Demand to recover the diamonds from the British royal family

Next Saturday, King Charles (74) will be crowned at Westminster Abbey in London, where some 2,000 guests will attend.

It has been 70 years since Britain was last crowned king, and here nothing is left to chance.

King Charles will be crowned with one of the largest diamond jewels in the world. They are, among other things, on the imperial state crown and ended up with the British during the colonial era.

A huge diamond weighing 3100 carats was first discovered in South Africa in 1905, and later cut into many large and small diamonds. In 1907 it was presented as a gift to King Edward VII, who was the country’s monarch at that time.

But the fact that the British royal family still owns the diamonds hasn’t gone over well with some South Africans, according to the report Reuters.

– They persecute us

The diamond that was given as a gift is 530 carats and is known as the Star of Africa. After its discovery, the colonial government of the country, which was then under British rule, presented it to the British monarchy.

He gets a special role during the coronation

Many South Africans are now asking Britain to return the world’s largest diamond.

– The diamond must return to South Africa. It should be a sign of our pride, heritage and culture, says Muthusi Kamanga, a lawyer and activist in Johannesburg.

Kamanga is not the only one who got involved and has now started a signature campaign, which has so far received around 8,000 signatures to return the diamonds.

– I think in general Africans are beginning to realize that decolonization is not only about letting people have some freedoms, but also about getting back what was taken away from us.

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– I think it should be returned home, and in the end they took it from us during our persecution, says Mohammed Abdullah, who lives in Johannesburg.

Britain stole it

This is not the first time that South Africans have indicated that the diamonds have been stolen and must be returned.

– It would be a nightmare

After the death of Queen Elizabeth on September 8 of last year, a South African member of parliament, Voyolwethu Zongola, 35, demanded the return of all the diamonds that the British royal family had “stolen” from the country.

In addition, he was also said to have a strong desire to recover the “The Great Star of Africa” ​​diamond.

Zangola did not back down from his criticism of the royal family. According to CNN, he is said to have urged his country to claim compensation for all damages to Great Britain.

– He asked to take back all the gold and diamonds stolen by Great Britain, it was said.

Despite claiming that the diamonds were stolen goods, the British stood their ground and believed that the diamonds were a gift. CNN writes that the Royal Collection Trust, which protects the royal family’s collection, believes the diamond was given as a birthday gift to King Edward VI.