"this diamond does not belong in this country"
Things got heated on Good Morning Britain between former Big Brother star Narinder Kaur and GB News broadcaster Emma Webb when the topic of the Kohinoor diamond was discussed.
It was revealed that Camilla will wear Queen Mary’s crown at the upcoming coronation on May 6, 2023.
The Royal Family will avoid using the Kohinoor diamond in the crown, which has links to Britain’s colonial past after being seized by the East India Company after its victory in the Second Anglo-Sikh War of 1849 and is in the royal Crown Jewels.
After previously being set at the front of Queen Mary’s crown, the jewel was replaced by a replica in 1937.
The use of the gem at King Charles III’s coronation could have led to a diplomatic dispute with India.
'This is a contested object.' @Emma_A_Webb argues we should not be returning the Crown Jewels back to their geographical origins as ownership can be disputed in heated debate. pic.twitter.com/HCvMCqYFNi
— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) February 16, 2023
On February 16, 2023, Narinder Kaur went up against Emma Webb when discussing the diamond, with the latter arguing that the diamond “absolutely should not be returned”.
Emma said: “One of the main reasons for that is the ownership of this – obviously every artefact has its own distinct history.
“And as the historian Robert Tombs said, this is actually, if anything it’s symbolic of how complex history is.
“Because this is an object that has passed through the hands of multiple peoples, multiple empires throughout history with conquest and so on.”
But Narinder hit back by calling Emma’s argument “benign” and “weak”, stating that the diamond “represents a colonial past of pillaging, bloodshed of millions of Indians”.
She said: “It’s hurtful to many Indians around the world and here in the UK that actually it was stolen.
“It was taken from Duleep Singh who was a 10-year-old boy king during colonisation.
“Why the British insist on keeping it… and I think it was a very diplomatic decision by the British government to not use it in the coronation. Why?
“Because it sidesteps the argument that actually this diamond does not belong in this country and why are museums still benefiting from colonisation?”
At one point, Emma brought up the Sikh community in Punjab, as Narinder said:
“Which is what I am.”
Emma argued: “The ruler that you mentioned was also a ruler of Lahore, so is Pakistan going to have a claim of it?”
Narinder responded: “Cause they stole it and they got it back! You must know your history!
“No, you do not know history. They stole it, and it was taken back.”
Emma seemingly became increasingly frustrated that she was being interrupted, as she remarked:
“Let me finish my point, please!”
GMB co-host Ed Balls admitted that he felt “exhausted” by the conversation as it came to an end.
The heated debate shocked viewers, with one tweeting:
“Shouting over everybody is not a good debate.”
‘@GMB debate, I think not. More like an absolute shouting match. This show is unbelievable,’ another wrote.
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