Among the many celebrated diamonds linked to India—Kohinoor, Orlov, Nassak, Darya-i-Noor, and the twin Arcots—the Hastings Diamond remains comparatively obscure. Its name often misleads people into assuming it once adorned Warren Hastings, the first Governor-General of Bengal (later Governor-General of India) who succeeded Robert Clive in reorganising the East India Company’s administration. Hastings, known for his deep personal admiration for India, became unwillingly tied to the story of this remarkable gem.
The Hastings Diamond was a splendid Golconda stone of around 101 carats, known for its purity and brilliance—the kind of diamond that made the mines of the Deccan legendary. The diamond was not owned by Hastings, but by Mir Nizam Ali Khan Asaf Jah II, the powerful Nizam of Hyderabad, one of the richest rulers in India during the late 18th century. In 1786, the Nizam decided to offer this impressive stone to King George III, seeking to strengthen diplomatic goodwill with the British Crown
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| Warren Hastings Gov. Gen. Ft. William, langantiques.com |
Above image: Warren Hastings (6 December 1732 -22 August 1818), an English statesman, was the first Governor of the Presidency of Fort William (Bengal), the head of the Supreme Council of Bengal, and thereby the first de facto Governor-General of India from 1774 to 1785..........
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| George III en.wikipedia.org |
Hastings, at that moment, was embroiled in the most sensational political-legal drama of his era—his impeachment before the House of Lords on charges ranging from maladministration to financial misconduct in India. The trial, spearheaded by Edmund Burke, began in 1788, but the charges and public debates had already gained enormous visibility. Many of the accusations rested on misunderstandings, political rivalry, or exaggerations, but their impact on public opinion was severe. Burke’s reading of Hastings' 20 charges alone famously took two full days.
It was during this volatile period that Hastings agreed to carry the diamond to England and present it to the monarch. Though Hastings never explicitly claimed the gem as his own gift, he also did nothing to dispel the widespread assumption that he was personally gifting the diamond to the King—a silence that soon proved costly.
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| Mir Nizam Ali Khan en.wikipedia.org |
Above image: Paintings (British Library)Mir Nizam Ali Khan, the 5th Nizam of Hyderabad State, Deccan between 1762 and 1803. Hastings was the Gov. Gen. from 1773 to 1784.........
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| Hastings Diamond and king George III langantiques.com |
When news of the presentation became public, it was widely interpreted as an attempt by Hastings to “purchase” royal favour at a time when his trial was reaching critical phases. Satirists and caricaturists seized upon the opportunity with enthusiasm. King George III—already battered by the loss of the American colonies and increasingly portrayed as eccentric or weak—became the “Great Stone Eater” in popular cartoons, with Hastings shown feeding him diamonds. One observer, Horace Walpole, delivered the stinging remark:
“Innocence does not pave its way with diamonds.”
Although Hastings was ultimately acquitted in 1795 after a marathon seven-year trial, the diamond episode caused lasting reputational damage. The King himself became a figure of ridicule for an affair in which he had played no active part, while Hastings became entangled in an enduring story of political satire, misunderstanding, and misplaced suspicion—all because of a dazzling stone meant merely as a diplomatic gift.
For further reading:
Streeter, Edwin W. The Great Diamonds of the World: Their History and Romance, London: George Bell and Sons, 1882. Pp. 221-222.
