Queen Consort Camilla May Wear Queen Mother's Crown During Coronation Despite Controversy

There's a chance Camilla will wear Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother's crown during her coronation as Queen Consort on May 6, 2023. The wife of King Charles will be crowned alongside the new monarch at Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace announced Wednesday.

According to royal historian Marlene Koenig, it is likely that the new Queen Consort will wear the same crown that Queen Mother wore during her coronation in 1937. "I can't imagine a new crown being made for Camilla," she said, adding that it's the "most logical choice."

"They could choose one already available, especially the late Queen Mother's one because Charles was close to his grandmother. But more importantly, in the current economic situation, it might not look good to be spending money on a new crown even though it would provide jobs to a small number of people. The optics might not be appreciated with the current economic situation in the U.K.," Koenig continued.

Kept in the Tower of London, the Queen Mother's crown features 2,800 cushion-shaped diamonds. Its platinum frame set also includes rose-cut and brilliant-cut stones.

"The band, comprising alternating clusters formed as crosses and rectangles, is bordered with single rows of brilliant-cut diamonds and set at the front with a large diamond, which was given to Queen Victoria in 1856 by the Sultan of Turkey," reads the Royal Collection Trust's description of the crown.

The page also states that the Queen Mother wore the same crown, albeit without its arches, at the State Openings of Parliament during the reign of her husband, King George VI. She wore the crown once again in 1953 at the coronation of her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II.

Meanwhile, there has been a long-standing controversy over one of the largest stones featured in the garland that has led to rumors that Camilla might not wear it during her coronation.

India has contested Britain's ownership of the large diamond stone, called Koh-i-Noor, since the 1800s, with the country claiming that the iconic jewel was discovered in Southern India between 1100 and 1300. However, Britain has maintained that Queen Victoria acquired the stone during her reign and that the diamond has been in Britain since 1850.