A GEM of a STORY
A controversial stone could still be a part of the coronation story
KING Charles — the British monarch, not the spaniel — and his wife Camilla have averted a potential international row by choosing a crown for coronation day that will not feature the Koh-i-Noor diamond.
Ownership of the 105-carat gem is hotly disputed, with India among several nations claiming it as their own.
The 165-carat, colourless gemstone is considered to be priceless. It has been owned by numerous rulers and empires, including the Mughals, the Persians, the Afghans and the British. You would be right in concluding that transfer of ownership wasn’t always conducted in a spirit of friendliness. In fact, naked aggression, bloodshed and controversy have surrounded the diamond and its ownership for centuries.
So the Kooh-i-Noor will stay in its box for the day.
Now, whether another, not quite so controversial, gem will make an appearance at the coronation in April has not been announced. This is the Black Prince ruby. For this story, we need to head for Spain.
The foreboding Castle of Carmona, surrounded by the fertile plains of Seville, was once home to Pedro the Cruel, 14th century King of Castile. You needed to work pretty hard to earn yourself a stand-alone title for cruelty in medieval Spain — this was a land renowned for violence, intimidation and general skullduggery.
However, Pedro’s reputation seems well-deserved; his business was conducted with an imaginative vindictiveness that impressed even his most savage contemporaries.
Hassle at the castle was a regular feature, including one episode that may have you nodding thoughtfully.
During Pedro’s reign, a visiting Arab dignitary was foolish enough to rock up to Carmona wearing what was the largest ruby in the known world. Mistake. Pedro had him murdered and nicked the ring, subsequently presenting it to his pal Edward the Black Prince. According to historical accounts, Pedro gave the ruby to Edward in 1367 for help in a war effort. The ruby was said to be particularly large and valuable, weighing around 170 carats and being of a deep red colour. Eventually, the gem became part of the British Crown Jewels, wheeled out to this day on British state occasions, and is now part of the Imperial State Crown in England — or so it is believed. It should be noted that there is some debate among historians as to whether the ruby in the Imperial State Crown is actually the same stone that was given to the Black Prince in Carmona.
The site of the original dark deed of killing the Arab dignitary for his ruby, the Castle of Carmona, is today a Parador Hotel. Needless to say, the ghosts of its clamorous past are now silent; the castle slumbers on peacefully in its hillside fastness. Last time I was there, nobody could throw any light on the subject.
Today guests at Carmona are treated to lavish comfort and gracious living, with nary a worry about the security of their bling. The Parador Hotels of Spain — or Los Paradores de Turismo de España as they like to call themselves on formal occasions — are a chain of Spanish luxury hotels founded by Alfonso XIII in 1928 to promote tourism. They first opened in Gredos, Ávila, and they remain a state-run enterprise, occupying former castles, palaces, fortresses, convents, monasteries and stately homes. To tour Spain via these hotels is to come face-to-face with this country’s long, and seldom mundane, history.
It’s an odd concept, really – a government running a chain of hotels. I suppose you could imagine Taoiseach Leo Varadkar being in charge of a B&B, but a whole chain of luxury hotels? Hmm...
But in Spain it works well — and why wouldn’t it? This is, after all, a nation with the best roads in Europe, with constitutionally guaranteed naps in the afternoon, and the best nibbles ever invented — tapas.
Okay, part of the country wants to have nothing more to do with the rest of the Spain — in fact, the part we were travelling through, Catalonia, but hey, those of us from Co Down are used to a spot of rancour over disputed lands.