"I would probably encourage him to return the Koh-i-noor diamond."
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani was praised by Indians after he said he would ask King Charles to return the Koh-i-Noor diamond.
The 105.6-carat diamond, now part of the Crown Jewels, was taken from what is now Pakistan and presented to Queen Victoria in 1849 after the Treaty of Lahore.
For many across South Asia, the Koh-i-Noor represents colonial plundering and imperial theft. India has repeatedly called for its return, while Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan have also laid claim to the jewel.
The issue resurfaced unexpectedly during the third day of King Charles and Queen Camilla’s state visit to the United States.
The royal couple met Mr Mamdani during a commemorative service at the 9/11 memorial in New York.
During an earlier press conference, Mr Mamdani was asked what he intended to say to the King beyond representing New York and honouring the nearly 3,000 people killed in the September 11 attacks.
Mr Mamadani responded: “If I was to speak to the King, separately from that, I would probably encourage him to return the Koh-i-noor diamond.”
It remains unclear whether he repeated the remark directly to the King during their meeting. The Indian government has not yet issued an official response.
However, the online reaction was immediate, with many praising the mayor.
One wrote: “Bro quotes Nehru in victory speeches, plays Bollywood songs, and now wants the Kohinoor returned. At this point, he sounds more Indian than half of Indian Twitter.”
Another said: “LOL, you can’t deny that Mamdani grew up very much in touch with his Desi roots.
“My kids would have zero idea what the Koh-i-noor was or any knowledge of British colonial rule in India.”
Another admitted they were “not a fan” of Mr Mamdani, “but at least he has the guts to call out [the] King of England [for] their robbery from India”.
However, some pointed out that Mr Mamdani did not specifically say the diamond should be returned to India, with one asking:
“Return to whom? Many countries claim it.”
Not everyone welcomed Mr Mamdani’s intervention, as some argued that he was speaking on an issue that should be left to South Asians themselves.
Zeba Zoariah wrote: “Koh-i-noor for us is a reminder of how power moved and wealth was taken.
“Urging the Crown in a New York room may sound bold for your crowd, but we get your act.”
“Stop speaking on behalf of us. We’ve lived this history, we can tell when it’s being performed.”
New York mayor Zohran Mamdani says if he speaks to King Charles, he will ask him to return the Kohinoor Diamond.pic.twitter.com/UDTnrakMSm
— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) April 29, 2026
Others called the remark politically unwise.
Republican strategist O’Brien Murray said asking the King to return the diamond was a “terrible idea, terrible idea”.
The renewed debate comes as the Manhattan district attorney’s office announced the return of 657 stolen antiquities worth nearly $14 million to India.
The items were recovered during investigations into global smuggling networks and were linked to dealers, including Subhash Kapoor.
Authorities said the probe focused on tens of thousands of antiquities allegedly smuggled into the United States by Kapoor, who has denied the allegations.
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