The 105-carat Koh-i-Noor is considered by many to be the world’s most valuable diamond. It was discovered at the Kollur Mine in India in the 14th century and was passed between various regional powers before the British annexation of Punjab in 1849.
The diamond was then ceded to Queen Victoria, and the British royal family has maintained possession of it for the past 170 years. In recent years, debate has swirled over the potential return of the diamond to India, among other places, given the considerable controversy surrounding its current ownership.
Before King Charles III’s recent trip to New York, Mayor Zohran Mamdani was asked at a press conference what he would choose to discuss with the British monarch.
“If I was to speak to the king … I would probably encourage him to return the Koh-i-Noor diamond,” Mamdani told media.
These comments have inflamed debate over the future of the diamond. Many in the US media dismissed Mamdani as rude and immature, while in India he has been widely praised.
Since those comments, there has been no confirmation if Mamdani, whose mother is an Indian film-maker and whose father is a scholar specialising in colonialism, raised the subject during his interaction with King Charles III.
In an interview with The Guardian, author William Dalrymple said that this debate was likely to intensify in the years to come as India continues to evolve into an increasingly influential international figure.
“What people have got to realise is the Koh-i-Noor is still a hugely emotional issue,” he explained.
“On to this one little stone, sitting in a glass cabinet in London, has been projected all the pain that South Asia feels about colonialism.”
He added: “The British are going to need India more and more, and need Indian benevolence more and more. The Koh-i-Noor could easily become a major diplomatic grenade in decades to come.”
In 2023, Queen Camilla Parker Bowles had the diamond removed from the Queen Mother’s Crown to avoid heightening political tension over the matter.
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