Admiral Horatio Nelson's diamond plume became legend during the lifetime of the legendary naval commander. Nelson received this military insignia from the hands of the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire after defeating the French fleet at the Battle of Aboukir and has never parted with it since. The diamond plume became a talisman for Nelson. But for his descendants, he turned into a curse: each of their owner was in great trouble.
The three-day battle between English and French ships in the Gulf of Aboukir near the Nile, which took place from 1 to 3 August 1798, was the decisive battle of the powerful powers for influence in the region. Thanks to Admiral Nelson, the victory remained with the British: only 4 of the 17 French ships that participated in the battle remained afloat. For this victory, Nelson received an award not only from the British government, but also a high mark of military distinction from the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire - a diamond plume on his hat, which, according to rumors, the Sultan personally removed from his own turban and attached to the headdress of the British admiral.
The diamond plume was the size of a child's hand and decorated with 13 "feathers" - the number of French ships sunk by the admiral's squadron. In total, it was adorned with about 300 white diamonds. All his life, Nelson never parted with the plume, refusing to sell it even in the most difficult times. After the death of the admiral, the plume ended up in the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, from where it was stolen shortly after World War II. Fortunately, the plume became part of Nelson's heraldic legacy after being awarded the peerage, and, like all such items, was carefully sketched. This detailed drawing, displaying the precious relic in every detail, was recently discovered in the museum's archives. The drawing was used to make an exact copy of the famous plume, which in recent months has been shown at two exhibitions - in Portsmouth and in London.
The restoration of the plume caused a surge of interest in it from historians and publicists. A recent UK book on Nelson's Turkish Award reveals the dark side of the story. According to the author, Martin Downer, the plume played a grim role in the fate of its owners, including Nelson. According to Donner, it was he who became one of the reasons for the admiral's premature death.
Nelson adored the Sultan's award and never missed a single opportunity to appear in public with it. However, Nelson was generally not indifferent to brilliance and usually came to official events, literally hung with his numerous awards. As the wife of one of the diplomats, who more than once met the admiral at social receptions, said, "the world has never seen a person so vain." Subsequently, Nelson made a copy of the famous plume and even carried it on the ship. According to some contemporaries, his death was indirectly connected with the Turkish award: an enemy sniper noticed him during the Trafalgar battle because of the sparkling of diamonds on his hat.
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The fascination with the Turkish premium plume, as well as the affair with the beautiful Emma Hamilton, and even with a living wife, cost Nelson the coldness and sharp rebuke of King George II - neither wearing foreign awards, nor, even more so, open adultery was not welcomed at the royal court. Leaving his wife and Emma's wastefulness cost the admiral dearly, but he categorically did not want to part with his plume. However, in the fall of 1805, he nevertheless thought about selling the jewelry - Nelson's money was frankly bad. However, in October 1805, the admiral was killed in the Battle of Trafalgar. And his jewel, having remained with the heirs, soon acquired a fatal fame.
The first owner of the plume was Nelson's brother, William. Two years after receiving it, William lost his 19-year-old son to typhus. William himself lived long enough, but he still died prematurely and not by his own death: he was hit by a horse. The jewel passed to William's daughter, Charlotte, and her son Alexander, who soon went bankrupt and had to sell the admiral's diamonds. The next owner of the plume, the banker Ayr Matham, quickly went bankrupt. The next owner of diamonds, Lady Sarita Barclay, apparently decided to end the curse by donating the plume to the National Maritime Museum. From there, it was stolen in 1951 by a professional burglar, George Chatham. The criminal was caught, but the plume could not be returned: according to Chatham, he sold it to an unknown person immediately after the robbery for a small amount. No traces of the fatal jewel have been found so far.