Return the Kohinoor: Mamdani says he'd urge King Charles to hand diamond to India

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he would encourage King Charles to return the Kohinoor Diamond during the monarch's US visit.

In Short

• Zohran Mamdani meets King Charles III at 9/11 memorial in New York
• Meet follows his public call to British King to return Kohinoor to India
• India demands repartition of diamond taken by East India Company

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Wednesday said he would encourage Britain’s King Charles III to return the historic Kohinoor Diamond to India, as the monarch continued his ongoing visit to the United States.

Mamdani, who is of Indian origin, made the remarks ahead of a ceremony commemorating the victims of the September 11 attacks, when he was asked what he would discuss with the King if given the opportunity.

“If I were to speak to the king separately from that, I would probably encourage him to return the Kohinoor Diamond,” Mamdani, said hours ahead of his meeting with the British monarch in New York.

Later in the day, King Charles briefly interacted with Mamdani at the 9/11 memorial event. However, it remains unclear whether the issue of the diamond was discussed during their exchange. The monarch was seen laughing with Mamdani and having a brief conversation after they shook hands.

The remarks come amid long-standing demands from India for the return of the diamond, which was taken during the colonial era and is currently part of the British Crown Jewels.

Buckingham Palace declined to comment on Mamdani’s remarks and the mayor’s office also did not elaborate on the discussions between them.

The Kohinoor is a 105.6-carat diamond mined in India and passed through various dynasties before being seized by the British East India Company in 1849 via the Treaty of Lahore, which forced the child-king Maharaja Duleep Singh to surrender it. Currently, it is set in the crown of Queen Elizabeth and displayed in the Tower of London.

India maintains that the gem was taken under duress from the Sikh king and has consistently demanded its repatriation, viewing it as a symbol of colonial exploitation. India has previously said that the diamond was a "valued piece of art with strong roots in our nation's history."

However, the UK continues to maintain its legal ownership based on the 19th-century treaty.

Apart from Indian emperors, the diamond of Indian origin has passed through the hands of several rulers, including Mughals, Persian shahs and Afghan emirs before being taken away by the British.

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