Mamdani claims he would request Koh-i-Noor’s return from King Charles

Just hours before visiting King Charles, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani demanded that the valuable Koh-i-Noor diamond be returned from the United Kingdom.

The 105-carat diamond is a part of the Crown Jewels, but India disputes who owns it, saying it was taken under British control. “If I were to ‌speak to the King separately from [the purpose of the event], I would probably encourage him to return the Koh-i-Noor diamond,” Mamdani, who has Indian roots, said at a press conference hours before he was set to meet King Charles at a ceremony honouring victims of the 9/11 attacks.

Monday marked the start of King Charles and Queen Camilla’s four-day visit to the United States. In 2013, former prime minister David Cameron declared that it was not “sensible” to return the jewel.

For ages, the Koh-i-Noor, which translates to “Mountain of Light” in Persian, has been the target of conquest and intrigue, passing through the hands of Punjabi Maharajas, Afghan kings, Iranian warriors, and Mughal princes.The stone, which weighed 186 carats when it was eventually given to the British in 1849 as part of a punitive settlement during the Anglo-Sikh War, was first discovered in India’s Golconda mines. After his mother was imprisoned, 10-year-old Sikh ruler Duleep Singh signed it.

The diamond was recut as an oval brilliant, enhancing brightness but losing almost 40% of its weight in the process, after its typical rose cut failed to satisfy attendees of the Great Exhibition, a large international exhibition held in London in 1851.

The hen’s egg-sized 105-carat stone is presently set in Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother’s crown. When her husband, King George VI, was crowned in 1937, Queen Elizabeth wore the crown.Later, she wore it during the coronation of her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II. The contentious diamond was not used in Queen Camilla’s coronation because, according to reports, its usage would have caused a diplomatic spat with India. Instead, Queen Mary’s Crown, which was removed from the Tower of London just for the occasion, was used to crown her.