Mamdani wants to advise British king to return Kohinoor diamond

New York City Mayor Zohrab Mamdani said that if he speaks to British King Charles, he will encourage him to return the Kohinoor diamond.

King Charles, who is on a visit to the United States, went to New York City on Wednesday to attend an event organized to commemorate the victims of the Twin Towers (1/11) attack. Mamdani, an Indian-origin mayor of New York, made the remarks in response to questions from reporters at a press conference a few hours earlier.

He said, “Other than that, if I had spoken to the king separately, I would probably have encouraged him to return the Kohinoor diamond.”

Reuters reported that Charles spoke to Mamdani later that day at the memorial service. However, Buckingham Palace declined to comment on what they discussed. Mamdani's office did not respond to a request for comment on whether he had raised the issue of the Kohinoor diamond with the king.

India has repeatedly demanded the return of the 105-carat diamond from Britain.

The East India Company took the Kohinoor diamond from the deposed ruler of the region after it captured Punjab in 1849. The then Governor General of the Indian colony presented the diamond to Queen Victoria in 1850. The diamond has remained in Britain ever since.