Kohinoor diamond's history: How the precious stone came into Queen Elizabeth's possession

With the passing away of Queen Elizabeth II, the United Kingdom's longest reigning monarch, the focus has once again shifted to the diamond, originally weighing 186 carats--the Koh-i-Noor. With King Charles III succeeding the throne, the now 105-carat gem, which is steeped in history, will go to his wife Duchess of Cornwall Camilla, who has now become Queen consort. But, how did the jewel come into the possession of the royal family? 

How did Kohinoor come to the possession of the royal family?

Though little is known about where and how the Koh-i-Noor came from, it first found its mention in the texts about Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. Shah Jahan had sought a jewel-studded throne, which took over 7 years to be built. Atop the two pillars of this bejewelled structure were two peacocks- one with the Timur Ruby and the other with the Koh-i-Noor diamond.

While the Mughals continued their supremacy over India, thriving with jewels of all sorts, it caught the attention of many, including Persian ruler Nader Shah who invaded Delhi in 1739. After the invasion, he took along with him, the peacock throne as part of his treasury, but removed the Timur Ruby and the Koh-i-Noor diamond to wear on an armband. 

The Koh-i-Noor remained away, in Afghanistan for 70 years, and passed from one ruler to another before finally making its way back to India-- in the hands of Sikh ruler Ranjit Singh in 1813. After Ranjit Singh’s death in 1839, the Punjabi throne passed between four different rulers over four years, and the last in line was a 10-year-old boy Duleep Singh. Imprisoning Duleep, the Britishers forced him to sign a legal document amending the Treaty of Lahore, that required him to give away his claim to sovereignty, and the Koh-i-Noor. The diamond then became a special possession of Queen Victoria. 

The husband of Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, had the Koh-i-Noor recut and polished—a process that reduced its size from 186 carats by half, i.e., 105 carats but made the light refract more brilliantly from its surface. Victoria wore the diamond as a brooch, but later it became a part of the crown of Queen Alexandra, the wife of Edward VII, Victoria’s oldest son and then in the crown of Queen Mary, the wife of George V, grandson of Victoria. 

In 1937, the Koh-i-Noor came at the front of the crown worn by the wife of George VI and the mother of Elizabeth II. The crown, with the diamond, was passed on to Queen Elizabeth II and is presently seen resting atop her coffin.