Stolen Angkorian crown handed over in London

ALBAWABA - Many pieces of jewelry from the Angkorian crown stolen from a London museum were handed over to the authorities in the U.K. on Monday.

The jewelry was discovered in Cambodia, some dating back to the 7th Century, but it is still unclear how and when they were stolen, or how they arrived in Britain.

The well-known antiquities smuggler Douglas Latchford, who passed away in 2020 while awaiting trial in the United States, left behind a family promise to return his stolen collection to Cambodia.

His collection was covertly brought back to Cambodia's capital city of Phnom Penh, where it will be showcased at the country's national museum.

Brad Gordon, head of Cambodia's investigation team, hinted that the he has seen the stolen jewelry when he visited Britain last summer.

"I was driven by a representative of the Latchford family to an undisclosed location, in the parking lot was a vehicle with four boxes inside," he told the BBC.

"I felt like crying. I just thought - wow - the crown jewels of ancient Cambodian civilization packed into four boxes in the back of a car," he said.

There were 77 pieces of gold and jewel-encrusted jewelry in the collection that resurfaced, including belts, earrings, and crowns.  

According to experts, one of the crowns dates to the pre-Angolan era and contains a small sculptured flower, pose a mystery.

Cambodians want all the looted items back. The jewelry is expected to be on public display in Phnom Penh after spending decades hidden away in dusty boxes, allowing the beautiful jewels to shine again.