece and Denmark on the island of Corfu in 1921.

Music is something that is very personal at royal events, Vovk said.

"It's one of the few elements that the Royals can individually choose themselves. It's not automatically dictated by tradition or ceremony, and so a tremendous amount of thought and time goes into the music being chosen."

The Royal Voluntary Service, with support from Camilla, has also launched a Coronation Champions Awards program that will recognize 500 volunteers, in areas such as support for older people, young people, sustainability and the environment, and animal welfare.

"They are really trying to make sure that they get people engaged with this event," Vovk said.

"The heavy, heavy emphasis on volunteering, on service, on looking out for your neighbour, that I think is really one of the foundational mantras [of the monarchy] that's really being emphasized under Charles."

While some details have been emerging in the U.K., there is little sense yet of how the coronation might be marked in Canada.

"The government has just said nothing," Vovk said. "Nobody has any idea what's going to happen in May."

A spokesperson for the Department of Canadian Heritage has said information about plans to mark the coronation will be announced "in due course."

The Government of Canada's web page on King Charles had, as of late Friday afternoon, no mention of the coronation, but it does indicate that "some information on the web pages about the Crown in Canada will be updated."

GG's office closes social media comments after threats

Our colleagues in CBC's Politics bureau in Ottawa had this report a few days ago:

The office of Canada's Governor General says it is turning off comments on all its social media accounts due to an influx of abusive comments and "violent threats."

A statement posted on the Governor General's Twitter account on Feb. 13 outlined the decision.

"In recent months we have witnessed an increase in abusive, misogynistic and racist engagement on social media and online platforms, including a greater number of violent threats," the statement reads.

"As a result, we will be turning off comments on our social media platforms to ensure that all those who consult our information can do so in an environment that is respectful to all."

Gov. Gen. Mary Simon is the first Indigenous person to hold that position. She was appointed in 2021.

Rideau Hall told CBC in an emailed statement that the influx of comments have distressed Simon herself, her staff and those who engage with the Governor General's social media.

"These comments have been harmful on a personal level to the Governor General, harmful to the people that consult these platforms in search of information, and harmful to the mental health and well-being of our employees who work to manage these accounts daily," the statement said.

A 2020 report by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, obtained by CBC News through an access to information request, reported that "political figures in Canada are facing threats of violence and online abuse with increasing regularity."

Royally quotable

"You are amazing, I don't know how you do it. I am full of admiration."

— King Charles, speaking to a senior Ukrainian soldier taking part in training from the British army in England. About 20,000 Ukrainians — mostly civilians — are expected to be put through a five-week course that helps them get ready for combat, the BBC reported.

Royal watches, listens and reads

1. Charles: The New King, a documentary available to stream on CBC Gem, explores pivotal moments in his life, from infancy to the monarch he is today. 

2. A letter sent by Charles when he was six years old to his grandmother has been discovered by a farm manager in a loft. [ITV]

3. Talon McGregor of Whitefish First Nation got a surprise call from Gov. Gen. Mary Simon, and CBC Radio's Morning North in northern Ontario was there to record it. Simon was calling to thank McGregor for saving a choking child at a restaurant in Espanola. 

4. Camilla has urged authors to resist curbs on freedom of expression, in an apparent reflection on the backlash against changes to Roald Dahl's books. Her comments came in her first appearance since recovering after she tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this month. [Guardian, CBC].

5. Princess Anne's recent visit to New Zealand was altered in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle, as she met with first responders in Wellington following the devastating storm that ravaged the north part of the country. Other engagements during the four-day trip included a visit with the New Zealand Riding for the Disabled group in Porirua and the rededication of the Citizens' War Memorial in Christchurch. [Daily Mail, RNZ] 

6. For centuries, Anne Boleyn's reputation was that of a scheming seducer. Now she is being recast as a deeply religious woman who, far from plotting to become King Henry VIII's second wife, bided her time for six years as a lady-in-waiting to the king's consort, Catherine of Aragon. [The Guardian]

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