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Wuthering Heights has been hit with further accusations of ‘whitewashing’ after Margot Robbie wore a ‘stolen’ diamond necklace to the Los Angeles premiere last week.
The Barbie star, 35, paraded around in the £5.7million piece of jewellery leant to her by Cartier and paired with a custom-made strapless lace dress from the designer, Schiaparelli.
Margot, who plays the lead Cathy despite being 16 years older than Emily Bronte’s character, gushed: ‘This is Elizabeth Taylor’s necklace.
‘The actual Elizabeth Taylor. It’s the Taj Mahal diamond so it felt like it had a lot of romantic history and felt appropriate for tonight.
‘It’s a lot of diamonds tonight, we are bringing the Hollywood glam.’
There is much debate surrounding the origins of the necklace, whether it came from Turkey or India, but there is a collective agreement that it cannot be considered Elizabeth Taylor’s.
Margot Robbie has been accused of ‘white washing’ for wearing a ‘stolen’ diamond necklace at the Los Angeles premiere of Wuthering Heights last weekend claiming it was Elizabeth Taylor’s
The Barbie star paraded around in the £5.7million piece of jewellery leant to her by Cartier, which was famously worn by the Hollywood icon in 1972 (pictured)
Margot, 35, attended the LA premiere with her co-star, Jacob Elordi, who plays the love interest Heathcliff in the Emily Bronte classic to her leading lady, Cathy
Margot’s comments have outraged fans, as one person took to social media and wrote: ‘The movie already whitewashes a South Asian character, then they have the lead actress show up wearing stolen India jewellery to the premiere.’
The Mughal emperor, Jahangir, gifted it to his wife Nur Jahan in the 17th Century.
It was then passed down to their son, Shah Jahan, who gave it to his wife Mumtaz, in whose memory the Taj Mahal was built.
Many dispute that the item was not ‘taken’ to the US, where it was purchased by Richard Burton for his wife Elizabeth Taylor’s 40th birthday in 1972, but rather ‘stolen’ from India.
One person wrote on X: ‘Margot Robbie wore this diamond necklace to the Wuthering Heights premiere and its appearance reopened discussion about Western celebrities wearing heritage items taken from India.’
Margot pictured at the LA premiere with the film’s writer and director, Emerald Fennell, who has received much backlash for her adaptation of the classic straying too far from the original
Margot wearing the diamond at the premiere has caused much backlash online with some claiming it was ‘stolen’ from India but by calling it Elizabeth Taylor’s she was ‘white washing’ it
Another responded, ‘Stolen, not taken.’
It comes amid a string of controversies towards Emerald Fennel’s modern adaptation of the beloved classic, with many upset by the casting of the Australian actor, Jacob Elordi, as the ‘dark-skinned’ Heathcliff.
The romantic lead was described by Emily Bronte as a ‘little lascar’ – a 19th-century term for sailors from the Indian subcontinent.
Elsewhere, Fennel’s choice in modern-day clothing for the adaptation has also caused backlash and has been branded ‘inappropriate’.
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