The Curse of the Kohinoor

The ‘Curse of the Kohinoor’ is this: Any man who wears the diamond will suffer a terrible fate. But is this true? Or was this simply a story that conveniently allowed the British Empire to justify the colonial appropriation of the diamond?

Maharaja Ranjit Singh was the last Indian owner of the Kohinoor diamond. He was a fair and secular king -- one of the greatest rulers of all time. When he dies in 1839, his 9-year-old son Duleep Singh takes over the throne. The British East India Company is watching like a vulture, and conquers the Empire through treachery. It plunders the immense wealth of the kingdom, unravels the socioeconomic fabric of the state, separates the 9-year-old King from his mother-- and present him and the Kohinoor as trophies to Queen Victoria. This is the 'cursed' history of the Kohinoor that is conveniently forgotten by the British today. So is the diamond cursed? Listen to find out!