Hi Angel
The coronation of Charles III was an amazing spectacle even in the rain. However I looked up a bit of the history connected with it and found a few very strange things.
During the ceremony Charles was not only crowned but also took the title of Defender of the Faith as Head of the Anglican Church. The irony is that this title was first conferred on Henry VIII in 1521 by the Pope for a treatise Henry wrote very publicly defending the Catholic Church against Martin Luther and the protestant reformation. But Henry then went on to break with Rome and set up his own separate protestant Church of England on Lutheran lines. Despite this he and every English monarch has since retained the title although it is now about defending the opposite side in the rift that split the whole of Europe and led to the creation of the title in the first place. What’s more that change was all triggered by Henry’s desire to divorce his wife and marry another woman whose head he then cut off a few years later.
Charles also got divorced but hopefully Camilla will keep her head. He has however increased the confusion over the title Defender of the Faith by giving himself the separate and additional title of Defender of Faiths at the same time. By this he seems to intend every faith in the United Kingdom, although it isn’t at all clear what counts as a faith for these purposes. It’s all extremely odd!
I also read that for reasons of diplomatic sensitivity it was decided that at the coronation Camilla would not wear the crown in which the Koh I Noor diamond is set. Like the other treasures that Cassie is seeking to get repatriated, the ownership is contested by other countries, in particular India, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan as well as the Taliban. All of them claim that it was theirs and looted from them at some stage before it was given to Queen Victoria, which may be convenient for the royal family who have given no indication that they are ready to hand it over to anyone, perhaps particularly the Taliban.
The first reliable record of the huge stone, one of the largest cut diamonds in the world, refers to it being taken from the peacock throne of the Mughal Emperor by the invading Persian ruler Nader Shah. The tradition is that it is a curse for men to use it so it has always been worn by women, but now that there is the added problem of claims for repatriation possibly it will never be displayed again at all.
Any thoughts on all this? I hear that there are also arguments over what the former Italian royal family own and what belongs to the state so wondered if you might have a view.
Ciao ciao
Ming