The British government has refused to consider returning the jewel in the British monarch's crown.

In an emphatic rebuff to India, Prime Minister David Cameron has said the 105-carat gemstone, known as the Kohinoor diamond, will stay firmly
in the actual crown.

Ruling out the repatriation of the famed diamond, which was set in the coronation crown during the time of India's occupation, Cameron has told British TV: "I know there is a great argument about the original provenance of the Kohinoor diamond, but I am afraid to say it's going to stay put. What tends to happen with these questions is that if you say yes to one, then you would suddenly find the British Museum empty."

The Kohinoor diamond was originally taken from a mine in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.

It was seized by the East India Company and became part of the jewel collection of Queen Victoria, when she was proclaimed Empress of India in 1877.

India has made regular requests for its return.