Zahran Mamdani and King Charles (Photo/AP)
New York Mayor Zahran Mamdani suggested on Wednesday that he would ask King Charles III to return the Koh-i-Noor diamond during the British monarch’s visit to the city.The comment came as King Charles and Queen Camilla were in the city for a series of events, including a visit to the National September 11 Memorial and Museum, where they met families of the victims and paid tribute to those killed in the 2001 terrorist attacks.Speaking at a press conference in the Bronx, Mamdani was asked what he would say if he had the opportunity to speak with the king. He replied: “If I were to talk to the king… I would probably encourage him to return the Koh-i-Noor diamond,” the New York Post reported. The Koh-i-Noor, a diamond weighing more than 100 carats, long associated with the British Crown Jewels and once used in Queen Elizabeth II’s crown, has been at the center of long-running disputes over colonial-era artefacts.
This jewel, which some estimates are worth a billion dollars, was transported from India centuries ago and now resides in the Tower of London.During their visit to the 9/11 Memorial, King Charles III and Queen Camilla met with dignitaries including Mamdani, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, New Jersey Governor Mickey Sherrill, and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.The royal couple laid flowers on memorial rosaries and observed a minute of silence before speaking briefly to the families of the victims. The engagement was one of the main stops on the New York itinerary, which also includes cultural, charitable and business-focused events.The visit to New York comes as part of a broader official tour lasting four days on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the independence of the United States. This is the first visit to the city by a British monarch since Queen Elizabeth II’s trip in 2010.
