New York City Mayor Seeks Return of 'Koh-i-Noor' Diamond from King Charles III
NYC Mayor Sohran Mamdani said he would ask King Charles III to return the Koh-i-Noor diamond, a 105.6-carat gem seized by British colonizers from India in 1846 and now part of the British Crown Jewels.
New York City Mayor Sohran Mamdani said he would request that King Charles III, who is on an official state visit to the United States, return the 'Koh-i-Noor,' a diamond weighing 105.6 carats. "If I had a private conversation with His Majesty, I would ask him to return the Koh-i-Noor diamond," said Mamdani, an Indian-American, hours before the 9/11 memorial ceremony at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. King Charles later spoke with Mamdani at the ceremony, while Buckingham Palace declined to comment on the matter, and there is no confirmation of whether Mamdani formally requested the diamond's return. India has previously called multiple times for Britain to return the Koh-i-Noor. Historically, British colonial administrators presented the diamond to Queen Victoria in 1847, approximately 176 years ago. After the East India Company annexed the Punjab region in 1846 and seized the diamond from a deposed Indian leader, the Koh-i-Noor had previously been owned by the Mughal emperors of India, the Shah of Iran, the Emir of Afghanistan, and Sikh maharajas.
