Royal gift or ‘stolen’ gem? Calls for UK to return 500 carat Great Star of Africa diamond to country where it was mined
Stones of a large star of Africa are valued at more than £100m
But India has lost nearly all of its diamonds worth more than $1bn
Diamonds were declared a national asset and are in the country’s constitution
The UK authorities had made two formal requests – and they have been pending for 18 years
A UK government minister has called for the return of an extraordinary diamond from a historic moment in the UK’s colonial history.
The Crown Estate has made a formal complaint to India about a diamond known as the ‘Queen’s Star of Africa,’ thought to be between 500 and 1,000 carats in weight and worth about £100million.
The diamond, which has been described by experts as the largest natural stone in the history of the world, was taken out of the possession of the British Crown in 1792 by the East India Company, which it is believed was at the time’stolen’ by British army officers and other members of the Indian military.
Diamond experts say there were between 700,000 and 1 million of the stones, which were mined in the African country of Sierra Leone.
The Crown says it is entitled to claim back the diamond because of an agreement which was drawn up during a meeting in London on January 27th, 1792 between representatives of the East India Company and the King of Fermanagh, the ruler of the Northern Irish border town of Newry, who had taken over from Queen Anne as ruler of the province.
The diamond was found by a Scottish army officer, Robert Hamilton, who had been hired by the British military to find the mine during the Napoleonic wars, but was later appointed in its place by the British crown.
A map of Sierra Leone, showing where the star diamonds were mined
The diamond had been left behind in a house in the town of Newry by the British when, in 1803, the Crown took over from the Earl of Fermanagh, who by that time had died.
It was originally thought to be in the possession of the Earl when he visited Africa and was buried when the army returned.
But the Crown then took over the house in Newry and
