Did you know that King Charles’ coronation crown didn’t have the Koh-i-Noor diamond? Well, according to a Hindu prophecy (and ancient history), bad things will follow every time a man will wear this cursed stone. Basically, King Charles can’t wear the diamond. The shocking part? While Queen Consort, Camilla, could have worn it she still chose not to.
Reports suggest that she did so to avoid a controversy amid demands from India to return the “stolen” diamond. But guess what? Just avoiding wearing the diamond doesn’t change the fact that it was cunningly robbed from India. Neither does it change the fact that the British royals claim ownership of one more precious gemstone stolen from the country. Read on to find out more:
The Timur Ruby!
While the origins of the Timur remain unknown, the stone first garnered attention around 1398. It was the year when Turko-Mongol ruler, Timur invaded India. He got hold of the stone and from there on it went from one hand to another. Interestingly, the stone was also inscribed a number of times with the names of the rulers who possessed it and that’s how it got to be known as “Timur ruby”.
Just like Koh-i-Noor, Ranjit Singh was the last ruler to win this stunning stone. A period of conflict followed after his death and in the end, 10-year-old Duleep Singh was the only surviving ruler. This is when the Britishers deposed Duleep and took away both Koh-i-Noor and Timur ruby from him and presented it to Queen Victoria sometime around 1850-51.
Fun fact—Queen Victoria liked the stone way more than Koh-i-Noor. Back then, it was regarded as the biggest ruby in the world. However, it was later revealed that the ‘Timur Ruby’ was actually a 354-carat (approx) spinel! When the stone reached the queen it was accompanied by other genuine rubies too. Later, they were all set into a necklace with the ‘Timur Ruby’ being the central piece. Oh, and the necklace was made in a way that the stone was detachable just so it could be swapped with the Koh-i-Noor diamond in both the queen’s crown and the necklace!
The question is—will the Timur Ruby one day find its way back to India?
Featured Image: Twitter
