Mamdani Criticised For Koh-i-Noor Remark Sparks Backlash

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is facing criticism for extending a “rude” welcome to King Charles III and for failing to “set aside his obsession with colonialism” when he called for the Koh-i-Noor diamond to be returned.

Just hours before meeting King Charles III and Queen Camilla on Wednesday at the 9/11 Memorial in Manhattan, Mamdani had said he would encourage the British monarch to return the Koh-i-Noor diamond.

When asked at a press conference what he would say to the king during their meeting at the World Trade Center memorial, Mamdani said he would be attending a wreath-laying alongside several elected officials, including New York State Governor Kathy Hochul and New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill.

"And the focus of that wreath-laying is to honour the more than 3,000 New Yorkers who were killed in the horrific terror attacks of September 11. And that's what I'm really looking to do at that event.” When pressed further on what he would say to the British monarch, Mamdani had said, “If I was to speak to the king separately from that, I would probably encourage him to return the Koh-i-Noor diamond.”

In sharp criticism, The New York Post Editorial Board called out Mamdani’s “rude” welcome extended to King Charles.

“Of course Zohran Mamdani couldn’t manage a decent welcome for the king of England: That would’ve required maturity, grace and humility that our mayor just doesn’t have,” the editorial said.

It said "Mamdani did the absolute minimum" to welcome King Charles III to New York during the monarchs’ visit on Wednesday, adding that the mayor agreed “belatedly” to "just one brief meeting with the monarch, at the 9/11 Memorial — though the royal visited several sites across town."

“Showing respect for the king is showing respect for Britain, yet Mamdani couldn’t resist showing disrespect,” the editorial said, citing earlier occasions when members of the British Royal Family received warm welcomes from New York City mayors, including a “ticker-tape parade” organised for Queen Elizabeth’s visit in 1957 by then mayor Robert Wagner.

“But Mamdani couldn’t bother with any such gestures; he couldn’t even set aside his obsession with colonialism, telling reporters he hoped to push Charles ‘to return the Koh-i-Noor diamond’, a 105-carat gem originally from India and now on display at the Tower of London,” the editorial said.

“Mamdani’s inexperience is no excuse for letting his personal passions blind him to the duties of his high office,” the editorial said, criticising his "addiction to performative displays”.

“At best, his youth means there’s a chance he’ll learn from his graceless mistakes, and do a bit better the next time he’s called to represent all the people of New York City,” it added.

Another New York Post article said Mamdani had acted “like a petulant teen” in front of the king and queen.

On Mamdani’s remarks about the Koh-i-Noor diamond, the article said the king’s visit to honour victims of the 9/11 terror attack "was not an opportunity for a freshman barb on colonialism, and to imply that this crown jewel belongs to India".

“Anyway, what is Mamdani’s standing to demand the diamond — has he appointed himself a representative of India’s government? It wasn’t just the mayor’s rudeness, but his tone and demeanour. Mamdani did his best version of a petulant teen betraying intolerable boredom,” the article added.

King Charles and Queen Camilla visited the 9/11 Memorial and paid their respects to victims of the terror attack. They also visited Harlem Grown, a network of urban farms supporting children and families in Upper Manhattan.

Mamdani met King Charles at the memorial. A video of their interaction circulating on social media showed the two briefly greeting each other as the king met other New York officials, including Hochul.

A New York Post report quoted a City Hall spokesperson as saying Mamdani and Charles “exchanged pleasantries” at the 9/11 memorial, adding that the mayor left the event after about an hour.

The 105.6-carat Koh-i-Noor diamond was given to Queen Victoria in 1849 by Maharajah Duleep Singh and was worn by the Queen Mother in her crown in 1937.

India has previously indicated that it will continue to explore ways to bring back the Koh-i-Noor from the United Kingdom.

The Koh-i-Noor diamond is currently displayed at the Tower of London. The gem, set within the Crown of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, has "many previous owners, including Mughal Emperors, Shahs of Iran, Emirs of Afghanistan, and Sikh Maharajas”, according to the Historic Royal Palaces charity.

(with PTI inputs)