David Cameron says the Koh-i-noor diamond, which Britain forced India to over in the colonial era, will not be returned.
The Prime Minister ruled out handing back the 105-carat diamond during a speech on the third and final day of a visit to India aimed at drumming up trade and investment.
The diamond is set in the crown of the late Queen Mother and is on display with the Crown Jewels in the Tower of London.
‘The right answer is for the British Museum and other cultural institutions to do exactly what they do, which is to link up with other institutions around the world to make sure that the things which we have and look after so well are properly shared with people around the world.
‘I certainly don’t believe in “returnism”, as it were. I don’t think that’s sensible.’ On Wednesday, Mr Cameron became the first serving prime minister to voice regret about the Amritsar massacre – when 379 unarmed civilians were killed in April 1919 under the rule of the British Empire, though the official death toll is disputed.
It is one of the world’s largest diamonds and some Indians – including independence leader Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson Tushar Gandhi – have demanded its return to atone for Britain’s colonial past.
Mr Cameron said: ‘I don’t think that’s the right approach.’
‘It is the same question with the Elgin Marbles,’ he said, referring to the classical Greek marble sculptures that Greece has long demanded be given back.
Britain’s then colonial governor-general of India arranged for the huge diamond to be presented to Queen Victoria in 1850.
If the Duchess of Cambridge becomes queen consort she will wear the crown holding the diamond on official occasions. It has only been worn by female royals, including the Queen Mother and Queen Mary, because it is said to be unlucky for men to do so.