NEW York City mayor Zohran Mamdani said he would urge King Charles to return a massive crown jewel to India before meeting him at an event.
The Democrat, who was elected to the post of New York City mayor in November last year, was asked what he might speak to Charles about when the pair meet on Wednesday at a wreath-laying ceremony in lower Manhattan.
The King is in the United States for the first state visit by a British sovereign to America in nearly 20 years.
Ahead of the meeting with Charles, Mamdani said he would urge the royals to hand back the Kohinoor diamond when asked by reporters what topics he may discuss with the King.
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“If I were to speak to the king separately from that, I’d probably encourage him to return the Kohinoor diamond,” Mamdani said.
The Kohinoor is one of the largest cut diamonds in the world, weighing 105.6 carats and is currently set in the royal crown and is on display in the Tower of London.
(Image: PA)
The diamond originated in the Kollur mine in Andhra Pradesh, India, but other countries including Iran and Pakistan, have also laid claim to the stone.
It has become a point of contention between England and India, which was under colonial rule for two centuries until the end of World War II.
Mamdani’s father, a filmmaker and an academic specialising in African politics and post-colonial studies, has written on the lasting impacts of British colonial rule in Africa.
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This includes Uganda, where Mamdani and his family lived until the mayor was five years old.
It’s the second time in three days that Mamdani has attempted to avoid mentioning the royal family in his initial answer when asked about any message he would like to communicate with them at Ground Zero.
“I’ll be attending a wreath laying alongside other elected officials including Gov. Hochul, Gov. Sherrill, and the focus of that wreath laying is to honor the more than 3000 New Yorkers who were killed in the horrific terror attacks of Sept. 11,” he first said.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani reacts as he speaks during a press conference at NYPD headquarters in New York City (Image: Angelina Katsanis, REUTERS)
“And that is really what I’m looking to do at that event.”
Last month, Mamdani drew parallels between the war in the Middle East and British rule over Ireland during St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in the US.
“The story of the Irish, both in Ireland and in New York City, is at one time a story of oppression, of subjugation, and of discrimination,” the mayor said.
“As we know, it was on Irish soil that the British Empire developed their colonial project.”
