Hours before meeting Britain’s monarch, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani took a swipe that instantly went viral. Asked what he would say to the king, the 34-year-old replied, “If I was to speak to the king… I would probably encourage him to return the Kohinoor Diamond.”

Mamdani met King Charles and Queen Camilla at the 9/11 Memorial in Lower Manhattan during the royal couple’s rare visit to New York.

There were smiles, a handshake, and a “thank you” from the king after the wreath-laying ceremony. The exchange lasted just a few minutes. What they spoke about wasn’t shared publicly, with City Hall only saying they “exchanged pleasantries.”  Mamdani left the event after about an hour. 

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Watch NYC Mayor Mamdani’s Kohinoor jab

The Kohinoor diamond, one of the world’s most well-known gems, was mined in India centuries ago and is currently displayed at the Tower of London. Critics have long called it a “symbol of conquest” tied to colonial history. 

However, not everyone was impressed with the mayor’s approach. Ken Frydman, a Democratic strategist and former spokesperson for Rudy Giuliani, said, “The sitting mayor of New York City shouldn’t give us a history lesson while politicising the visit of the sitting King of England. He should’ve enthusiastically welcomed him, not reluctantly.”

“We know the history,” he added. “No one has forgotten colonialism.”

Another veteran, George Arzt, who once worked with former mayor Ed Koch, said Mamdani missed a chance to follow tradition. “Mamdani should have invited the royals to Gracie Mansion. The royals are very popular in this country,” he said. 

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Mamdani’s brief meet with King Charles in New York

Even before the visit, Mamdani had made it clear he wasn’t planning anything elaborate. “I will be attending the wreath-laying… to pay tribute to the more than 3,000 who were killed in the horrific terror attacks of Sept. 11,” he had said earlier. “And that will be the extent of my meeting with the king.” 

At the memorial, the royal couple laid white flowers and also met the families of the victims, along with firefighters and police personnel present at the ceremony. New York Governor Kathy Hochul and New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill were also present.

This visit marked King Charles’ first trip to New York in nearly 20 years. He last visited the city in 2007 with Queen Elizabeth II. 

How past mayors rolled out the red carpet 

New York has a long history of giving British royals a grand welcome. Back in 1939, Fiorello LaGuardia personally received King George VI and Queen Elizabeth and took them around the city. In 1957, former mayor Robert Wagner hosted a ticker-tape parade for Queen Elizabeth II.

When the Queen visited again in 2010, Bloomberg gave a warm speech, saying New York was named after her “first cousin 10 times removed,” and thanked her for her “friendship, leadership and support.”