NYC Mayor Would Urge King Charles to Return Koh-i-Noor

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani stated on Wednesday that he would encourage King Charles III to return the Koh-i-Noor diamond to India if given a private opportunity during a 9/11 memorial event in the city. The remarks came hours before Mamdani met the British monarch at a wreath-laying ceremony at the National September 11 Memorial in Lower Manhattan.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the event, Mamdani said, "You know, if I was to speak to the King separately from that, I would probably encourage him to return the KohiNoor diamond." He emphasized that his primary focus remained honoring the nearly 3,000 victims of the September 11, 2001, attacks ahead of the 25th anniversary next year.

Video footage from the ceremony showed Mamdani shaking hands, smiling and bowing to King Charles and Queen Camilla. The two appeared to converse briefly, but there was no indication that the mayor raised the diamond issue. The royal couple laid a bouquet of white roses at one of the memorial pools, met with victims' families and first responders, and marked their first visit to the site, which opened in 2011. New York Governor Kathy Hochul and New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill also attended,...