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.

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.

Speaking at a press conference ahead of a ceremony commemorating victims of the September 11 attacks, Mamdani said that while the issue was not part of the official agenda, he would raise it if given a private audience.

“If I were to speak to the king separately from that, I would probably encourage him to return the Kohinoor Diamond,” said Mamdani, who is of Indian origin.

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.

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 Kohinoor is a 105.6-carat diamond from India that 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 the Queen Mother 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.

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