What Is the Koh-i-Noor Diamond? Mamdani Urges King Charles to Return Gem
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani called for King Charles III to return the Koh-i-Noor diamond to India, highlighting its contested history as a symbol of British colonialism, shortly before meeting the monarch at a 9/11 Memorial event. The diamond, originally from India, was taken by the British East India Company in 1849 and is now part of the British Crown Jewels, displayed in the Tower of London. India has long sought the diamond's return, arguing that its transfer was coercive due to the young age and subjugation of Maharaja Duleep Singh at the time.
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By Jack BeresfordSenior Life and Trends ReporterShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberSee more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.When New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani met King Charles III and Queen Camilla at a wreath-laying ceremony at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum in Lower Manhattan, the encounter appeared cordial, marked by smiles and polite exchanges.That contrasted with remarks Mamdani had made just hours earlier, when he renewed calls for the return of the Koh‑i‑Noor diamond—one of the world’s largest cut diamonds—taken from the Indian subcontinent during the era of British colonial rule.Mamdani is far from the first public figure to press for the diamond’s repatriation, a demand that has long sparked…
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