JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – Some South Africans want the United Kingdom to return one of the world’s largest diamonds. The star, known as the Star of Africa, is partially incorporated into the royal scepter that King Charles will hold during his coronation in London on Saturday.
The Cullinan Diamond, as it is officially called, was discovered in South Africa in 1905 and later handed over to the British royal family by the colonial government. South Africa was still under the jurisdiction of the United Kingdom. A part of the stone was attached to the scepter and a small part of the diamond to the crown.
Johannesburg-based activist and lawyer Motushi Kamanga has launched an online petition to bring the diamond back to the country. “This diamond must come back to South Africa. It must be a symbol of our pride, our heritage and our culture,” he says. The petition currently has 8,000 signatures. “I think he should return home because in the end they took away the stone from us when they oppressed us,” said Mohammed Abdullahi, a lawyer who signed the petition.
The famous diamond has a connection with the Netherlands. The Amsterdam company Asscher quarries the stone at the request of the British royal family. Cullinan is the largest diamond ever discovered on Earth.
