Mayor Zohran Mamdani did not meet with King Charles III privately during the royal visit to New York City.
But if they had, he would’ve told the King to return the Koh-i-Noor diamond to India, he told reporters.
Here’s the history of the Koh-i-Noor Diamond, and how the meeting between the two leaders went Wednesday, April 29.
What is the Koh-i-Noor diamond?
The Koh-i-Noor diamond is believed to have been found in India thousands of years ago, according to Smithsonian Magazine.
The diamond, which is over 105 carats, had been passed around by various rulers throughout its early life, and eventually was brought back to India in 1813 and into the hands of ruler Ranjit Singh. Historians Anita Anand and William Dalrymple, who wrote a book on the gem titled “Koh-i-Noor: The History of the World’s Most Infamous Diamond,” said that at that point, it had become a true symbol of power once in the hands of Singh.
“It was not just that Ranjit Singh liked diamonds and respected the stone’s vast monetary value; the gem seems to have held a far greater symbolism for him,” an excerpt of the book, published by Smithsonian Magazine, said.
Singh died in 1839, and the Punjabi throne faced frequent changing of rulers for four years until Duleep Singh, a young boy, and his mother, Rani Jindan were left to take over.
The British had imprisoned Jindan, and Duleep was forced to give away the diamond and claims to sovereignty, Smithsonian Magazine recounts. It was then given to Queen Victoria, and eventually became a part of the Crown Jewels, worn by multiple royals.
India, alongside other countries attempting to retrieve the diamond, have been asking for its return for decades. The British have said that it legally owns the diamond.
What Mamdani said about the Koh-i-Noor Diamond
On Wednesday, April 29, before joining King Charles III at the 9/11 memorial, Mamdani said that “If I was to speak to the king separately from that, I would probably encourage him to return the Koh-i-Noor diamond.”
Neither Buckingham Palace nor Mamdani’s office immediately responded to a request for comment by USA TODAY, and it is unclear if the two had spoken about it during the royal’s visit.
The two had a brief exchange at the memorial, but were not scheduled to meet privately during the visit.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: What we know about the Koh-i-Noor diamond mentioned by Zohran Mamdani
Reporting by Amethyst Martinez, USA TODAY NETWORK / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
