A 137-carat diamond thought stolen and feared cut up for 100 years has been unearthed exactly where it was meant to be. The Florentine Diamond has been in the possession of some of the most influential political families in Europe, including its current owners, the Habsburg-Lothringens. They are the descendants of the Austro-Hungarian ruling Habsburg dynasty. The rock, however, has been in a Canadian bank since World War II. To all but a few, its fate was a mystery. Charles I, nephew of the assassinated Franz Ferdinand, swore members of his family to secrecy, insisting the location of the diamond remain secret for 100 years after his death. He died in 1922 and now as a thank you to Canada, the country that took their ancestors in, today’s generation wants to display the diamond there. Speaking to The New York Times, Karl von Habsburg-Lothringen, a grandson of Charles I, said, “The less people know about it, the bigger the security.” When family members have been asked about it in the past, they have declined to comment. “Over the years, I am sure all of us has been asked at one time or another.” “It should be part of a trust here in Canada,” he added.
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