![]() ![]() This union, Southall points out, politically excluded Black Africans, who made up the majority of South Africa’s population. Botha was named its first prime minister. Two years after Edward received the Cullinan diamonds as a gift, the British Parliament passed the South Africa Act, creating a unified South Africa. The Transvaal, which was one of several colonies in the region, led a process of negotiation with the others, Southall said, “because the Transvaal wanted to dominate the economy and it wanted access to the sea which meant going through Natal. Some Boer leaders in South Africa, such as Transvaal Colony leader Louis Botha, were eager to reconcile with the British Empire and secure economic advantages for the future. Britain was also consolidating colonial territories in Australia and Canada at the time. Leaders in London were “very keen” to bring about the integration of the Boer and English colonies in South Africa, said Robert Southall, a professor of history at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. READ MORE: How to watch King Charles III’s coronation Accompanying him will be Queen Consort Camilia, wearing Queen Mary’s Crown, which uses the Cullinan III and IV, as well as Cullinan V, which will replace the controversial Koh-i-Noor diamond.Īt the time of the Cullinan Diamond’s discovery, the Second Anglo-Boer war had recently ended with a peace between the British, who held colonies around the coast, and the Boers, descendents of Dutch settlers who had moved north to establish independent republics. After the coronation, when the king steps out onto a balcony to greet the public, he will wear the Imperial State Crown, which contains the Cullinan II – the next largest jewel of the original diamond. ![]() The largest, Cullinan I, is known as the Great Star of Africa, and is now part of the sceptre King Charles will hold. The original rough stone was cut into nine numbered diamonds. It was, and remains, the largest diamond ever discovered.Īfter going unsold for two years, the Traansvaal Colony, which had recently come under British rule, purchased the diamond and gifted it to the British King Edward VII. ![]() The Cullinan Diamond was mined in 1905 in current day South Africa, in a region that was then known as the Transvaal Colony. It was worn by Henry V during the Battle of Agincourt, and on down through time.ĭuring Europe’s colonial expansion, unique gemstones became “symbols of imperial power,” Vovk said, promoting “the idea that sovereign authority extended around the world.” How did Britain get the Cullinan diamonds? Not actually a ruby, but a massive red spinel, the gem was allegedly given to an English prince in the 14th century by the King of Castile (who himself had taken it from a Muslim King of Granada). On Saturday, King Charles will hold the Sovereign’s sceptre and orb, and wear two crowns, including the Imperial State Crown, which contains – among many other sparkling rocks – the Black Prince Ruby. If a particularly beloved king had used a certain jewel or crown, his successors would do likewise to associate their reigns with his,” Vovk said. “Monarchies use tradition and consistency as a way of claiming legitimacy, so the same stones and jewels started being reused. Photo by The Print Collector/Heritage Images via Getty Images Queen Elizabeth II with crown, orb and scepter at her coronation in June 1953. While the South African government has not made a formal claim to it, politicians and activists have demanded its return in the past.Īmong European monarchs, gemstones have long been used as a show of power and status, passed down again and again from ruler to successor, said Justin Vovk, a doctoral fellow in history at McMaster University in Ontario. READ MORE: What to know about calls for reparations for Britain’s legacy of slavery in the CaribbeanĪ new petition in South Africa has collected 8,000 signatures so far demanding that the largest Cullinan Diamond – known as the Great Star of Africa and part of the coronation scepter – be sent back to its home of origin. But their histories tell a more complicated story – some steeped in the legacy of colonialism. The jewels that adorn that regalia, including some of the largest diamonds in the world, are seen as some of Britain’s greatest treasures and help lend powerful symbolism to this ancient ritual. From monarch to monarch now passes the crown – actually, a few of them. ![]() The world will be watching as King Charles III formally ascends the British throne in a coronation ceremony Saturday, just as his own mother, Elizabeth II, did 70 years ago. ![]()
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