King Charles III was in New York for a visit that included a 9/11 memorial ceremony, but Mayor Zohran Mamdani drew attention with a separate issue ahead of the event. Speaking at a press briefing before the ceremony, Mamdani said he would use any private interaction with the British monarch to raise the long-standing demand for the return of the Kohinoor Diamond to India.
“If I were to speak to the King separately, I would probably encourage him to return the Kohinoor Diamond,” said Mamdani, who is of Indian origin, just hours before their brief meeting at the memorial.
The matter was not part of the official agenda. Later, King Charles and Mamdani exchanged brief greetings during the 9/11 commemoration event, though it is unclear whether the diamond issue was discussed. Buckingham Palace declined to comment on Mamdani’s remarks, and the mayor’s office also did not provide details of their interaction.
The Kohinoor Diamond, one of the largest cut diamonds in the world at 105.6 carats, has a complex historical journey. It passed through the hands of Mughal rulers, Persian shahs, and Afghan leaders before coming under British control through the Treaty of Lahore in 1849, signed under colonial pressure by the young Maharaja Duleep Singh. The diamond is currently housed in the Tower of London as part of the British Crown Jewels.
India has long maintained that the diamond was taken under coercive circumstances and continues to seek its return, describing it as a significant cultural and historical artifact. The United Kingdom, however, maintains that it holds legal ownership based on the 19th-century agreement.
Mamdani’s comments have added a fresh voice to the decades-old debate, bringing renewed attention to the issue during the high-profile royal visit to the United States.
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