US EditionMamdani says he’d ask King Charles to return Kohinoor diamond to India
The mayor said the 105.6-carat gem was taken from India by force and remains a symbol of colonial rule.
- On Wednesday, April 29, 2026, King Charles III and Queen Camilla visited the National 9/11 Memorial in New York City, where they met Mayor Zohran Mamdani during a wreath-laying ceremony honoring nearly 3,000 victims.
- Hours before the ceremony, Mamdani told reporters, "I'd probably encourage him to return the Kohinoor diamond," citing the gem's controversial colonial history and the ongoing restitution debate.
- Official reports confirmed the encounter remained brief and public, with the King and mayor exchanging pleasantries during the wreath-laying rather than holding a private meeting.
- Keeping the restitution debate in view, the public interaction averted immediate diplomatic confrontation while potentially shaping political discourse on the British Crown Jewels' colonial legacy.
- Seized in 1849 after the annexation of Punjab, the 105.6-carat diamond remains contested, with India, Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan all maintaining ownership claims on the gem.
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While the British royal couple is visiting the United States and Charles III is praised by the US President, there are much more critical sounds from New York. The city leader of the metropolis, Zohran Mamdani, asked the British Monachen to return India's crown jewels. If there was a chance, he would call on the king to return the Koh-i-Noor diamond, he said before a meeting with the king at the monument to the victims of the September 11 terror…
Primarul New Yorkului Zohran Mamdani i-a cerut miercuri regeluii Charles al III-lea ?Să înapoieze ?diamantul Koh-i-Noor, o bijuterie a Coroanei, obţinut în India de către Imperiul Britanic în secul al XIX-lea, relatează AFP.
Mamdani to meet King Charles in New York City
Mamdani to meet King Charles in New York City A mayor and a monarch. King Charles III and Queen Camilla are in New York City on Wednesday, April 29, to lay a bouquet of flowers at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum as part of their U.S. visit to mark the nation's 250th anniversary. The king and queen's…
The Koh-i-Noor is part of the coronation crown of "Queen Mum". The possession of the precious stone by the British is seen by many Indians as a symbol of the atrocities of the colonial era. New York's mayor therefore has a council for King Charles.
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