As part of their four-day US visit, King Charles and Queen Camilla visited the National 9/11 Memorial in lower Manhattan where were welcomed by former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who is also the chairman of the 9/11 Museum and Memorial, and Beth Hillman, its president and CEO, who gave them a tour of the site. The royal couple also met with the current New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
King Charles and Mayor Zohran Mamdani spoke briefly and were seen laughing.
Previously, Mamdani said he wouldn’t be meeting the king in private and the reason why enraged many who claimed the mayor has a hard time “set aside his obsession with colonialism,” according to Deccan Herald.
Namely, while Mamdani did greet the king, he made it clear he won’t accompany them on the tour. On Wednesday morning, Joe Calvello, the mayor’s press secretary, said in a statement, “The mayor will not meet privately with King Charles. But the mayor will be at the wreath-laying ceremony today.”
When asked whether he would have a private audience, Mamdani said, “If I was to speak to the king separately from that, I would probably encourage him to return the Koh-i-Noor diamond.”
The remarkable 106-carat Koh-i-Noor is mounted in the crown that was once worn by Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. It was presented to Queen Victoria in 1849, and ever since, it has been the center of ongoing controversy, with debates over its rightful ownership continuing to this day.
According to critics, the striking jewel—often likened to the size of a hen’s egg—was taken under unfair circumstances from Duleep Singh, then just 10 years old, after the British seized his kingdom. The Guardian requested a response from Buckingham Palace, but the palace chose not to comment on whether the diamond might be returned.
The actions of Zorhan Mamdani did little to impress the editorial board of the New York Post. The outlet—consistently critical of him during his campaign and early mayoral tenure—wrote, “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.
“Showing respect for the king is showing respect for Britain, yet Mamdani couldn’t resist showing disrespect,” the editorial wrote and emphasized that British royals have historically been greeted with enthusiasm by New York City mayors, recalling how Robert F. Wagner Jr. hosted a celebratory ticker-tape parade for Queen Elizabeth II during her 1957 visit.
“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, as reported by Deccan Herald.
A spokesperson for the royal family declined to respond to Mr Mamdani’s remarks, according to Politico.
Earlier, Buckingham Palace issued a response after Donald Trump claimed that King Charles III agreed with him that Iran should not be permitted to acquire nuclear weapons. Members of the royal family are expected to remain politically neutral, yet Trump told guests on Tuesday night that the US would never allow Iran to obtain such weapons and suggested the King shared his stance.
“Charles agrees with me even more than I do,” Trump said. In his own comments later, the King did not speak about Iran or the Iran war.
A Palace spokesperson responded: “The King is naturally mindful of his government’s long-standing and well-known position on the prevention of nuclear proliferation.”