King Charles Could Be Urged To Return Iconic Diamond by Zohran Mamdani
King Charles Could Be Urged To Return Iconic Diamond by Zohran MamdaniEvolve EditorsThu, April 30, 2026 at 9:58 AM UTC
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There are moments when a ceremonial handshake carries the weight of centuries. And where history and loss converge, a mayor and a monarch can keep to protocol, or confront the legacy of crowns, treaties, and heirlooms of empire. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani chose the latter, revealing his plan to encourage King Charles III to return the legendary Koh-i-Noor diamond to India.
Zohran Mamdani says he would encourage King Charles to return the Koh-i-Noor diamond
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani stated on Wednesday that he would encourage King Charles III to return the Koh-i-Noor diamond. The mayor’s remark comes amid the King’s ongoing visit to the United States.
“If I were to speak to the king separately from that, I would probably encourage him to return the Koh-i-Noor Diamond,” the Indian-American mayor made the remark at a press conference on Wednesday, hours before a ceremony honoring victims of the September 11, 2001, attacks.
For those unaware, India has, for years, pressed Britain to return the 105-carat Koh-i-Noor diamond. Britain’s colonial governor-general of India arranged for the gem to be presented to Queen Victoria in 1850. This was after the East India Company annexed Punjab in 1849. The British governor-general took the diamond from a deposed Indian ruler.
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India has described the diamond as a “valued piece of art with strong roots in our nation’s history.” For many Indians, British possession of the gem remains a symbol of colonial-era injustices under British rule. The Koh-i-Noor’s past owners include Mughal emperors, Persian shahs, Afghan emirs, and Sikh maharajas, according to the Historic Royal Palaces charity.
On Wednesday, Charles honored victims of the September 11, 2001, attacks in New York City, laying a floral wreath at the memorial on the site where the World Trade Center’s twin towers once stood.
Mamdani and Charles spoke briefly at the place of remembrance later on Wednesday. However, Buckingham Palace declined to comment on their exchange. Mamdani’s office also did not answer whether he brought up the Koh-i-Noor during the much-awaited conversation.
Originally reported by Sibanee Gogoi on Mandatory.
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
