New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani met King Charles III at a wreath-laying ceremony for the 9/11 attacks anniversary.
Photo : AP
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he would urge King Charles III to return the Kohinoor diamond to India if the two were to speak privately. Mamdani made the remarks ahead of his meeting with the King later on Wednesday at a wreath-laying ceremony in lower Manhattan marking the anniversary of the 11 September attacks. Speaking at a press conference ahead of the event, he said: “If I were to speak to the king separately from that, I’d probably encourage him to return the Kohinoor diamond.”
The diamond, which is part of the British Crown Jewels and displayed at the Tower of London, has long been a source of dispute. India has called for its return, citing the legacy of British colonial rule, while other countries including Iran and Pakistan have also laid claim to it.
The King and Queen Camilla are in the US on a four-day visit, which has included a private meeting with Donald Trump, an address to Congress and a state dinner at the White House. They are scheduled to attend the ceremony at Ground Zero, which commemorates the more than 3,000 people killed in the attacks.
Later in the day, Mamdani met King Charles III at the 9/11 memorial in Manhattan. The British monarch — who hasn’t been to New York in nearly 20 years — shook hands and spoke briefly with the mayor.
The king and his wife, Queen Camilla, paid respects by laying a bouquet of white flowers near the memorial’s sprawling pools before pausing for a somber moment of silence. They then also met family members of those who died in the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks.
