Not Kohinoor but…. other controversial jewels part of King Charles' coronation

King Charles Coronation: Camilla's decision to not commission a new crown was made, “in the interests of sustainability and efficiency”.

King Charles' wife Queen Consort Camilla will be crowned with an existing crown at the coronation which has undergone a transformation owing to many controversies. Camilla, will wear a modified version of the Queen Mary's Crown during the service, according to Buckingham Palace. The changes to the crown include removal of the replica of the Kohinoor diamond, the original version of which was first set on Queen Mary's Crown in 1911.

King Charles Coronation: People walk by an art installation depicting the St Edward's crown in central London. (AP)

The diamond passed through the hands many emperors before being presented to Queen Victoria by the deputy chairman of the East India Company in the 1840s. Owing to the controversy surrounding the symbolism of the Kohinoor diamond, Camilla decided to exclude the gem from the crown she wears at the coronation as even though the UK has retained ownership of the diamond over the years, it remains a point of contention.

According to Buckingham Palace, Camilla's decision to not commission a new crown was made, “in the interests of sustainability and efficiency” and "the choice to adorn the crown with new jewels is part of a, “longstanding tradition that the insertion of jewels is unique to the occasion, and reflects the Consort’s individual style.”

Camilla's crown will instead feature the Cullinan III, IV and V diamonds as a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II, according to Buckingham Palace. The diamonds- known as the "Lesser stars of Africa"- are part of a group of stones discovered in 1905 in South Africa. They are controversial as the Cullinan diamond was purchased by South Africa's Transvaal government prior to being gifted to King Edward VII as a "symbolic gesture".