New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani urged Britain’s King Charles to return the Koh-i-Noor diamond during his ongoing US visit. The Indian American mayor made this statement at a press conference before a ceremony commemorating victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks.
King Charles later spoke with Mamdani at the ceremony, but Buckingham Palace and Mamdani’s office declined to comment on whether the issue was discussed.
The Koh-i-Noor diamond, weighing 105 carats, was taken from an Indian leader by Britain’s then-colonial governor-general of India after annexing Punjab in 1849. The British presented it to Queen Victoria in 1850.
India has repeatedly demanded the return of the diamond, viewing its possession as a symbol of colonial atrocities during British rule.