Mamdani Says He Would Ask King Charles to Return Kohinoor Diamond
NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he would ask King Charles III to return the Kohinoor diamond, invoking the gem’s long-standing status as a symbol of Britain’s colonial-era extraction from India.
Speaking before he was expected to meet the British monarch Wednesday at a ceremony honoring victims of the September 11, 2001, attacks, Mamdani said, “If I were to speak to the King separately from that, I’d probably encourage him to return the Kohinoor diamond.”
Mamdani later met Charles briefly at the 9/11 Memorial in a crowded setting among other dignitaries. Videos showed the two exchanging a few words as Charles smiled, though it was not clear what they discussed.
Charles is on a four-day visit to the United States as the country prepares to mark the 250th anniversary of its independence from Britain. His New York stop included laying wreaths at the 9/11 Memorial, visiting an urban farm, meeting business leaders and attending a cultural event.
Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist and the son of scholar Mahmood Mamdani, has often framed his politics through an anti-colonial lens. Before the visit, he suggested he would keep his interaction with the king limited to the requirements of protocol.
He said Monday that he would attend the wreath-laying ceremony “to pay tribute to the more than 3,000 who were killed in the horrific terror attacks of September 11 (2001).”
“And that will be the extent of my meeting with the King and with others who are present,” he added.
Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, rather than Mamdani, escorted Charles and Queen Camilla to the memorial to place flowers.
The 106-carat Kohinoor diamond is now set in the crown worn by Charles’ grandmother and kept at the Tower of London. One of the world’s most famous diamonds, it has long been at the center of demands for restitution.
The diamond was taken by the East India Company after the Second Anglo-Sikh War, when 11-year-old Maharaj Duleep Singh was forced to surrender it. Britain has maintained that the diamond was legally obtained, though critics argue the transfer took place under colonial coercion involving a child ruler.
India has demanded the return of the Kohinoor since independence. Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has described it as a symbol of “the artefacts and cultural treasures that were taken to Britain as trophies of Empire.”
The diamond is believed to have been mined in the region of present-day Andhra Pradesh before being taken to Britain, where it was recut to enhance its brilliance.
Pakistan and Afghanistan have also made claims to the Kohinoor, though Mamdani did not specify where he believed the diamond should be returned. (Source: IANS)
