New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he would encourage Britain’s King Charles III to return the historic Kohinoor diamond to India, as the monarch continues his ongoing visit to the United States.
“If I was to speak to the King separately from that, I would probably encourage him to return the Kohinoor diamond,” Mamdani said at a press conference on Wednesday before he met the British monarch in the city later in the day. Mamdani was asked what he would say to the King, who visited New York City on the second day of his state visit to the US.
Royal engagements in US
Hours later, Mamdani met King Charles at the 9/11 memorial, but it was not confirmed whether he discussed the Koh-i-Noor issue with the British monarch.
Also read | How Golconda’s Koh-i-Noor became the most fought-over diamond in human history
King Charles and Queen Camilla visited the 9/11 Memorial to pay their respects to the victims of the terror attack. King Charles addressed a joint meeting of the US Congress on Tuesday, as he and Queen Camilla were honoured at a state dinner hosted by President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump in the White House.
They also visited Harlem Grown, a network of urban farms supporting children and families in Upper Manhattan.
Ownership debate continues
The Kohinoor, which translates to “Mountain of Light” in Persian, is one of the world’s most famous and historically disputed gemstones. It weighs around 105.6 carats and has been valued at over $200 million.
Its origins are widely traced to the Kollur Mines in the Golconda region, now in present-day Telangana. The Kohinoor is believed to have been discovered during the rule of the Kakatiya dynasty in the 13th century.
It eventually came into the possession of Maharaja Duleep Singh, the last ruler of the Sikh Empire. He was still a child, around 10 years old, when the British annexed Punjab in 1849. That same year, the Treaty of Lahore formalised the transfer of power, under which the Kohinoor was handed over to the British and later presented to Queen Victoria.
The Kohinoor diamond is currently displayed at the Tower of London. The diamond, set within the Crown of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, has “many previous owners, including Mughal emperors, Shahs of Iran, Emirs of Afghanistan and Sikh Maharajas,” according to the Historic Royal Palaces charity.
India has indicated that it will continue to explore ways to bring back the Kohinoor from the United Kingdom.
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