Zohran Mamdani says he would privately urge King Charles to 'return Kohinoor diamond' to India

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: King Charles III and Queen Camilla, on Wednesday, April 29, visited the One World Trade Center in New York City to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, as part of their four-day high-profile visit.

Among the dignitaries who greeted King and Queen were New York Governor Kathy Hochul, New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill, and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, underscoring the high-profile reception.

This meeting followed closely on the heels of Mamdani telling reporters he would use any private moment with King Charles III to urge him to return the Koh-i-Noor diamond to India.

Zohran Mamdani says he would encourage King Charles to return Koh-i-Noor

Before the event, Mamdani was addressing the media in The Bronx when he was asked what he would raise with King Charles III if granted the opportunity.

“If I were to speak to the king separately from that, I’d probably encourage him to return the Koh-i-Noor diamond,” replied the New York City Mayor, a Muslim born in Uganda to parents of Indian descent.

It was not immediately clear whether Mamdani raised the issue during his brief conversation with the king at the memorial. Additionally, a spokesperson for Buckingham Palace declined to comment on Mamdani’s remarks.

The Koh-i-Noor, one of the largest cut diamonds in the world, was mined in India and dates back to at least the 17th century.

Once part of Queen Victoria’s collection, it now forms a key piece of the British Crown Jewels and is displayed at the Tower of London. Today, experts estimate its value anywhere between $1 billion and over $20 billion.

In 1849, during British colonial rule, the British East India Company compelled the 10-year-old heir of an Indian royal family to relinquish the diamond. Since gaining independence in 1947, India has repeatedly called for its return, most recently in 2016.

Zohran Mamdani omits his answer

Twice in three days, when asked at Ground Zero about any message for the royal couple, Zohran Mamdani notably left them out of his initial response.

“I’ll be attending a wreath laying alongside other elected officials, including Gov Hochul, Gov Sherrill, and the focus of that wreath-laying is to honour the more than 3,000 New Yorkers who were killed in the horrific terror attacks of September 11,” he said. “And that is really what I’m looking to do at that event.”

This came after President Donald Trump doubled down on his hardline stance, declaring the US would never allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon, and raised eyebrows by suggesting King Charles III shared his view.

“Charles agrees with me even more than I do,” Trump said. In his ‌own comments later, the King did not speak about Iran or the Iran war.

A Palace spokesperson later clarified that “The King is naturally mindful of his government's long-standing and well-known position on the prevention of nuclear proliferation.”