NYC Mayor Mamdani encourages King Charles to return Koh-i-Noor diamond. Here’s why the jewel is controversial

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, center left, greets King Charles III, centre right, during a visit to the 9/11 Memorial, Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, Pool)

NEW YORK CITY -- New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said if he talked to King Charles III during his visit, he would encourage the king to give back a diamond with a long, controversial history.

• Read more: Mamdani says Koh-i-Noor diamond conversation would take place at different place and time

A jewel called the Koh-i-Noor is contained inside the Crown of Queen Elizabeth. The diamond is believed to have originated from India. It was given to Queen Victoria in 1849 as a condition of the Treaty of Lahore, which ended the first Anglo-Sikh War.

Many Indians believe the diamond still belongs to India and that the British stole it.

The jewel came up when Mamdani was asked Wednesday about King Charles’ visit.

“I would probably encourage him to return the Koh-i-Noor diamond,” he said.

What’s the significance of the Koh-i-Noor?

The 105.6-carat jewel is inside a crown given to Queen Elizabeth II’s mother in 1937. It’s on display at the Tower of London.

It has had many previous royal owners, including heads of the Mughal Empire, shahs of Iran, emirs of Afghanistan, and Sikh Maharajas, according to the Historic Royal Palaces.

In 2016, India’s culture ministry said the government would make every possible effort to get the diamond back.

For many Indians, the loss of the Koh-i-Noor is symbolic of the country’s subjugation under colonial rule.

Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan have also squabbled over who should have the jewel.

King doesn’t have the power to return it, royal contributor says

Speaking to CBS News New York on Wednesday, Dr. Amanda Foreman, a royal contributor, said King Charles doesn’t own the Koh-i-Noor diamond. The nation owns it.

“The King has no more power to return the diamond than he has to return Buckingham Palace to the people,” Foreman said.

One political expert said it was probably not the most diplomatic thing the mayor could have said.

“Terrible idea, terrible idea,” Republican strategist O’Brien Murray said. “As the mayor of New York, he was speaking to the King through the media. Stay out of foreign policy unless it helps all New Yorkers with your current problems.”

Crown not worn during King Charles’ coronation

Queen Camilla was supposed to wear the crown housing the jewel during her husband’s coronation ceremony. The stone has been featured in previous coronations.

Camilla wore a modified version of Queen Mary’s crown, featuring diamonds from Queen Elizabeth II’s personal collection.

But Camilla did wear the crown with the Koh-i-Noor to the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022.

By Alexa Herrera and Marcia Kramer