Amid Koh-i-Noor remark, NYC Mayor Mamdani facing criticism over ‘rude’ welcome to King Charles III

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani drew criticism after suggesting Koh-i-Noor diamond be returned during King Charles III’s visit, with critics calling his remarks inappropriate during a solemn September 11 attacks memorial event

New York: 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 he met 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.

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When asked at a press conference what he would say to the king when he met him at the World Trade Center memorial, Mamdani had said that he would be attending a wreath-laying alongside a number of other 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 stinging 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 when the monarchs visited the city 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 as it cited previous occasions when members of the British Royal Family were warmly welcomed by NYC mayors, including a “ticker-tape parade” organised in honour of Queen Elizabeth’s arrival in the city 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, calling out 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,” the editorial added.

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

On Mamdani’s comment about the Koh-i-Noor diamond, the article said that the king’s wish to honour the 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 NY Post article added.

King Charles and Queen Camilla visited the 9/11 Memorial in the city and paid their respects to the victims of the terror attack.

They also visited Harlem Grown, a network of urban farms supporting children and families in Upper Manhattan.

Mamdani had met King Charles at the 9/11 memorial. A video of their interaction on social media showed the two men greeting each other briefly as King Charles meets other New York officials, including Kochul.

A report in the New York Post had quoted a City Hall spokesperson as saying that Mamdani and Charles “exchanged pleasantries” when they met at the 9/11 memorial. Mamdani had left the event after an hour, the report said.

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

India has indicated previously 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 diamond, 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.