Legal battle soon over Koh-i-Noor
It is the extraordinary £100 million diamond worn by the Queen Mother at the Coronation of her husband and then her daughter.
But the Koh-i-Noor, which also dazzled in the crowns of Queen Alexandra and Queen Mary, could be stripped from Britain's Crown Jewels and returned to India.
Bollywood stars and businessmen have united to instruct lawyers to begin legal proceedings in London's High Court. They are demanding that the government return the 105-carat diamond, which they say was stolen from its true home.
The move could result in some awkward moments at a lunch the Queen is hosting for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Buckingham Palace this week, although a Royal source said the row was strictly off the agenda.
It also reopens a controversial case in British colonial history and adds to the legend of the Koh-i-Noor, which can be worn only 'by God or a woman'.
David de Souza, of the Indian leisure group Tito's, who is helping to fund the fight, said: “The Koh-i-Noor is one of the many artefacts taken from India under dubious circumstance.”
He claimed colonisation had stolen wealth and 'destroyed the country's psyche'. And Bollywood star Bhumicka Singh added: “The Koh-i-Noor is not just a 105-carat stone, but part of our history and culture and should undoubtedly be returned.”
The government has rejected demands for the return of the oval-shaped stone, which was presented to Queen Victoria in 1851 by the last ruler of the Sikhs, Duleep Singh, after the British annexe of the Punjab. The handing over of such a revered gem is still considered a national humiliation in India.
Satish Jakhu, of Birmingham-based law firm Rubric Lois King, said they would make their claim under the common law doctrine of 'trespass to goods', arguing that the government had stolen the diamond. He added they would also be taking the case to the International Court of Justice.
Legend decrees that whoever wears it will become incredibly powerful but that any male owner will meet an unfortunate end.