Zohran Mamdani has called on King Charles to return a giant diamond associated with British colonial plunder to India.
The Koh-i-Noor diamond has been in British hands since the 1849 annexation of Punjab, when 10-year-old Maharaja Duleep Singh was forced to surrender it – along with his lands – to Queen Victoria.
New York City mayor Mamdani was speaking ahead of his appearance at a ceremony at the 9/11 memorial and museum in Manhattan, honouring victims of the 2001 attacks.
Asked what he might talk to King Charles about if the pair met, Mamdani said: “If I was to speak to the King separately from that [the wreath-laying ceremony], I would probably encourage him to return the Koh-i-Noor diamond.”
India has repeatedly sought the return of the 105.6-carat gemstone, calling it a "valued piece of art with strong roots in our nation's history". The diamond is currently set in the crown of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.
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