Queen Camilla to Use Queen Mary's Crown at Coronation
Mocking Prince Harry and Meghan Markle - How the Sussexes have become international laughing stocks
Queen Camilla has finally been given a crown.
At the coronation of King Charles III, it has been decided that his wife Camilla will wear Queen Mary of Teck’s former crown, which was used for the coronation of her husband King George V and her son King George VI (though it was modified).
It has already been removed from the Tower of London and will be adorned with the Cullinan III, IV and V diamonds. The Cullinan I and II diamond currently reside in Sovereign’s Sceptre with Cross and the Imperial State Crown.
The Cullinan diamond was the largest flawless color diamond ever found, weighing in at a staggering 3,106 carats. It was found in South Africa by Captain Frederick Wells, who was the superintendent over Premier Mine and initially thought that the diamond was broken glass. It was purchased by the Transvaal Government, which decided to give it to King Edward VII as a “token of the loyalty and attachment of the people of Transvaal to his throne and person.” It was part of a peace offering after the bitter Boer War.
The diamond was then sent via ordinary parcel to England, though a decoy got a much grander trip being guarded on a ship by policemen. Both arrived safely.
When the Cullinan reached the U.K., it was greeted by the British monarchy’s King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, in addition to the Queen of Spain, the Queen of Norway, Lord Revelstoke and Bender Westminster. It was determined that the diamond would be cut into nine pieces, with Dutch jewelry Messrs I. J. Asscher making the cuts. (There were eventually an additional 96 small brilliants and 10 carats of unpolished “ends.”)
A little over a century ago, on Feb. 10, 1908, Joseph Asscher prepared to make the first strike. His initial attempt resulted in the steel cleaving blade breaking, but the second was successful. Joseph fared less well as he “slid quietly to the floor in a dead faint,” as Leslie Field explains in “The Queen’s Jewels.”
The cutting of the nine major pieces was a success. The largest piece, which is now in the Sceptre, was the Cullinan I or the Star of Africa. It weighs in at 530.2 carats and is the largest colorless gem-quality diamond in the world. The Cullinan II was placed in the Imperial Crown and weighs 317.4 carats. The two lesser stones, Cullinan III and IV weigh 94.4 and 63.6 carats, respectively.
Those two stones remain the most expensive pieces in the King’s possession. (There is no official price tag, but just to give a comparison, the largest gem-cut colorless diamond in the world was 118.28 carats and sold at auction for $30.6 million.)
The diamonds are most closely associated with Queen Mary, grandmother to Queen Elizabeth, who wore them frequently and even had pictures taken with the Cullinan I and II worn as a brooch on her outfit. She also would wear the Cullinan III and Cullinan IV as a brooch as well.
Queen Elizabeth II famously referred to the Lesser Stars of Africa as “Granny’s chips” in honor of her grandmother. She also graciously brought the pieces on a state visit to The Netherlands, where she let Joseph’s brother Louis Asscher hold them for the first time in decades.
The Queen didn't wear the brooch much, but perhaps its most famous outing was during her Diamond Jubilee.
The heart-shaped Cullinan V diamond weighs 18.8 carats and will also be included.
As the palace has stated, the decision to reuse and modify an existing crown was made for “interests of sustainability and efficiency” and is the first time in history an existing crown was used for a Queen Consort. The Crown will also be modified to remove four of the eight detachable arches.
There were an additional three crowns Queen Camilla could have chosen, these include Queen Adelaide’s, Queen Mary’s and the controversial Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother’s Crown. It was unlikely that the palace would have chosen the Queen Mother’s Crown, given that it houses the Koh-i-Nûr diamond. Surrendered to the East India Company and eventually given to Queen Victoria to solidify relations after the Treaty of Lahore, it has become a source of controversy as many believe it should be given back to India.
This announcement answers one of the many lingering questions about the coronation, as many thought the Queen Mother’s Crown remained too controversial and Queen Adelaide’s probably too heavy. A new crown would seem far too ostentatious, given the cost of living crisis in the U.K.
Source: Leslie Fields, “The Queen’s Jewels.”
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Source of International Mockery
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle haven’t fared well since their controversial reality television show and Harry’s memoir. Now they have become the butt of a joke on the crass show SouthPark.
Though the episode isn’t scheduled to air until Wednesday, in a clip, main character Kyle says: "It seriously is driving me crazy. I'm sick of hearing about them but I can't get away from them! They're everywhere."
His friend Stan replies: "Look, Kyle, we just kind of don't care about some dumb prince and his stupid wife."
There’s no doubt Harry and Meghan are raking in at least some cash from their endeavors, but it hasn’t engendered them to the public. In fact, it’s increasingly obvious that the couple are over exposed and are increasing despised.
They have moved from being the bell of the proverbial ball to the court jester.
It will be interesting to see if this helps their bottom line, or if their cratering public reputation inevitably damages their brand.
SouthPark Clip: https://youtube.com/shorts/UTOj_BFPwZk
More Royal News…
Crown Princess Victoria and her husband Prince Daniel are currently on tour in Australia, where the couple are promoting Swedish interests in the country. As part of her tour, she got to meet some koala’s at a rehabilitation center.
King Carl Gustaf of Sweden will undergo heart surgery on February 20. According to the Palace, “On the advice of his physician, HM The King will undergo a planned surgical procedure on Monday 20 February 2023. The procedure will be performed using laparoscopic (keyhole) surgery in the heart area.” This is occurring during the King’s Golden Jubilee year.
Queen Margrethe of Denmark is also having an “extensive” surgical procedure to address her ongoing back issues on Feb. 22. The Palace shared in a press release: “For quite some time, Her Majesty has been affected by problems with her back, and the situation has worsened recently. After consultation with Rigshospitalet’s specialists, The Queen has decided to undergo extensive surgery.”
The Wales’ children are currently on a school break, so the Prince and Princess of Wales are not expected to undergo any engagements until the BAFTAs on Feb. 19.
King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain attended the Design and Innovation Awards 2022 on Feb. 13.
Queen Mathilde of Belgium was pretty in pink at an anti-bullying event on Valentine’s Day.
Best Audience Comment of the Week on RNN…
Love this comment when asked if Harry and Meghan represent popular culture or are international laughing stocks:
Let us take a look at Queen Elizabeth II’s jewelry collection, which includes crowns, tiaras, precious gemstones and other jewelry pieces with interesting stories. We will also try to figure out who is going to inherit which jewelry piece.
https://blog.gemsny.com/queen-elizabeth-ii-who-will-inherit-the-jewelry-she-left-behind/