Buckingham Palace refuses to disclose whether Zohran Mamdani asked King Charles for return of Koh-i-Noor

Svar Nanan-Sen
Thu, 30 Apr 2026 10:49:03 +0000

Buckingham Palace has not disclosed whether New York City's Mayor, Zohran Mamdani, discussed the Koh-i-Noor diamond with King Charles despite his public vow to raise the issue with the monarch.

Mr Mamdani, had urged Britain to give back the Koh-i-Noor diamond mere hours before he was due to meet King Charles at a ceremony commemorating 9/11 victims on Wednesday.

The the mayor, who is of Indian heritage, told reporters ahead of the memorial event: "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."

The 105-carat gem remains part of the Crown Jewels, though India has long contested British ownership of the stone.

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India maintains the diamond was taken during the colonial era and has repeatedly called for its repatriation, describing it as a treasured artwork deeply connected to the nation's heritage.

For many Indians, Britain's continued possession of the gem represents colonial exploitation and historical injustice.

Mamdani did subsequently meet the monarch at the memorial ceremony, with photographs capturing the pair shaking hands at the public gathering.

Whether the mayor raised the matter of the diamond during their encounter remains unknown. Neither his office nor Buckingham Palace has disclosed any details about what was discussed between the two men during their interaction.

The diamond's name translates from Persian as "Mountain of Light," and its history spans centuries of conflict and conquest, having passed through the possession of Mughal royalty, Iranian warriors, Afghan rulers and Punjabi Maharajas.

Originally extracted from the Golconda mines in India, the stone weighed 186 carats when it came into British hands in 1849.

Its transfer occurred under a punitive treaty following the Anglo-Sikh war, signed by Duleep Singh, the Sikh ruler who was just ten years old at the time. His mother had been imprisoned.

When displayed at the 1851 Great Exhibition in London, the diamond's traditional rose cut failed to impress visitors.

It was subsequently recut into an oval brilliant shape, sacrificing roughly 40 per cent of its original weight to achieve greater sparkle.

The hen's egg-sized stone currently sits in the crown worn by Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, who donned it for her husband King George VI's coronation in 1937 and again when her daughter Elizabeth II was crowned.

Notably, the contentious gem was absent from Queen Camilla's coronation, reportedly due to fears it could spark a diplomatic dispute with India.

Instead, she wore Queen Mary's Crown, specially retrieved from the Tower of London for the occasion.

The British government has previously resisted calls to return the diamond. In 2013, David Cameron dismissed the idea of giving back the gem, stating it was not "sensible" to do so.