New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced on Wednesday that he would encourage Britain's King Charles III to return the historic Kohinoor diamond to India. The Mayor's comments come as King Charles and Queen Camilla continue their four-day state visit to the United States, marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, as per media reports.
The 112th Mayor of New York, who took office earlier this year, made the remarks during a press conference ahead of a wreath-laying ceremony at the Sept. 11 Memorial. While acknowledging that the repatriation of the gem was not part of the official state visit agenda, Mamdani stated that he would raise the issue if given a private audience with the monarch.
“If I were to speak to the king separately from that, I would probably encourage him to return the Kohinoor Diamond,” Mamdani, who is of Indian origin, said hours ahead of his meeting with the British monarch in New York.
THE BRITISH ARE COMING: Mayor Zohran Mamdani makes it clear he won't be giving King Charles the 'Royal Treatment' in NYC.
— FOX & Friends (@foxandfriends) April 29, 2026
When asked about what he'd say to the King if he stops to chat during his visit, Mamdani says he'd ask him to return the "Koohinor Diamond."
The diamond is… pic.twitter.com/3ltbtrU99Q
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Mamdani met King Charles at the 9/11 memorial
The royal couple arrived in New York City on Wednesday, following a series of high-level engagements in Washington D.C., including a state dinner hosted by President Donald Trump and an address to a joint meeting of Congress.
King Charles III and Queen Camilla paid a somber visit to the 9/11 Memorial on Wednesday, honoring the victims of the 2001 terror attacks as part of their four-day state visit to the United States. Mayor Mamdani, New York's first Muslim and South Asian mayor, met with the King later in the day to pay respects to the victims of the 9/11 attacks.
History of Indian Gem - Kohinoor
The 105.6-carat diamond, Kohinoor, which belongs to India, passed through several major dynasties before being seized by the British East India Company in 1849. Its acquisition remains a point of historical controversy, as it was surrendered via the Treaty of Lahore by the child king Maharaja Duleep Singh, who was forced to hand over the gem.
Today, the diamond remains set in the crown of the late Queen Elizabeth and is kept in the Tower of London. The comments come as India has been asking for a long time for the diamond to be returned. It was taken during British rule and is now part of the British Crown Jewels.
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