NYC Mayor Mamdani says he would urge King Charles to return 'Kohinoor' to India

The New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he would encourage King Charles III to return the Kohinoor diamond, hours before meeting him at a ceremony in New York honouring victims of the 9/11 attacks.

“If I were to speak to the King separately from the purpose of the event, I would probably encourage him to return the Kohinoor diamond,” Mamdani said at a press interaction ahead of the engagement.

The two later met at the public ceremony, where they were seen greeting each other. It remains unclear whether the issue was raised during their interaction, with no details shared by the mayor’s office or Buckingham Palace.

The Kohinoor, currently part of the British Crown Jewels, has been at the centre of competing claims for decades. India has repeatedly sought its return, arguing that the diamond was taken during British rule. The United Kingdom has maintained that it was acquired under treaties considered valid at the time.

Weighing over 100 carats in its current form, the diamond traces its origins to the Golconda mines in India and has passed through multiple empires over centuries. It was eventually ceded to the British in the 19th century following the Anglo-Sikh wars.

The gem is now set in the crown associated with Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, and has featured in past royal ceremonies. It was not used during the coronation of Queen Camilla, reportedly amid sensitivities around its contested history.

King Charles III, who is on a four-day visit to the United States with Queen Camilla, attended a ceremony in New York honouring victims of the 9/11 attacks, where he met the city’s mayor.

There has been no official readout of the interaction, with neither the mayor’s office nor Buckingham Palace confirming what was discussed.

Zohran Mamdani comes from a family of Indian-origin heritage with strong academic and cultural backgrounds. His father, Mahmood Mamdani, is a prominent scholar of Ugandan-Indian origin, while his mother, Mira Nair, is an acclaimed filmmaker born in India, known internationally for her work in cinema.

He was elected Mayor of New York City in the November 4, 2025 mayoral election, defeating Republican Curtis Sliwa and former Governor Andrew Cuomo in a closely watched three-way contest.

During the 2025 New York City mayoral election, Mamdani’s campaign gained strong online virality, driven by a social media-first strategy that included Hindi dialogues, Bollywood film references and popular South Asian music, which helped him connect with younger and immigrant voters and significantly amplified his visibility across the city’s political landscape.

Mamdani officially assumed office on January 1, 2026, succeeding Eric Adams.