Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist candidate for mayor of New York City, met with King Charles III in New York just hours after publicly suggesting that the monarch should return the Koh-i-Noor Diamond to India. The encounter took place at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum on Wednesday during a wreath-laying ceremony, where Mamdani shook hands with the king.
Demand for Return of the Diamond
Earlier that day, during a press conference, Mamdani was asked what he would say to the king if given the chance. He replied, 'If I were to speak to the king separately from that, I would probably encourage him to return the Koh-i-Noor Diamond.' The diamond, a 105.6-carat gem, is currently set in the Crown of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, part of the British Crown Jewels. It has been a point of contention between India and the United Kingdom for decades, with India claiming it was originally found in the Andhra Pradesh region.
Royal Visit to the United States
The ceremony was part of King Charles and Queen Camilla's four-day trip to the United States, during which they honored the 3,000 New Yorkers who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The Koh-i-Noor diamond was acquired by Britain in the mid-1800s and has since been a symbol of colonial history and ongoing debates about repatriation of cultural artifacts.
