King Charles comes face-to-face with Zohran Mamdani in NYC after his Koh-i-Noor demand

King Charles III met with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on April 29 during a visit to Lower Manhattan, just one day after the mayor made headlines for a pointed comment about the controversial Koh-i-Noor diamond.

The meeting took place following the King’s visit to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, where he was joined by Queen Camilla and local officials. Mamdani greeted the monarch alongside other city representatives, with the pair exchanging a brief but cordial conversation.

According to a pool reporter, the mayor appeared “all smiles and laughs,” though security kept the press at a distance, making it difficult to hear their exchange.

The encounter came shortly after Mamdani stirred debate during a press conference when he was asked what he would say to the King in a private conversation. “If I were to speak to the King separately from that, I’d probably encourage him to return the Koh-i-Noor diamond,” Mamdani said.

The Koh-i-Noor diamond remains one of the most controversial artifacts of the British Crown Jewels, with a complex and painful history tied to colonial rule. Originally associated with the Sikh Empire, the diamond was ceded to Queen Victoria after the Second Anglo-Sikh War and later recut in Britain, significantly reducing its size.

Today, multiple countries, including India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, have laid claim to the gem, complicating any calls for its return. In recent years, British royals have largely kept the diamond out of public view due to its sensitive legacy. It notably was not used during the 2023 coronation of Queen Camilla.